A Plea.....

     I stopped watching the news and looking at pictures  from home (the Philippines) as they almost always drive me to tears.  The magnitude of Typhoon Yolanda (or Haiyan), the latest natural disaster that swept the central Philippines, is just overwhelming that the peoples of the world are still in awe and could not fathom the depth of it.  I heard from friends and acquaintances of tragic losses, not just of properties, but of lives; of whole communities washed away by the waters; of families in tight embrace, drowned together; of dead bodies lined along the roads while those who survived searched for their loved ones.  Pictures in the news showed people with blank stares holding on to minute things and wandering aimlessly.   This typhoon was only weeks after a 7.1 earthquake leveled towns in a neighboring island. 

     Although I am thankful that my own family  in Las Pinas is safe and is physically unaffected by these disasters, we, as a people, are all saddened as this latest calamity affects the deepest recesses of our psyche and of our hearts.  From the comforts of our homes here in the US, even the thousands of miles could not separate us from the pains and sufferings of the Filipinos.  Our hearts ache, our eyes well with tears, and we all have that desire to do something to help.

     Chances are you know someone from the Philippines.  My home country famously exports nurses, caregivers and other professionals and paraprofessionals.  People from some nations think of Filipinos as maids, houseboys and nannies.  But that is okay. We know who we are.  The truth is most of those who go abroad are college-educated.  Poverty and unemployment in our country has driven many of us abroad so we could support our families back home.  We did not care what work we do.  We do what we need to do, and do them well.  We are a people who are nurturing and our loyalty and concern for those we work with and for are genuine and comes as a second nature.  

     The journey back to normalcy will be long, but Filipinos are resilient.  Like a bamboo tree, we bend where the wind blows, but we rise up again.  We are a people of hope.  We are a people of faith.  We are a people of gratitude.  Even in the face of what is seemingly an insurmountable disaster, this country, this people with rise again, with your help and with God’s grace.

     So this is my plea.  I hope you will find it in your hearts to  send help through a variety of organizations that are now in the Philippines.  Please donate to any of the organizations in the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/how-to-help-donate-to-victims-of-super-typhoon-haiyan-195111618.html;_ylt=AwrSyCUSOIFSCjUAZL7QtDMD.   

     Thank you and God bless you.