MANILA, Philippines - The fury of Super Typhoon Yolanda, so they say, is no match to the resiliency of the Filipino spirit. In an outpouring of sympathy and support for victims ravaged by disaster, many have offered their help, including donors and volunteers of The Philippine STAR’s social arm, Operation Damayan.
Last Friday and Saturday, only a week after Yolanda battered large parts of Eastern Visayas, the humdrum newspaper operations at The STAR office gave way to the organized chaos of employees helping one another repack goods intended for typhoon victims. Pile upon pile of mats, blankets, rubber slippers, rice, canned goods, biscuits and grocery items went into neat bags that would be distributed to families in sites that have been chosen for relief.
By Sunday, Nov. 17, the 10-wheeler trucks and vans had all been loaded and ready to go, as were the ground teams that would be conducting relief operations in Bantayan Island and Basey, Samar – two of the areas hardest hit by Yolanda. The Freeman Foundation will be joining The STAR in relief efforts in Bantayan Island.
According to STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte, who joined STAR employees in repacking the goods until close to midnight Saturday with his family in tow, the relief operations will benefit around 6,000 families in both sites.
Ormoc City Rep. and STAR columnist Lucy Torres-Gomez is also helping Operation Damayan extend relief to Ormoqueños through a P1-million donation received from Angelo King Foundation that is being channeled to the city.
As the corporate social responsibility arm of The Philippine STAR, Operation Damayan has year-round projects focused mainly on calamity relief, medical assistance to the indigent, and adopt-a-school initiatives.
Along this line, Belmonte said that Operation Damayan will continue to accept donations for typhoon victims so that it may be able to assist in rehabilitation efforts and help victims of the world’s strongest typhoon on record slowly rebuild their lives.
Donations may be sent to The Philippine STAR Operation Damayan c/o MBTC Aduana Branch Savings Account No. 151-7-15152422-9 (kindly confirm your deposit via mobile numbers 0919-4867344 or 0933-3262935).
For inquiries or donations in kind, please call 336-9598, email contactus@philstar.com.ph, follow @philippinestar on Twitter or visit www.facebook.com/ThePhilippineSTAR for updates.