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‘Aerial views of aftermath of Philippines Typhoon’ The Telegraph (17 Dec 2011)
In 2011, Typhoon Nesat (Pedring) and Washi (Sendong) hit the Philippines. The devastating aftermath wrought by flooding, landslides, displacement, and disease (Leptospirosis specifically) gained international media attention. Hundreds were left dead and thousands more homeless throughout parts of Luzon and Mindanao. Here in Winnipeg, reporters scrambled to make a local connection.
What are Filipino-Canadians doing to respond to these calamities happening at ‘home’?
According to the latest 2006 census, there are 36,825 Filipino-Canadians living in Winnipeg. Informal estimates for 2012 believe this figure to be higher, as high as 50,000. Donations drives were inevitably established with leaders from the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba (PCCM) taking charge. Winnipeg families too sought to connect with friends and relatives living in the stricken areas. Funds and support traveled via endless channels of relief networks (Philippine Red Cross, GMA / ABS-CBN foundations), adhoc organizations (Filipino-Canadian Disaster Relief Fund), church groups (National Council of Churches in the Philippines) and remittance centres (like Western Union).
So, why do Filipino-Canadians give? Fred De Villa, Chair of the Filipino-Canadian Disaster Relief Fund, told Global News, “There is no way that we can not send money there.” (Global, 18 Dec 2011)
- a desire to give back to the country of their birth motivated by a sense of gratitude for the life they lived while in the Philippines;
- compassion for the poor and underprivileged, especially in their hometowns;
- a desire to “pay back” especially among those who were themselves poor or underprivileged before they left for abroad;
- a wish to maintain their ties with the motherland;
- a desire to prove that they have succeeded in their adopted country and are now in a position to be generous and share their blessings;
- an expression of their faith which encourages sharing and giving with the less privileged
- to help victims of a natural disaster (Garchitorena, pp.5-6)
Reference:
Aerial views of aftermath of Philippines Typhoon’ The Telegraph (17 Dec 2011)
Global News. ‘winnipeg’s Filipino community raising money for flood victims in Philippines’. (18 December 2011)
Kevin Mellyn. Worker Remittances as a Development Tool: Opportunity for the Philippines. Asian Development Bank. (13 June 2003) (Cited 7 January 2012)
Victoria P. Garchitorena. Diaspora Philanthropy: The Philippine Experience. (May 2007) (Cited 7 January 2012)