Talk to any Cebuano and he or she will tell you the same thing. You will not find a person on this island who has not, in one way or another, given money, time or relief efforts.
Maybe it was the sheer magnitude of “Yolanda” that shook us to action. Maybe it was the momentum of relief efforts from the recent earthquake that carried over.
Or maybe it was because this one hit not just close to home, but home itself. While Cebu City and south of it was spared, the northern part was left in tatters in Yolanda’s wake. And from what we know of Samar and Leyte, northern Cebu didn’t even get the worst of it.
The worst storm churned out the best heroes, and they were everywhere, some of whom we knew about and others we didn’t.
There was fashion designer Mary Ty who proved the power of one voice (albeit one with 4,500 Facebook friends). After she made a call for donations, her atelier was transformed into a warehouse, and her relief goods reached as far as Kananga, Ormoc and Tacloban in Leyte, and Capiz in Iloilo.
Furniture designer Vito Selma and his friends set up a soup kitchen every weekend in the north.
For those who are wondering how to help, we’ve compiled this list of five groups and organizations that we admire, trust in, and are inspired by.
Their stories tell us what wonderful work has been done, and how much more is to be done.
They inspire.
You can be one, too.
UNIVERSITY OF CEBU (UC)
Headed by Candice Gotianuy and Mary Lou Neri
What is the nature of UC’s relief efforts?
We have been focusing on food and shelter.
Which areas have you been focusing on?
In Cebu, we’ve been to Bantayan Island (Sta. Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos), Bogo, Kawit in Medellin, Bangkal in San Remigio, Barangay Sambag in Tabugon, Maya in Daan Bantayan, and Union, San Francisco in Camotes Island.
In Ormoc, we were in Feliza Mejia, Cogon, Punta and San Isidro.
In Leyte, we provided aid to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City and our relief goods are in transit to San Isidro.
We were also in Biliran Island.
In Samar, our relief missions reached Barangays (villages) Sulangan and Ngolos, Guiuan, and our goods are in transit to Bassey as we speak.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Logistics and synchronizing the shipping with the trucking schedule when we dispatch the relief goods because in most affected places there is no communication.
Any anecdotes/stories of heroism to share?
A general surgeon at EVRMC, at that time the only functioning hospital in Tacloban, sent a letter (handwritten and carried by one of the evacuees) to Dr. Don Rosello, president of the PCS-Cebu-Visayas, asking for help because their supplies were depleting.
Even after hearing that some medical workers were planning to abandon their posts and evacuate the city, Dr. Rosello, without the military guaranteeing his safety, took a chance and delivered the much-needed medicines procured by him and UC.
One more touching story involved Kate Go, whose family owns Surf Camp in Guiuan, who flew there to check on their staff. She asked our assistance to get a small generator for the satellite phone they borrowed from Smart. Since there were no more small gensets available, a friend suggested that we use a car battery to charge the phone, so we posted on Facebook that car batteries were needed.
In less than 30 minutes, a certain Francis Manglapus called up after a common friend, Los Angeles-based Hannah Trinidad-King, tagged him in my post. He gave two car batteries, taught Kate how to charge the phone using the batteries and, 12 hours later, Guiuan was connected.
The lines were long and everyone had a tearful reunion with loved ones even if it was just by phone.
Another story illustrates the power of social media. We got a call from Red Cross at 4:30 p.m. last Saturday, asking if we could host about 26 adults and 41 orphans from Streetlight Orphanage arriving from Tacloban at 8 a.m. the next day. They needed to be housed until their flight in the evening.
We mobilized quickly. We got our nursing staff and grade school teachers to come in, sent two buses to the port for pickup, had a playroom with bean bags, stuffed toys and a crib ready (we were told there was an eight-month-old), got three doctors, three psychiatrists for stress-debriefing. Red Cross arranged for Jollibee to serve breakfast and lunch and brought in mascots.
When we got confirmation that the ship was on its way, we posted on Facebook the wish list of items the coordinator had sent. Cebu responded with overwhelming generosity.
People showed up, donated and interacted with the kids. One gave 100 blankets, many gave used clothing, pillows, towels and toys in a span of a few hours.
The kids went to their new orphanage in Davao with nine boxes of donations.
What is the most pressing need now?
Houses for these displaced victims. Having a roof over your head can give one a sense of security. The sooner they have their homes, the faster they can get back on their feet.
How can others help?
They may deposit donations to:
Bank: Banco de Oro
Branch: Cebu, Ayala Business Park
Account name: University of Cebu, Inc.
Swift code: BNORPHMM
Peso account: 2420075958
We ask donors to kindly send an e-mail with a scanned copy of their deposit slip to universityofceburelief@gmail.com so we can properly document it.
The list of donations and donors will be posted on the following websites: www.uc.edu.ph and www.sunstar.com.
3 Villages, 1 Goal (3V1G)
Mary Anne Arculli, Butch Carungay and Lana Osmeña
What is the nature of 3V1G’s efforts?
Ours is a targeted and localized effort to initially help three communities in northern Cebu. We aim to answer the immediate call for basic needs and cleanup.
The next phase is to rebuild by providing building materials and cash for labor.
The final phase, which we are on, is to restore by facilitating community-based projects for sustainable development as many have lost their means of livelihood.
Which areas have you been focusing on?
We’ve decided to focus on Guadalupe in Bogo, Liog-Liog in Carnaza and Punta in San Remigio because of our strong connections with these villages.
What has been your biggest challenge?
To stay focused on the original intent of our project while we assume other roles.
How can others help?
They may donate via PayPal through our website, www.3villages1goal.
org.
ALL-TERRAIN MEDICAL RELIEF ORGANIZATION (AMRO)
Headed by Dr. Wyben Briones
What is the nature of Amro’s efforts?
We have a built-in medical team of doctors, nurses and paramedics. The rest are people from various professions with experience in rescue operations.
The organization’s main goal is to bring medical aid and relief goods to the victims.
Which areas have you been focusing on?
Northern Cebu. We were in Bogo hours after the typhoon, on a rescue mission to look for one of the typhoon victims.
We had food supplies enough for 200 people who were evacuated to the Bogo City gym.
Two days later, medical and relief convoys were sent to Barangay Tapilon in Daan Bantayan, one of the worst hit.
In between those dates, we gathered relief goods and resources to make a big push to Daan Bantayan. A smaller group of 16 went to Carnaza Island on Nov. 15-17.
Food relief, medical supplies, reconstruction materials were distributed.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The distance from Cebu City and the logistical difficulty of bringing tons of relief goods when the roads were impassable.
Any favorite anecdotes/stories of heroism to share?
People trying to help other people even when they themselves had been affected by the storm was really inspiring.
What is the most pressing need?
Food, water and shelter. These victims don’t even have the most basic of necessities.
How can others help?
They may send relief goods and donations to the Cebu Medical Society Bldg., Gov. M. Cuenco Ave., Banilad Road, Cebu City, Cebu; tel. (032) 2324013.
They may find us on Facebook at Amro (All-terrain Medical Relief Organization). Volunteers are also welcome.
RAMON ABOITIZ FOUNDATION, INC. (RAFI)
What is the nature of Rafi’s efforts?
We are guided by our 3R Disaster Response Framework of Relief, Recovery and Rehabilitation.
Our priority, a day after Yolanda and to this day, is primarily relief, where we provide immediate aid (food packs, water, tarpaulins made of laminated sacks and rope for emergency shelter).
While continuing with our relief efforts, we are also working on the recovery phase, preparing the provisions of shelter kits (tarps, laminated sacks or other roofing material, ground sheets, mosquito nets, blankets, basic carpentry tools, cooking utensils, etc.).
We are working on the needs of children, particularly in terms of education, so we are preparing temporary learning spaces and basic education materials.
For the rehabilitation phase, we are seeking support for the repair or rehabilitation of schools, health centers, building of core or transitional shelter, repair of water systems, and provision of support for livelihood.
Which areas have you been focusing on?
Rafi has reached nine localities in northern Cebu (of the 14 that’s heavily and moderately affected) and the city of Ormoc in Leyte.
In the next few days, the four municipalities of Camotes Islands and towns immediately surrounding Ormoc will also be served.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The need for an overall coordinating structure led by the government was important to ensure that all affected areas are helped and that those interested in helping can coordinate with local structures and channel resources accordingly.
With the organization of this coordinating structure, which is now operational and led by the provincial government, this challenge has been addressed.
Any favorite anecdotes or stories of heroism?
One woman asked for her wedding gift from a cousin in Sweden to be donated to Rafi instead.
There was also another woman who donated her hard-earned savings to Rafi. The foundation had facilitated the treatment of her mother’s breast cancer, through the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center. She says, “It’s my way of saying thank you… I guess it’s time to pay it forward.”
What is the most pressing need?
Shelter/housing and other interventions for recovery and rehab.
How can others help?
Rafi is grateful to its many donors and volunteers, but the need for resources, however, is much larger and we have only just begun. Rafi is accepting donations through:
For credit card/debit cardholders (local and foreign)
Donate online: https://donate.
rafi.org.ph
PayPal account: rafi_treasury
@rafi.org.ph
For local donors
Over-the-counter bank transactions (Union Bank of the Philippines branch)
Account name: Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
Account No.: 0027-8000-3279
Account type: Current Account
Please inform tellers that the deposit is for Typhoon Yolanda Relief Operations and kindly give your name for proper identification of Rafi Treasury for the issuance of your official receipt and for monitoring purposes.
Telegraphic/wire transfer (Include the SWIFT CODE with the bank details)
Swift code: UBPHPHMM
For donors based abroad
Telegraphic/wire transfer (Use our UBP Dollar Account)
Account name: Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
Account No.: 1327-8000-0852
Account type: Savings Account
Swift code: UBPHPHMM
Bank address: North Reclamation Area, Cebu City 6000
For in-kind donations
Drop-off Center
Casa Gorordo Museum, 35 Lopez Jaena St., Cebu City
Mailing address (for relief packages coming from outside Cebu)
Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., 35 Lopez Jaena St., Cebu City, Philippines 6000
Please mark your packages with “Typhoon Yolanda Relief Operations”
ROOF FOR RELIEF
What is the nature of your relief efforts?
Roof for Relief is a Gawad Kalinga project with the Islands Group and LH Foundation, the same core group that conceptualized #Bangon SugBohol after the earthquake.
We have given and continue to give to the relief efforts in northern Cebu, but with the magnitude of the devastation, we knew we had to plan ahead for rebuilding.
Feedback from groups doing relief work pointed to a specific need—building materials. So we decided to focus on providing roofing materials, specifically GI sheets and nails, to the victims.
We aim to raise enough funds to purchase and deliver GI sheets and nails to 5,000 households by Christmas.
Gawad Kalinga Cebu believes that with the amount of relief goods we have and the projections given by mayors, relief efforts in northern Cebu can now slow down. It is time to start rebuilding.
Which areas have you been focusing on?
The day after Yolanda struck the Philippines, GK National activated Walang Iwanan, our battle cry for our relief efforts.
While GK National has put up a base just outside Ormoc to serve the entire Leyte, GK Cebu is serving hard-to-reach barangays in northern Cebu. We have gone to several barangays on islets and islands off northern Cebu and barangays on the mainland.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest problem not only for GK but also for every group doing relief work has been logistics. All land, sea and air components of transporting goods and volunteers are being used. There is a barangay off Camotes Island that we have been trying to serve since Day 2 but logistics let us reach it only on Day 13.
What is the most pressing need?
Aside from roofing, which we are trying to address, a very pressing need is to inform people, donors and victims, that we are all in this for the long haul.
The 5,000 homes is a great start, but to build northern Cebu back to that place that we Cebuanos have come to love, we must be there for them from now until they are self-sufficient—when jobs are created, schools painted and the tourism industry resurrected.
How can others help?
They may deposit donations to:
Bank: Banco de Oro
Account name: LH Foundation Inc. – Roof for Relief
Swift code: BNORPHMM
Account number: 118-009-2773
We ask donors to kindly e-mail a scanned copy of their deposit slip and contact information (name and contact number) to roofforrelief@lh-foundation.
org.
They may also visit the Facebook page of Roof for Relief to see other donation options.