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RP embassy opens Katrina fund drive
WASHINGTON D.C. – Philippine Ambassador to the United States Albert del
Rosario is appealing to the Filipino American community to contribute to its fund-raising
drive for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
(In Manila, the Philippine National Red Cross said it would donate $25,000 for
the victims of the hurricane. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also expressed
her “profound sympathies” to the American people for the tragedy.)
The Ambassador said that the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D. C., and all
Philippine Consulates in the United States are ready to receive cheque donations
payable to the American Red Cross from the members of the community. He said “the
Filipino-American community’s participation in this drive will concretely
demonstrate its sense of civic duty, its humanitarianism and its commitment to
be a positive force in American society.”
The names of all donors, the state where they reside, and the corresponding amounts
donated will be posted in the following Embassy Website: Philippineembassy-usa.org.
To date, the Philippine foreign service officers and staff in the US have committed
to donating at least $ 10,000, which was matched by another $ 10,000 personal
donation from Ms. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, President of the National Federation of
Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).
The Feed the Hungry of Washington, D.C raised $5,000 during a fund raising last
weekend and the Philippine American Foundation for Charities has committed $1,000.
Individuals like Mr. and Mrs. Jose Katigbak and Ms. Emily Dearing have also responded
to the call.
The ambassador also commended members of the Filipino community who have on their
own extended assistance to the victims of the hurricane and have responded to
his appeal. This initiative is in addition to the Embassy’s efforts to rally
the help of Filipino-American doctors and nurses from different parts of the United
States. Interested doctors and nurses are encouraged to contact the Embassy and
the nearest Philippine Consulate. “We are currently working with the State
Department in terms of how this assistance can be ‘embedded’ in the
federal government’s system of relief and rehabilitation operations,”
the Ambassador said.
“In the true Filipino bayanihan spirit,” Mr. del Rosario said, “the
Filipino-American community’s participation in this fund-raising drive will
concretely demonstrate its sense of civic duty, its humanitarianism and its commitment
to be a positive force in American society."
The Embassy will also issue periodic public announcements to give a running tally
of all donations received by all Philippine Foreign Service posts in the US.
The ambassador said that this initiative is in addition to the Embassy’s
efforts to rally the help of Filipino-American doctors and nurses from Texas and
other states. “We are currently working with the State Department in terms
of how this assistance can be ‘embedded’ in the Federal Government’s
system of relief and rehabilitation operations," the Ambassador said.
The envoy also announced that the Philippine Government is preparing to send a
team of doctors and sanitary engineers to assist in the relief and rehabilitation
efforts in the hurricane-stricken areas.
This offer of support by the Philippine Government to the United States has already
been publicly acknowledged by State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, he said.
MANILA - The Philippine National Red Cross said it will send 25,000 US dollars
in aid to victims of Katrina and will start a fund drive for them PRC chairman
Sen. Richard Gordon said the money will be sent through the American Red Cross.
“We are answering the call to help our brethren who have been devastatingly
affected by the disaster," Gordon said in a statement.
He said he will also send medical and post trauma stress debriefing teams if requested
by U.S. Red Cross authorities. Gordon recalled that the American Red Cross also
has sent disaster aid and relief missions to the Philippines, a disaster-prone
Southeast Asian country that has been hit by deadly earthquakes, typhoons, floods,
volcanic eruptions and other calamities.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier expressed “profound sympathies"
to Americans.
“America has never hesitated to come to the aid of distressed Filipinos
in times of disaster, and we also feel the anguish of death and destruction of
a friend and ally across the Pacific," she said.
President Arroyo has ordered aid workers sent and has urged Filipino-American
communities in the United States to pitch in and help.
“We wish the American people a speedy recovery from this calamity and we
extol their courage and sense of community in overcoming the heavy loss in terms
of precious homes and human lives," Mrs. Arroyo said.
Speaker Jose de Venecia has joined Mrs. Arroyo in urging Filipino-American communities
in the United States to mobilize help for hurricane victims.
“These efforts will be under the umbrella of relief efforts of US federal
and state authorities. In our global village, we all must try to extend assistance
to victims of one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States,"
he said.
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