At the Hong Kong airport, an old man, a local, stopped me and asked if I was a Filipino.

Upon hearing my reply, he asked, “Could you do me a favor? Could you please give this to any relief efforts in your country?”

He handed me a hundred dollar bill and continued, “We saw what the storm did. We are very sad. It is our duty as human beings to help.”

My heart melted.

What a beautiful sign of compassion, solidarity and humanity. Despite our differences—geographical, political or otherwise—we are all essentially one. No race, political belief or geographical differences can separate us during calamities such as this.

Be strong, Philippines. We are intrepid; we carry on.

Let’s help in whichever way we can.

Renee Puno is a freelance writer for Filipino and Italian publications.