Rotary Club of Makati, Philippines

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Club extends helping hand to families affected by Typhoon Sendong

Most of us paid little attention to the warning from Pagasa, about a storm that was to hit the country the weekend before Christmas eve. First of all, the numbers were not worrisome—e.g., 75 kph winds; second of all, it was making its way to northern Mindanao—Cagayan de Oro(CdO) City in Misamis Oriental, Iligan City in Lanao del Sur, and neighboring areas—a place blessed with a mild clime and seldom visited by typhoons, ergo, it would most probably be uneventful. But when news on the storm was flashed on TV on Saturday, 17th December, the nation stood in shock. The images were eerily reminiscent of those that we saw in the aftermath of the earthquake-and-tsunami catastrophe that ravaged Japan in March—entire neighborhoods reduced to heaps of debris by lightning floods; people washed to sea, clinging to logs for dear life; cars carried away by waves of mud. And people, poor and rich, suddenly without homes, without much of anything. Damage to property has been staggering, and the toll in lives lost and people missing and feared dead continues to rise by the day. Ten hours of torrential rain had done all that.

Fortunately, the Filipino’s resilience is seeing him through these very tough times. And there’s one other thing going for the people who have lost everything but their faith—the overwhelming help that has gone their way from everywhere, wave after generous wave, in cash, in kind and in kindness.

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Feeding Program kicks of 2011-2012 run with launch of module in Binondo

The supplemental feeding program now goes by a new name—Pasiglahin ang Estudyanteng Pinoy, PEP for short. Chairman Freddie Borromeo coined the project title to illustrate the project’s objective of bringing back life and the joy of good health to malnourished school children.

To kick-off its 2011-2011 run, the committee launched on 6th September a module of the supplemental feeding program for 30 first-graders at the Marcela Agoncillo Elementary School in Binondo, Manila. This is the second module at Marcela Agoncillo and the first under Pres. Rene Limjoco; the last school-based module was in Calatagan, Batangas during the term of IPP Jun Rojas.

Among the organizations that responded with dispatch to the situation in Northern Mindanao was Rotary, our Club, in particular. TV news has shown how Rotarians in Iligan have put up a 100-unit tent city as temporary shelter for homeless families. Donations from our members and their companies have reached P630,000, including P300,000 from PP Charlie Rufino’s Net Group—P150K each for CdO and Iligan—sent on 29th December.

The Club has made two fund releases, the first, P100,000 for Iligan City made on the 23rd of December in response to an appeal by Rotaract Club of Makati PP and past DGRR Cathy Gonzales, and sent to RC Iligan Ma. Cristina, District 3870’s coordinating club for Operation Sendong, and the Rotaract Club of Iligan. The second release was for P150,000 as the Club’s contribution to District 3830’s relief effort, remitted to the district through Gov. Billy Villareal on the 27th with instructions to use P100,000 for Cagayan de Oro through D-3870 Gov. Samuel Fontanilla and P50,000 for Dumaguete City through D-3860 Gov. Nonoy Villa-Abrile. This leaves P383,000 still to be released.

Pres. Rene Limjoco extends his heartfelt thanks to all the Rotarians and Anns who responded to the Club’s appeal for help, on behalf of the families who have suffered, and who suffer still, from the devastating effects of Sendong.

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Club extends helping hand to over 800 families in flood-hit Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga

Saturday, the 8th of October, was a long day for Pres. Rene Limjoco, PDG Tony Quila, Aris del Mundo and Baby Rtn. Mandy Pascual, long on hours spent on the road but way longer on fulfillment felt, the kind that comes with having done a good turn for people in great need. Their mission: to distribute goods to over 800 families in a relief campaign made possible by the generosity of 38 Rotarians and one Ann.
They left the office at 7:00 AM and arrived back at 11:00PM—spending 16 hours on the road, motoring from place to place through bad roads, some rendered impassable by floodwaters that haven’t subsided enough, and through gnarled traffic that in many places slowed to a crawl.

Two closed vans, graciously provided by Aris from his printing press, transported the goods to three relief operation sites in Central Luzon—Hagonoy in Bulacan, Macabebe in Pampanga, and La Paz in Tarlac. Three Club staffers—Ronnel Dotaro, Peter Manlangit and John Palmiano---came along to handle details of transportation, distribution and documentation.