National Federation of Filipino American Associations

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

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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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ADDITIONAL NOTES

FROM: BAMBI RODRIGUEZ
Date: Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: Meeting to Coordinate Local Typhoon Ondoy Relief Efforts

Hi Viki (and everybody else),

I talked to you last Wednesday about PAL being involved in the relief efforts. Below is the info you can add to our resources and others can take note of.

I was just wondering, since you mentioned Facebook, maybe you could form an official account for this group so information will be facilitated more easily? It would help disseminate information not only among us but also to other interested parties.

Thanks for all that you continue to do. Mabuhay ang pusong Pilipino :).

Bambi

FYI, if your group or any individual would like to donate relief goods for the victims, you may send or drop off the donations to SFO Philippine Consulate Office, 447 Sutter St., 6th Floor, San Francisco,CA 94108.

As of right now, listed below are the items acceptable to donate:

Non-perishable food
Medicines (not expiring yet)
Blankets only (no clothings)
Cash In-Kind or Checks payable to SFO PhilConsulate

Contact Person: Lyn of SFO Phil Consulate (415) 433-6666

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From: PCG-SF: Cultural Section
Date: Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 1:36 PM

Dear Ms. Dietz,

The Philippine Consulate General/Philippine Center Management Board is accepting donations in cash and kind daily including Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00am -4:00 pm. Official receipts will be issued.

The Drop Off area is at 447 Sutter Street 1st Floor San Francisco Ca 94108. For your information and dissemination please. Thank you very much.

Lyn Sesante
Cultural, Community Relations and Public Information (CCPI) Section
Philippine Consulate General, San Francisco
447 Sutter Street, 6th Floor,
San Francisco, CA 94108 USA
Tel. No.: (415) 433-6666 ext. 314
Fax No.: (415) 421-2641
Email: ccpisfpcg@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.philippineconsulate-sf.org

_____

FROM: DEPUTY CONSUL GENERAL FRED SANTOS
October 1, 2009

These are the two initial press releases issued by the Consulate on the relief effort.

During the meeting held last Tuesday at the consulate, Consul General Paynor committed the Philippine Consulate General to serve as the secretariat for the proposed organization that will coordinate the ongoing relief effort. We have reserved also the ground floor of the Philippine Center in San Francisco as a drop off area for the collection, packing, and sending of the relief goods.

Another meeting will be held next Wednesday to discuss the organizational structure of the proposed organization. Committee heads for political, fundraising, media, health, and donation points were selected before the meeting broke up.

Typhoon Ondoy, Philippine Consulate-SF Press Release 09302009 - ZSF-515-2009 Press Release 1

Typhoon Ondoy, Philippine Consulate-SF Press Release 09302009ZSF-515-2009 Press Release 2

Typhoon Ondoy, Philippine Consulate-SF Press Release 3 10022009 LTR-504-2009

Typhoon Ondoy, Philippine Consulate-SF Press Release 4 10022009 LTR-507-2009 Dear Kababayan - Priority Reli…

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FROM JACQUI CONCLARA, TEAM LBC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

LBC OFFERS FREE PADALA SERVICES FOR IN-KIND, CASH DONATIONS TO ONDOY VICTIMS

In-kind donations will be distributed to typhoon victims by LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation; cash donations remitted to ABS-CBN Foundation’s Sagip Kapamilya project

South San Francisco, Calif., October 1, 2009 – Donations of relief items to victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) can now be shipped for free through LBC Mundial Corporation (LBC USA), Hugo Bonilla, the company’s president and CEO, announced today.

As an international company servicing the padala needs of Filipinos worldwide, LBC joins in the global efforts to provide assistance to families in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Ondoy.

All donated items coursed through LBC USA will be sent to only one recipient in the Philippines, LBC Hari Ng Padala Foundation (LHPF).

LHPF will in turn distribute the goods to various non-profits that are conducting relief efforts in the affected communities in Metro Manila and Luzon provinces.

“As of October 1, all LBC branches in the U.S. are now drop-off points for in-kind donations to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines,” Mr. Bonilla said.

This development follows the partnership inked last September 29 between LBC USA and ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya for cash donations.

In addition to waiving service fees for cash donations remitted directly to the Sagip Kapamilya project, LBC has decided to offer its sea cargo services for free after LHPF has committed to sorting and distributing the donated items coming from donors in the U.S.

“Before deciding on offering this free service, we wanted to make sure there is one non-profit recipient in the Philippines who will take on the daunting task of sorting the big volume of donated items,” explained Mr. Bonilla.

Rules, Box Sizes

All donated items must be boxed and sealed in standard-sized balikbayan boxes. LBC will not accept open boxes or unpacked items.

Donors in California, Oregon, Washington State, Nevada and Hawaii can only use the 24×18x18 box size while donors in New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Virginia can only use the 28×18x17 box size.

In Saipan, only box size 18×20x22 is accepted while LBC in Canada’s British Columbia will only accept the 18×18x30 box size.

All boxes must state the shipper’s name and address. Consignee information is as follows: LBC HARI NG PADALA FOUNDATION, c/o Jose Garcia with address LBC HANGAR, General Aviation Center, Domestic Airport Compound, Pasay City.

Preferred items

Donors are encouraged to send the following items: canned goods, rice, clothing, footwear, towels, blankets, cookware, utensils and other daily consumables.

For a list of the LBC branch nearest you, please visit www.lbcexpress.com or call 1-800-338-5424.

-END-

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FROM AYALA FOUNDATION USA
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 4:52 AM

Excerpts from the email newsletter

Even as we brace for another storm, we continue to feel the generosity and support of donors everywhere who want to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Today, October 2, 2009, we received, $ 12, 202.97, bringing the total amount raised to $59,504.86.

We are still accepting donations!

Please send in your donations by clicking on http://af-usa.org/donate_now_form.asp . Look for “AF-USA Typhoon Relief Fund” in the box marked “Donations For”.

You may also send your checks to:

Ayala Foundation USA
255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 428
Redwood City, CA 94065

AF-USA has decided to waive its 5% service fee for all Typhoon related donations starting today, October 2, 2009 until end of October 2009. AF-USA is a 501c3 organization. As such, all donations coursed through AF-USA are tax deductible in the US.

In this time of tragedy, let’s all summon the spirit of bayanihan that has carried us through in our darkest moments.

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FROM LILLIA RIVERA, SACRAMENTO, CA
in an email received from Jose Florencio Lapena
October 1, 2009

UPCM mobilization for Ondoy survivors among UP Manila partner communities

Sunday, September 27, 2009 2:01:07 AM

Dean Alberto Roxas has asked Dr. Josie Isidro Lapena to coordinate the UPCM relief efforts, which will begin tomorrow morning at the Paz Mendoza Hall (there are no classes, so we can all pitch in).

Collection, repacking and distribution of the items will be coordinated from the COME office. The parking spaces adjacent to the rear entrance of Paz Mendoza will be utilized for deliveries and deployment.

Kindly contribute the items already mentioned by Dr. Ian Gomez:

ready-to-eat/no-cook/easy-to-prepare food
drinking water
mats
blankets
towel
children’s clothes
slippers
babies’ needs
toiletries

_____________________________
CHRISTIAN F. GOMEZ, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Family and Community Medicine
College of Medicine - Philippine General Hospital
University of the Philippines Manila
+632.522.9231
http://elsalvadordelmundo.blogspot.com

GAWAD KALUSUGAN - The Health Program of Gawad Kalinga
Building healthy communities, Building a healthy nation
http://www.gawadkalusugan.org
Email info@gawadkalusugan.org

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FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK

October 5, 2009
From: Lorna Dietz
Editor, FWN Magazine 2009

A portion of the Gala Night Celebration on October 30, 2009 for the “The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Award™” at the FWN’s 6th Filipina Leadership Summit, Claremont Hotel & Spa in Berkeley, CA will be donated to Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) victims, designated specifically for women and girls’ organizations. Since this is an early announcement, please watch out for more details. In the meantime, we encourage you to support and attend the event — to honor these deserving women. The final 100 List will be released after October 30, 2009.

To-date, there are sponsorship opportunities available. Please contact Lorna Dietz at LornaDietzPR@gmail.com or Marily Mondejar, FWN’s President, at Marily@FFWN.org for more information.

Filipina Women’s Network’s 6th Filipina Leadership Summit, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009

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IN THE NEWS

Foreign donations tax-free if they come from accredited groups,govt says
10/05/2009 | 03:08 PM (Philippines)
Source: GMA News

Foreign donations — whether from governments, non-profits, and Filipinos based abroad — are exempt from Philippine taxes as long as the donors and recipients are accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

This was announced by the Department of Finance (DOF) days after a report said that the country’s tax bureau will tax private donations.

The DOF is in the process of cutting the processing time for the release of donations to 24 hours from four to five days, the agency said in a statement.

Documentary requirements have also been reduced “to the barest minimum,” the statement said, adding that most of the paperwork will be rendered after the release of relief goods.

More than 2,500 organizations are accredited and registered with the DSWD, it added.

“Please inform us right away if anybody from the Bureau of Customs asked for any tax and duty payment on these imported relief goods from any organization,” the DOF said. - GMANews.TV

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OTHER SOURCES FOR UPDATES

FilipinoVillage.com

FilipinoVillage.com is our Global Filipino Village Online. This is where Filipinos connect and help fellow Filipinos. This is the resource and community center where you can reach Filipinos all over the world.

Nanette and her group provide a wonderful service to our worldwide Filipino community. They can be reached at We@FilipinoVillage.com.