National Federation of Filipino American Associations

To read Oct. 2-5 updates, click here.
To read September 30 updates, click here.

This posting is updated as fast as we can humanly possible. Thank you for your patience.

IN THE NEWS

MEDIA ADVISORY / OCT. 9 BENEFIT FOR VICTIMS OF TYPHOON KETSANA

Updates from Keith Kamisugi (through Odette Keeley of New America Media):

The highlights:

Tonight, Friday, October 9, 2009 - 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Program starts at 7 p.m.

* Senator Leland Yee, Assemblymember Jerry Hill, S.F. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, AC Transit Board Member Joel Young, S.F. City College Board Member Steve Ngo and Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Marciano Paynor, Jr. are expected to attend.
* Proceeds will be donated to ABS-CBN Foundation for the typhoon victims.
* Event chair Keesa Ocampo will be available on-site for interviews.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Assemblymember Fiona Ma, S.F. Dist. Attorney Kamala Harris, S.F. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu Serve as Honorary Co-Hosts of Oct. 9 Benefit for Victims of Typhoon Ketsana. Honorary co-hosts also include S.F. Assessor Phil Ting, S.F. school board vice-president Jane Kim and member Hydra Mendoza; more than 20 community organizations part of event coalition.

SAN FRANCISCO (Revised Oct. 9, 2009) - A coalition of community leaders and organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area have teamed up to help raise awareness and funds on behalf of more than 700,000 people displaced as a result of the floods that inundated 80 percent of Metro Manila in the Philippines last week. Typhoon Ketsana (known in the Philippines as Ondoy) claimed the lives of hundreds of Filipinos in the worst such calamity in the region’s history.

WHAT: Benefit for Victims of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy)
WHEN: Friday, October 9, 2009 - 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Lot 46, 46 Geary Avenue, San Francisco, Calif.
WEB: http://hapihour.org/ondoy - for radio/audio, BayAreaBenefit.org should be used.
EDITORS: Event chair Keesa Ocampo and other organizers are available for interviews.

The event will be hosted by Aimee Allison, host of KPFA’s Morning Show with featured DJs Chief Xcel of Blackalicious, DJ Big Rich, DJ Romeo and peformances by Kristine Sinajon, Gabe Bondoc and Patrick Landeza.

The “Benefit for Victims of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy)” is supported by a number of elected officials serving as honorary co-hosts, including U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Board of Equalization Chair Betty Yee, Senator Leland Yee, Assemblymember Fiona Ma, Assemblymember Jerry Hill, SF. Mayor Gavin Newsom, S.F. District Attorney Kamala Harris, S.F. Assessor Phil Ting, S.F. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, S.F. Board of Education Vice-President Jane Kim, S.F. Board of Education Member Hydra Mendoza, AC Transit Board Member Joel Young and S.F. City College Board Member Steve Ngo. Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Marciano Paynor, Jr. is also an honorary co-host.

Community organization partners for the event include: ABS-CBN Foundation-USA, Asian American Bar Association, Asian American Journalists Association, SF Chapter, Asian Business League, Bay Area Asian Pacific American Legislative Staffers, Bliss Entertainment, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Citizen Hope, Clubworks, DineForChange, Drink for a Cause, Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce Santa Clara, Filipina Women’s Network, Filipino American Arts Exposition, Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, hapihour.org, Inspire Hope Institute, Kaya: Filipino Americans for Progress, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, Philippine American Press Club USA, Philippine Consulate General - San Francisco, San Francisco Fil-Am Jazz Festival Community, San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee, Soulciety.org and Young Filipino Professionals Association.

Organizers are requesting a $20 donation at the door. Proceeds will be donated to the ABS-CBN Foundation, which has served over 100,000 families to date. Advance tickets available, as well as complete event and contact information, at http://hapihour.org/ondoy.

Version 10/09/09

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From: Jacqui Conclara
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Subject: URGENT: FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE:

Dear Friends in the Fil-Am Media,

Please find attached the latest press release on LBC’s Typhoon Ondoy Project. Starting October 8, LBC can no longer accept donations containing used clothing in behalf of the Typhoon Ondoy victims.

Sincerely, Jacqui

Jacqueline P. Conclara
Coordinator, Marketing Dept.
LBC Mundial Corporation/LBC Foundation
363 East Grand Avenue
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Tel. No. (800) 338-5424, ext. 3040
Fax No. (866) 647-3561
www.teamlbc.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Patricia G. Garcia/Jacqueline P. Conclara
Tel. No. (650) 876-0410; 1-800-338-5424, ext. 3024/ext. 3040
Email: tricia@teamlbc.com; jacqui@teamlbc.com

South San Francisco, Calif. – By virtue of Republic Act (RA) 4653, which was passed in 1966, LBC Mundial Corporation (LBC USA) can no longer accept donations of used clothing in behalf of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) beginning October 8.

LBC was informed of this directive from the Philippine government only last October 7 at a community meeting at the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in San Francisco.

The meeting, organized by local Filipino community leaders, was held to discuss fundraising activities for the families affected by typhoon Ondoy.

“Used clothing as donations is prohibited under Republic Act No. 4653, thus the Bureau of Customs can seize/apprehend said importation,” stated a letter to the community from Consul General Marciano A. Paynor, Jr.

The letter further explained that “donations in kind (except used clothing) shall be exempted from custom duties and taxes provided that these are directly addressed to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.”

LBC wants to apologize to all individuals and Fil-Am organizations that have shown their solidarity to their “kababayans” affected by the flood.

“We understand and appreciate how much time and effort were spent by Filipinos in the U.S. to gather these donations of used clothing. We are all heroes to Ondoy’s victims. Unfortunately, we need to follow the law and the directive from Malacañang,” said Hugo Bonilla, LBC USA’s president and CEO.

Alternatives

Meanwhile, LBC will still continue to provide free sea cargo and money remittance services to other in-kind and cash donations to the typhoon victims.

Cash donations sent through LBC USA will still be remitted to the Sagip Kapamilya project of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.

According to the PCG in San Francisco (PCGSF), the Department of Social Welfare and Development has released a list of priority relief items for the typhoon victims.

These includes: food, non-food, mats, blankets, flashlights, emergency lamps, tents, generators, water container, hygiene kits (bath soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, laundry soap, feminine napkins) baby diapers, and slippers.

The PCGSF also released a separate list of priority relief needs from the Department of Health.

These includes medicines for wounds, the common colds, skin diseases, diarrhea, typhoid fever and cholera as well as intravenous supplies, and other medical supplies and equipment.

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Typhoon Ondoy - Congresswoman Jackie Speier of 12th District Introduces House Resolution 800

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For the complete slideshow, click here.

PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Consulate General
447 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94108
415-433-6666 ext. 313 (public information section)
*www.philippineconsulate-sf.org

San Francisco, 07 October 2009 – The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) donated several boxes of canned goods, noodles, candies, and other food items as part of their humanitarian assistance to victims of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines.

SFPD Captain Eric Quema, a Filipino American and one of the ranking police officers in the Bay Area, handed over the donations to Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Marciano A. Paynor, Jr. today at the consulate.

The donations from the SFPD included food items given by Captain Quema, Inspector Milanda Moore and other personnel of the Special Investigations Division as well as those collected from Lt. Louis Espinda, Sgt. Ray Cruz, Officers Dizon and Gummo and police personnel from the Bayview Police Station.

Consul General Paynor, Jr. welcomed the donations from the San Francisco police force as “indicative of their concern for the situation in the Philippines.”

“We have a number of Filipino Americans in the San Francisco Police Department who still have families and relatives in the Philippines. Their and their colleagues’ immediate response to the call for humanitarian assistance for the flood victims will add to the on-going relief effort being undertaken by the Bay Area Filipino American community,” he said.

Captain Quema is one of the founding members of the SFPD Police Exchange Training Program (PET) with the Philippine National Police (PNP). The program, conceptualized nine years ago by SFPD officers with Filipino ethnicity, has now expanded to include other police officers from San Francisco’s culturally diverse communities. Under the exchange program, the SFPD and their PNP counterparts share best practices on key areas as counter-terrorism, defense and security, and law enforcement. END

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FROM THE AYALA FOUNDATION USA’S E-BULLETIN
October 6, 2009

AF-USA is waiving its 5% service fee on all donations for Typhoon Ondoy until the end of October 2009!

10/5/2009

Ayala Foundation USA

Some of the biggest and most prestigious names in the world of business are listing Ayala Foundation USA in their employee giving and corporate matching programs. Chevron, AmGen, Microsoft and PG&E are just some of the companies that have listed AF-USA as another vehicle by which their employees can spread the fire of volunteerism.

Continue reading here.
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From: FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
FWN 100 Selection and Gala Awards Host Committees
Date: Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Subject: Invitation to the Awards Gala (Oct 30) honoring The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S.

Greetings!

URGENT APPEAL: Women and girls in the Philippines need your support - many of them single mothers and shelters for domestic violence, rape victims and survivors - affected by the typhoons that recently hit the Philippines - the worst in 40 years.

Filipina Women’s Network has collaborated with Feed the Hungry to ensure women, girls and the shelters are not neglected. To donate, please go to http://feedthehungryphil.org and indicate on your donation “FWN Women & Children Fund Disaster Relief”.

Maraming salamat!
The FWN Board

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See September 30, 2009 updates here.

October 2, 2009

We are documenting the latest information that we received from our reliable sources and contacts. Please confirm whatever you get here. We do our fact-checking as quickly and humanly possible. We have also been advised that as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, there are certain words and actions we cannot use/do, such as “lobbying,” “political,” “political endorsements” and “political fundraising.” Thank you. - Lorna Dietz, NaFFAA Region 8 Vice Chair

* * *

From: Jose Pecho
Date: Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Subject: Only $100,000 from US Government for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

Dear Friends:

NaFFAA in conjunction with other community organizations will seek the support of US Senate and Congressional leaders to provide the Philippines, Asia’s oldest democracy, more emergency and humanitarian aid.

An amazing $100,000 has been provided the Philippines by the US government. In comparison the European Commission in the Philippines has provided over $2 Million in assistance. Below my signature line, is an article providing assistance information from countries who have pledged or donated to help the typhoon ravaged portion of Manila.

There are 4 million Filipinos residing in the US. If each of us pledged $10 each, it would raise a whopping $40,000,000! This amount would make a bigger impact than any government or country could do and would go a long way toward helping the 800,000 families displaced by this catastrophe.

We hope to provide further information in the days ahead on how you personally can help. Please go to http://naffaar8.com for further details.

Sincerely,

Jose Pecho, Chair
Region 8, Northern California
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NaFFAA)
http://naffaar8.com

By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:33:00 10/02/2009
Filed Under: Foreign Aid, Foreign affairs & international relations, Ondoy, Weather

MANILA, Philippines—Donations for the relief and recovery assistance in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ondoy” from the international community has reached over half a billion pesos, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo reported to President Macapagal-Arroyo that donations from various governments have reached P566 million as of Oct. 2. The National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Red Cross and other agencies have been authorized to receive the donations, which will greatly complement the government’s efforts.

“The Philippine Government is deeply appreciative of our international partners’ swift response to our call for aid. The DFA will work with the NDCC, DSWD, PNRC and other agencies to ensure that these donations reach our distressed kababayans as soon as possible,” Secretary Romulo said.

Ondoy, which whipped Manila Saturday, caused severe flooding in the metropolis and nearby provinces.
The government said nearly 300 people died from the disaster, which also displaced hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.

The European Commission in the Philippines has allotted 2 million euros (P138 million) in urgent relief funding, the DFA reported. The Embassy of Spain in the Philippines has ordered the release of 150,000 euros (approximately P10 million) for food aid, while Spanish organization Accion Contra el Hambre donated 250,000 euros (approximately P17 million).

The Swiss government also issued CHF250,000 (approximately P11 million) to support emergency related operation which will be funded by the Swiss Red Cross to the Philippine National Red Cross. The French Foreign Ministry has earmarked initial 10,000 euros (P690,000) to the Philippine National Red Cross as its initial contribution.

Germany is providing 500,000 euros (roughly P35 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for the victims, which will be placed at the disposal of German humanitarian aid organizations The combined European aid reached P254 million.

Aside from the European partners, other countries like the US and Canada sent financial assistance to the victims. The US government donated US$100,000 for relief efforts, while Canada pledged Canadian $5 million (approximately US$4.7 million).

China pitched in US$100,000 check donation; US$10,000 to the PNRC; while Chinese firm Huawei donated US$30,000. Singapore raised US$30,000 and a further US$20,000 in seed money to jumpstart a donations drive by the Singapore Red Cross.

The Republic of Korea has donated emergency relief assistance in the form of rice, tents, medical supplies and other essential items worth $300,000 coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. A Korean company, OCI Company Ltd., also donated $50,000 through the Philippine National Red Cross.

The Japanese government is sending $220,000 worth of relief goods to the Philippines. Australia pledged Australian $1 million (approximately US$879,000) to support response and recovery activities.

The UN World Health Organization has launched earlier a $42,000 relief fund. The UN World Food Programme has also stepped up its efforts to provide immediate relief to the typhoon victims.

Basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, clothes, and medicines were in short supply in many communities and evacuation center.

A delegation of UN workers is set to arrive in Manila on Saturday to help in the relief and rehabilitation operations. UN WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said the organization will have a three-month emergency operation to bring food and other assistance to people affected by Ondoy.

See a similar news article here.

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SAN FRANCISCO COORDINATING MEETING SCHEDULED

FROM: VIKI BAMBA
October 1, 2009

Hello all — Thank you all so much for taking the time to meet last Tuesday evening at the Philippine Consulate. It was truly a strong showing of unity, compassion, and generosity. Many of us are involved in a myriad of relief efforts and the consensus of the meeting was that we, as well as the flood victims, will benefit from consolidating and streamlining our charitable efforts. This will save us valuable time/resources, avoid re-inventing the wheel, and duplication of efforts. Also, all agreed that this tragedy/disaster was an opportunity for our community to unify and harness our talents/skills to assist the flood victims. Moreover, we hope to create a formalized emergency response system and infrastructure to address future disasters, emergencies, and calamaties.

In an effort to move forward with such objectives, discrete tasks were discussed and division of labor identified.

There may be more steering Committees that will be formed along the way so stay tuned.
Overall Coordination: Marivic Bamba
Co-Coordinator: Bernadette Roco

Everyone is encouraged to participate, all your ideas are welcome…so please don’t be shy. Many of the members are already working hard at their respective tasks. Mark Grafilo of KAYA, Chair of Political Committee, has sent out notices on advocating support from USAID.

By the way, we urge all members to join Facebook as it is an effective media tool to publicize our activities and notify all of upcoming activities.

As we resolved at the meeting, we will be meeting EVERY Wednesday at 7pm at the Philippine Consulate, 5th floor Social Hall.

See you all next Wednesday, October 7, at 7pm. Please check with the Reception Area since the meeting venue might change. It might take place in the first floor, 447 Sutter Street.

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Please watch out for updates in this posting.

Please see October 2-5, 2009 updates here.

Updates from the 12 regions of NaFFAA will soon be found at our national website, http://NaFFAA.org.

Posted in Facebook, from Joy Martinez:

“Something inspiring: Caught on TV- Man rescued in a rubberboat asked, “28 na ba ngayon?” Cameraman: “Opo, 28.” Man somberly replied, “Bday ko na pala.” Rescuers who were paddling hard turned to him in surprise before slowly singing, …”happy birthday to you…” Even in the midst of devastation the Filipino spirit never ceases to acknowledge and celebrate the gift of life.”

Posted in Facebook, from Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon:

“To the dollar earners, your $1=PHP48 can buy 4 cans of sardines or 3 cans of corned beef or 12 packs of noodles or 3 kilos of rice.”

* * *

From Lorna Dietz, Regional Vice Chair of NaFFAA R8 / NaFFAA Online Coordinator, regarding monetary donations:

We’ve received several inquiries on how everyone can help if they reside outside the Philippines. I collected some information from my Facebook account. The information will most likely be expanded soon after our coordinating meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29, especially regarding donation centers for goods. Please check in often.

Philippine National Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx

9/30/2009 - Update from Bing Branigin, NaFFAA Region 2, thru Louie Pawid & Dennis Mendiola. “Fil-Am donations for Typhoon Ondoy effort now possible through PAYPAL at give@redcross.org.ph.”

Most urgent needs

Food items: Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans and potable water

Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins and medications to treat diarrheal diseases

Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, and Laundry soap

Rehabilitation Programs: Shelter materials for house repair

American Red Cross - 1-800-435-7669 (posted by Joseph Francia, GMA Pinoy TV)

http://newsroom.redcross.org/2009/09/28/typhoon-ketsana-ondoy-in-philippines-and-vietnam/

Quoted - The American Red Cross is monitoring the situation and remains in communication with our Red Cross partners in the area. Although there hasn’t been an appeal for international assistance, the American Red Cross is prepared to mobilize support, including relief supplies, trained personnel or financial assistance if necessary.

Ayala Foundation USA - http://www.af-usa.org/donate_now.aspa>

GMA Kapuso Foundation - http://www.kapusofoundation.com/donate
(credit card donations)

ABS-CBN Foundation - www.abscbnfoundation.org

From Keesa Ocampo, ABS-CBNi - US donations can be sent to: ABS-CBN Foundation,150 Shoreline Dr.Redwood City, CA 94065

Heartbridge International Foundation’s List of Contact Persons (for information) in the USA - http://02c3ec5.netsolhost.com/breakingnews.html

Xoom.com is offering fee-free money transfers to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)
- You can donate to the relief efforts by visiting Xoom.com and entering the coupon code “HELPONDOY” to make a fee-free money transfer donation to the Philippine National Red Cross. This special coupon code is valid until Friday October 9, 2009. Source: http://rfonline.holy-order.org/guild-news/119-operation-ketsana-xoom-free-transfer-to-philppine-national-red-cross

- From Yvette Tan, via Twitter on 9/30/09: RT @wwwgmanewstv: Breaking News : iRemit waives remittance fees for Ondoy victims: Starting October 1, Wednesday.
http://bit.ly/18cvu7

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Please go ahead and forward, download, print, or embed this important letter from the Philippine Consulate General’s office in San Francisco. The contact information re: donations to the Philippine Red Cross and donations-in-kind is also found here.

LTR-484-2009.Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) - Message From Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor, San Francisco

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FILIPINO AMERICAN COMMUNITY COORDINATING MEETINGS:

If you are from the San Francisco Bay Area, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Region 8-Northern CA, will be co-coordinating a meeting with other Fil-Am organizations & healthcare professionals — to discuss the aid/assistance process on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 at 7:30pm at the 5th floor Social Hall, Philippine Center Building (where the Philippine Consulate is located), 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108. Your contact persons will be Viki Bamba (former NaFFAA R8 Regional Chair) & Dr. Carmelo Roco & Bernadette Roco.

PLEASE COME!

Thank you.

Lorna Dietz
NaFFAA R8 Vice Chair
on behalf of Jose Pecho, NaFFAA R8 Chair

* * *

From: Greg B. Macabenta
Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Subject: TYPHOON ONDOY DEVASTATION
All NaFFAA Officers and Members,

The devastation in Metro Manila caused by Typhoon Ondoy - which brought one month’s worth of rain in only 12 hours - calls for a humanitarian response from all of us in the US. The devastation is severe. While the hardest hit are the areas of Quezon City, Pasig and Rizal, the water rose as high as 7 feet in the Sukat Area in Paranaque where I have a home. Mercifully, everyone in the house is safe. But the casualties and fatalities in Metro Manila continue to rise.

We urge everyone to help and to pass on this appeal to your respective networks.

To those who would like to donate cash or goods, our suggestions are as follows:

1. Work closely with your local Philippine consulates which are coordinating relief operatiions.
2. Or course your donations through Ayala Foundation USA or the Philippine National Red Cross.

Those of you who have homes or relatives in the affected areas may, of course, find alternative means to help.

We do not advise that NaFFAA itself should receive donations for this calamity. We do not have the resources and the infrastructure for delivering these to the victims. However, we urge every city, state and regional chapter to get organized so that they can efffectively urge donations and channel these to the proper relief agencies.

We will keep you posted on developments as they come, including contact numbers of the proper relief agencies.

Thank you very much. Let us pray for the victims and generously help.

Greg B. Macabenta
National Chair, NaFFAA

* * *

From Lorna Dietz:

HERE IS A YOUTUBE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTING THE DEVASTATION. TAKEN FROM MANOLO QUEZON’S BLOG, The Daily Dose.

FROM THE BLOG, PEDESTRIAN OBSERVER.

* * *

FROM SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

MESSAGE FROM RUDY ASERCION, WEST BAY PILIPINO MULTI-SERVICE CENTER (and NaFFAA Region 8’s City & County of San Francisco Chair):

WEST BAY CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO KEEP CENTER OPEN TILL 10PM DAILY TO COLLECT DONATIONS. VOLUNTEERS WELCOME. DONORS MAY DEDUCT CONTRIBUTIONS EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL INCOME… TAX UNDER SECTION 501 (c) 3. FILAM COMMUNITY INVITED TO DROP OFF FOOD, CLOTHING OR CHECKS AT 175-7TH STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA.CALL 415 431-6266 FOR INFORMATION.

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PLACES TO VOLUNTEER

Charisse Aquino, a San Francisco and Manila-based FilAm anthropologist & adventure tourism entrepreneur, updated her Facebook with some vital comments:

9/30/09, evening in Manila - Eusebio Gym in Pasig needs volunteers. Imagine, 3 volunteers for 300 evacuees. 1:100. Kawawa.
9/30/09 evening in Manila - Evacuation centers need Portalets, please pass! And more kids getting sick, please ask all your doctor friends to volunteer their time, and ask the pharmacies to donate more medicines

Charisse asked for an updated listing of places to volunteer in Manila (Facebook). Here are some of the responses.

9/30/09 - From Izah Morales: Here’s the website of DSWD. Department of Social Welfare & Development, http://vrplus.dswd.gov.ph/

9/30/09 - From Izah Morales: Evacuation Centers, list of verified relief centers
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173288/list-of-verified-relief-centers-for-ondoy-victims
But re: Pasig, you can go there in the Municipal Hall of Pasig. The evacuation center is right beside the Municipal Hall.

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UPDATES FROM JOY MARTINEZ (CEBU), ONE OF THE PHILIPPINES’ FOREMOST ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNERS & GREEN ARCHITECTURE ADVOCATES:

9/29/09, Cebu - Dear friends from New York - NEW YORK: Disaster Relief drop off center @ Pandayan Center, 406 W40th St. Between 9th and 10th Aves. New York, NY 10018 or call 212.564.6057. CALIFORNIA: donate at branches of Island Pacific Supermarket, and they’ll ship it to the Philippines.

9/29/09, Cebu - With more than 100K people in shelters, stagnant water, I’m fearing an outbreak of disease that we need to address NOW! My brother in Philhealth is willing to provide coverage for affected families and medicines but needs sponsor partners. Sample: Sponsor gives P60k, Philhealth gives coverage to 200 families and P30K worth of meds. Please call Jam @687-4956 or email mwbacareza@philhealth.gov.ph.

9/29/09, Cebu - For friends abroad, here’s another way to help…thank you for your kindness to our kapwa Pilipino. The World Food Programme at https://www.wfp.org/donate/ondoy

QUOTED:

A donation of:

- $18 provides a family with rice for 2 weeks
- $90 feeds 5 families for 2 weeks
- $180 feeds 10 families for 2 weeks

And if you are capable of going that extra mile, $18,000 will provide 1000 families with rice for 2 weeks.

Joy Martinez is sending updates from Cebu via Facebook, where the first container of donated goods has been loaded on an Aboitiz shipping vessel tonight (September 29 in Manila at 10:30pm), bound for Manila. Please email Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com if you want to be connected to Cebu-based volunteer efforts.

* * *

UPDATES FROM YVETTE TAN, GlossMania of Twitter

9/29/09, Manila - RT @ageofbrillig: RT @giboteodoro For those who can’t get through NDCC Rescue Hotlines. They now have a text/call line: 0917 733 4256

or from the US, 0-11-63-917-733-4256

National Disaster Coordinating Council’s website: http://ndcc.gov.ph/home/

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OTHER LINKS WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION (DONATIONS TO MANILA FROM OVERSEAS):

MoonGirl - http://moongirl.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/donating-to-manila-from-abroad/
MoonGirl has collected a lot of information — from Australia, Europe, to the US, where citizen volunteers have made their homes “temporary donation centers.” Thank you to Joey Alarilla for informing Luna about our website’s updates from San Francisco, CA.

Click on LINKS at the Comments section below.

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UPDATES FROM USA-BASED FRIENDS: Please contact them directly and let them know that NaFFAA Region 8 referred you to them. Thanks!

Southern California

BisayaBulletin.com

From: Bisaya Bulletin
Date: Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Subject: Relief Convergence for Typhoon “Ondoy”

Let’s all converge in helping our brothers and sisters in Northern Philippines affected by typhoon “Ondoy”. BisayaBulletin.com invites everyone to join in our collective effort to donate relief goods and bring them to a designated place in Los Angeles, CA (specific location to be determined in separate email).

Join us in packing and sorting your donations on October 10, 2009, Saturday between 9am - 3pm. We have arranged a Manila forwarder offering free freight for your donations and goods bound for Manila. Items will be picked up by 3pm so please plan to come early. Let us all collaborate and be instruments in helping our country in dire need. Please forward this information to all.

Suggestions for donations:

Sack of rice
Balikbayan Boxes
Rubber Slippers
Alcohol
Soap and Toiletries
Medicine
Cotton
Bandages
Noodles
Canned Goods (ready to eat)
Clothes, Towels and Blankets

Note: Details on Venue will be emailed upon determination***

Regards,

www.bisayabulletin.com
“from our little visayan corner to the global community”

___

Charina Vergara Carrera, through Facebook
Contact: Cha.Carrera@gmail.com

9/30/09 - REPOSTING FROM PETE AVENDANO: We’re doing a fundraising concert on Sunday at St. Genevieve Church in Panorama City for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. The concert is going to be free but we would like to ask for donations. All monetary donations will go to help our kababayans who were affected by this calamity.

9/30/09 - Relief goods (clothing, beddings, blankets, and canned goods are accepted at ANY ATLAS cargo location (including Atlas outlets with Seafood City, http://www.seafoodcity.com)
___

Prosy DeLaCruz, through Facebook
Contact: DeLaCruz.Prosy@gmail.com

9/30/09 - Your donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 until October 6, 2009, if we succeed, we will have donated Php 10 million to the Typhoon Ondoy families and directly to the children through UNICEF. I donated $150 and it was doubled. If you donate, send an email to TyphoonOndoyDonationAcctg@gmail.com — report the amount and organization you donated to. I volunteer to tally every night.

* * *

USEFUL INFORMATION

HOW TO DISINFECT WATER:
Source - From Clorox FAQ.

You can copy and paste this section and send it to your relatives and friends in the Philippines.

Q. Can Clorox® Regular-Bleach be used to disinfect water?

1. Remove suspended particles by filtering or letting particles settle to the bottom.
2. Pour off clear water into a clean container.
3. Add 8 drops of Clorox® Regular-Bleach (not scented or color-safe) to one gallon of water (2 drops to 1 quart). For cloudy water, use 16 drops per gallon of water (4 drops to 1 quart).
4. Allow the treated water to stand for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat and wait another 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers several times.

___

FROM YVETTE TAN, VIA FACEBOOK (Via Joelle Jacinto and Oli Reyes)

Reposting: Message from a doctor - For people whose houses have been submerged:

1. Make sure you use CLOROX for dirt and not just Lysol to kill molds.
Then 2. Spray/Fumigate against mosquitos, otherwise there will be an outbreak of dengue & cholera may follow. Please pass.
(Note: Earth-friendly MESSY BESSY or PLANTEX is better than Clorox.)

After Greg Macabenta’s election last Saturday, September 27, 2008, as NaFFAA’s new national chair, which took place during the 8th NaFFAA National Empowerment Conference at the Westin Seattle, we gathered some information that will help us understand the mind-set, focus, direction, and agenda of our new NaFFAA national leadership.

Rozita Lee was re-elected as NaFFAA National Vice Chair. Ian Purganan was elected National Youth Chair. Our congratulations to them!

Joining our NaFFAA R8 team in Seattle was our new NaFFAA R8 Youth Chair, Jenab-i Pareja. We are very excited to have Jenab-i on board (more on him later). We bid “Good luck” to former youth chair, Caroline Iwamoto, who has started her college freshman classes somewhere in New York.

We found a YouTube video that features Greg B. Macabenta and his spouse, Gigi, at the 2007 Pistahan Festival, an annual gathering which is held at the prestigious Yerba Buena Gardens in the heart of downtown San Francisco, California. Listen closely to what Greg says.

Click here to go directly to creativeconceptsintl’s youtube link.

On October 1, 2008, Greg Macabenta replied to interview questions from Asian Journal. Here is a transcript of Greg’s responses.

1. What is your Vision for NaFFAA as the new national chair?

I was asked at the “debate” between me and Ernie Ramos, shortly before the election, how I would “forge a new direction” for NaFFAA. My response was that we still needed to achieve our original directions, namely, the socio-economic and political empowerment of the Filipino community in America.

When the need for NaFFAA was discussed at the planning meeting in Salinas that resulted in the first National Filipino American Empowerment Conference in Washington DC in August 1997, we all agreed that important events were happening in America that our community had no hand in shaping; that we were mere bleacher viewers rather than participants; reactors rather than pro-actors.

After 11 years, we are still struggling, but through NaFFAA, our community has gained a seat at the table in Washington DC and in many other state and city fora where once we were mere onlookers. But we still have much to do - as the Veterans Equity battle on Capitol Hill illustrates. We may lose this one again.

2. What do you think are the challenges you will face as NaFFAA’s national chair?
Why do you think it has taken long for the mainstream to recognize the significance of FilAm community/organizations?

The first challenge that we all face as community workers and volunteers is to persuade the greater number of our community to become more involved, to care more about the issues that affect all of us in the long term but only a few of us in the short term. It is the short term impact that most see, which is one reason for not being involved (”Doesn’t concern me anyway!”, they think).

If we have so much difficulty getting our own people to appreciate the importance of NaFFAA, is it surprising that the American mainstream has not recognized us enough?

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2008

Contact: Ning Rogge, Media Relations Manager
NaFFAA 8th Empowerment Conference
Tel. 206 949 9676; elizrogge@gmail.com

Seattle, WA - In just a few weeks, hundreds of community leaders members and advocates throughout the United States and other countries will gather in Seattle to discuss how to “Forge a New Filipino American Agenda for the 21st Century” and promote the welfare and well-being of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans by fostering unity and empowerment.

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), will hold its 8th National Empowerment Conference, a three-day event on September 26-28, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. Since its founding in 1997, leaders from across the nation and around the world convene every two years to discuss how Filipinos can help each other improve their quality of life.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be the keynote during the Gala event on Friday, September 26, 2008. Over 1,000 attendees are expected.

“We are really looking forward to hearing what President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has to say to us. We are a diverse community, some of us are third, fourth generation Filipino Americans, but regardless of how far back we can trace our Filipino ancestry, we remain attached to the culture. We would also like her to hear how we are very much part of day to day struggle to have the quality of life we hope for, as Filipino Americans. NaFFAA is a young national organization, only 11 years old, yet has had major successful projects such as dual citizenship for global Filipinos. But we are still and will continue to fight in the United States for Equity for Filipino WWII Veterans, for voter education, civil rights advocacy, better educational and business opportunities. It is good for President Arroyo to hear all that.” states Kern.

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Please visit us often since we will be posting updates here. This special event was approved by the NaFFAA Board of Directors during its August 6, 2008 national board meeting.

What is NaFFAA?

Founded at the 1st National Filipino American Empowerment Conference in Washington DC in August 1997, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) was conceived to meet the need for a national entity that could harness the potentials and resources of the thousands of Filipino and Filipino-American organizations across the United States.

NaFFAA’s goals: To achieve socio-economic and political empowerment, contribute more meaningfully to the well-being of American society, and provide assistance to the Philippine homeland.

Registered as a 501c3 non-partisan, non-profit entity, NaFFAA has its headquarters in Washington DC and operates through twelve (12) Regional Chapters, representing Filipino American organizations on the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Marianas. In this regard, it is the only FilAm organization of this size and scope.

The Voice of FilAms in Washington DC.

In Washington DC, NaFFAA is recognized by the White House and by Congress as the principal advocate of Filipino and Filipino-American interests, typified by its sustained lobbying for the passage of the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill. These efforts have succeeded in pushing S. 1331 through the US Senate. Speaker Nancy Pelosi will soon schedule the bill for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Heroism (Kabayanihan) at the Local Level.

While involvement in national issues has given NaFFAA a high profile, it is at the regional and state levels where the most meaningful contributions of NaFFAA and its leaders have been felt:

• Organizing the FilVote Voter Registration Campaign in Las Vegas, Washington DC and Seattle, to increase FilAm participation in the electoral process.
• Filing a case in Federal Court to protect the rights of Filipino non-citizen airport workers in San Francisco who were laid off in the wake of 9-11.
• Raising funds for the successful legal defense of Filipino workers in Texas, unfairly detained in the wake of 9-11.
• Rallying the Northern California FilAm community to successfully persuade CalPERS (the largest pension fund in the US) to keep its investments in the Philippines.
• Raising funds at the local level to build FilAm community centers that provide services to seniors, youth and the general community.
• Organizing festivals and cultural events to promote Filipino art, culture and traditions in the American mainstream.
• Mounting a tutorial program in Seattle and Las Vegas to improve the K-12 performance of FilAm students in public schools.
• Extracting an apology from the TV network, ABC, for the slur against Filipino doctors in the series, “Desperate Housewives.” Additionally, initiating a program for the involvement of more FilAm talents and technical personnel in ABC’s network operations.
• Providing relief and emergency housing in Texas to victims of typhoon Katrina fleeing from Louisiana and Mississippi.
• Organizing annual regional conferences to address burning issues affecting the FilAm community and the American mainstream.
• Successfully lobbying the Philippine government for passage of the Overseas Absentee Voting Law and the Dual Citizenship Law.
• Filing a successful motion for Mandamus and Certiorari in the Philippine Supreme Court to overrule the decision of the Commission on Elections to prevent FilAm dual citizens from voting in the Philippine elections.
• Organizing regional and national conferences in different states, plus the Global Filipino Networking Conventions in San Francisco, Manila, Cebu, Hawaii and Sydney, to address burning issues affecting overseas Filipinos.

All these and more were undertaken, not by individuals but by FilAm community organizations, guide by the philosophy of Bayanihan, a Filipino tradition that combines the concepts of community (Bayan) and heroism (Bayani).

Answering the Need to Honor and Inspire Community Kabayanihan.

For their heroism, individuals have been honored by the community. But there has been no vehicle for honoring entire groups or community organizations. This is the need that we propose to meet with the Annual NaFFAA Kabayanihan Awards for Community Service.

The Kabayanihan Awards will honor community organizations – whether or not affiliated with NaFFAA – that have rendered outstanding and meaningful service to the community in the following fields or benefiting the following sectors:• Education
• Youth
• Senior Citizens
• Women
• Health
• Immigration & Human Rights
• Entrepreneurship
• Arts & Culture
• Aid to the Philippines
• Civic InvolvementAn 11th category, the Alex Esclamado Award for Advocacy, is for any organization that has advocated in a sustained and outstanding manner a cause or causes that have had a profound impact on the FilAm community or the American mainstream.It is named after Alex Esclamado, the founder of NaFFAA and one of the most ardent advocates of the rights and interests of Filipino Americans and of the Philippines. For this, he was conferred the Legion of Honor by President Corazon Aquino and the Ellis Island Award on the occasion of the 250th year of the founding of the United States.Scope and Format of the Awards.

A political party, or any entity engaged in partisan politics, does not qualify.
A religious organization may qualify only with respect to a project designed
to promote community welfare rather than religious interests.

The awards are open to both NaFFAA-affiliated and non-NaFFAA
organizations.

2. Awards Criteria.
The following factors will be considered in evaluating nominees:

a) Relevance of the nominated service or project to the award category, i.e., a Youth Service/Project must be directly relevant to the youth. -

b) Importance and impact of the service or project and the benefits enjoyed by the beneficiary sector or community; i.e., some services/projects are more important or have more impact and deliver more benefits than others. Qualitative and quantitative criteria and operative results will be applied.

c) History, consistency and sustainability - How long has the service been rendered or has the project been undertaken; how consistently has it been implemented and has served its beneficiaries; and are its impact and benefits sustainable?

d) Degree of group involvement – Has the project been the work of only a small circle of individuals or has it involved and harnessed the skills and resources of the members of organization? This considers the principle that the more members involved, the more the Bayanihan spirit is actualized.

3. Nomination, Evaluation & Judging Process.

A National Awards Committee, headed by the Organizing Committee Chairman, will be constituted. Members of the Committee will be the current NaFFAA National Chair, National Vice-Chair and Executive Director plus three members at large to be recommended by the Committee Chair and approved by the NaFFAA National Board. No person shall hold more than one seat in the committee. This committee will undertake the planning, supervision and management, and the implementation of the entire awards program.

The National Awards Committee will constitute a Panel of Jurors with
members selected from among distinguished figures in the American
mainstream who have had involvement or have expertise in the fields that are
subject of the awards. They will be chosen from the academe, government,
media, the arts, business and non-profit community-oriented organizations.
The chairman of the Panel of Jurors will be NaFFAA National Chair
Emeritus Loida Nicolas-Lewis. She will choose and recommend the Panel of
Jurors to the National Awards Committee.

The Regional Chapters of NaFFAA will solicit nominations within their
respective jurisdictions, including both NaFFAA and non-NaFFAA organizations. The Regional Chair will constitute a Regional Awards Committee to go over the nominations. Membership in this committee
will be left to the discretion of the Regional Board.

Based on each criterion, a nominee will be evaluated against a 10-point
scale, with 10 being outstanding. To prevent a punitive or arbitrary
evaluation, it is to be assumed that every nominee automatically deserves a
minimum rating of 5. Each rating will be converted into a percentage of
100% (e.g., a rating of 8 is 80%). The totals will be added and averaged out
to determine the final percentage (e.g., 80% for each of the 4 criterion would
result in an average rating of 80%). To qualify for an award, a nominee must
garner a minimum average of 75%.

A short list of nominees achieving the minimum average rating will be
endorsed by the Region to the National Awards Committee. It will, in turn,
submit, the list of nominees to the Panel of Jurors . The records of
all the other nominees will also be submitted to the National Awards
Committee for reference. These will also be forwarded to the Panel of Jurors.

The Panel of Jurors will evaluate and rate the nominees for each category
based on the criteria, the 10-point system and the averaging process. The
nominee that earns the highest rating in each awards category will be
declared the awardee. The Panel of Jurors may decide to designate more
than one awardee for a category, based on the merits, or designate honorable
mentions. The decision of the Panel of Jurors will be final and not subject
to appeal.

All the nominees in the Regional short list who have been endorsed to the
National Awards Committee will receive Certificates of Nomination. National\AAll

4. Award Category Sponsors.
Sponsors, mostly drawn from businesses with interests in the Filipino-American community, will be solicited for each award category. An individual may also offer to sponsor an award category. In any case, a sponsorship fee of $10,000 will be required of each sponsor. Corresponding benefits will accrue to the sponsor, including:
a) Being identified as the Category Sponsor, along with the right to promote this involvement in its marketing or public relations programs;
b) An executive of the Category Sponsor will present the award on the occasion of the awards presentation;
c) A brief videotaped message by an executive of the Category Sponsor to be included in the videotaped presentation of the achievement of the awardee, to be shown during the awards;
d) Inclusion in the NaFFAA national and regional websites, with logo and brief product/service description (and/or slogan);
e) Inclusion in all press and photo releases prior to and after the awards;
f) Inclusion in the souvenir program, invitations and other awards signage;
g) Corporate and brand signage at any NaFFAA conference (national or regional promoting the awards);
h) Corporate and brand signage at the venue of the awards;
i) A competitive lockout for the specific award category;
j) Inclusion in the NaFFAA Book, to be published after the awards;
k) For an additional fee of $10,000, designation as an official entity (e.g. Official Communications Company) of NaFFAA and of the Kabayanihan Awards for the year of the awards, and first option to continue the designation into the subsequent awards;
l) This official designation will be acknowledged in all NaFFAA national and regional conferences, the NaFFAA website and in official communications related to the awards; and may be used by the sponsor for its marketing, advertising, public relations, community relations and promotions campaigns for the period of the designation.

5. Kabayanihan Awards Presentation.
A gala reception and awards ceremony will be organized in Washington DC
in June 2009 as a major component of the observance of Philippine
Independence Day. Prominent officials of the federal and state
governments, officials of the White House, members of the US Senate and
Congress, officials of the Philippine government, led by the Philippine
ambassador to the United States, other Philippine officials, captains of
Corporate America, members of the mainstream media and Filipino and
other minority media, NaFFAA officers and members and community
leaders, both Filipino, Asian and mainstream, will be invited to the event.
Corporate Sponsors, together with prominent officials from either US or
Philippine government, will present the award for each category. An official
of the US Legislature or the White House or the federal or state government
will be invited as keynote speaker.

6. The NaFFAA Book.
A NaFFAA Book will be published based on the achievements of the
awardees and all the other nominees, as well as the history of NaFFAA, from
the first National Empowerment Conference in Washington D.C. in 1997.

Click here for the REGISTRATION FORM:naffaa-r8-summit-registration-form-for-10-nov-2007.doc
On-site summit registration starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Bayanihan Community Center. You can fill up your registration forms there.

Northern California Regional NaFFAA Summit

“Expanding our Roots: Providing Access and Opportunities to Strengthen our Foundation”

Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Bayanihan Community Center
1010 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.
Summit is from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Reception 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

A Tour of San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center
Westfield Shopping Center, 865 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
(We will meet at Bayanihan Community Center and walk to Westfield)

NaFFAA Region 8 is pleased to invite you to its upcoming Regional Summit “Expanding our Roots: Providing Access and Opportunities to Strengthen our Foundation” on Saturday, November 10, 2007 to be held at the Bayanihan Community Center. Bayanihan is located at 1010 Mission Street in San Francisco. The Summit will feature a wide variety of activities that will allow us to expand our community network and forge new relationships.

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