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NEW YORK—The past few weeks have been very hectic, especially for the Filipino-Americans in New York and New Jersey who have been faced with a wide array of events and fund-raisers where they can give their donations for the victims of the twin disasters that hit the Philippines.
The first typhoon, which resulted to the country’s worst flooding disaster in over 40 years, has displaced over 450,000 people and left 380,000 living in makeshift shelters. There are 246 known to have died in severe flooding caused by the Ondoy, (international name: Ketsana) which struck on Saturday, September 26th.
Last Monday, Lea Salonga led the pack with a packed and sold-out benefit show at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center. The show generated more than a million pesos from donors who shelled out as much as $500 per ticket to catch the Tony Award-winner perform in an intimate setting.
"Both Lea and I feel that we have a responsibility to help our kababayans who are suffering and in dire need of relief and assistance. We have to put in our share, no matter how small. Every little bit counts, right?," said Victor Lirio, who co-produced the event with Ayala Foundation USA, in an earlier statement.
Lirio admitted that he and Lea initially planned a small show.
"Our expectations were really nothing big. We simply wanted to do something, in our small way, to help raise money for the needy. And to bring greater awareness so that others will be encouraged. Truthfully, Lea and I just wanted to do something small. We were very pleasantly surprised by the publicity the event generated. They all delivered positive results. So that was good," he said.
The show brought greater awareness and according to an official from the Ayala Foundation USA, there was a surge in donations online because of the awareness the event brought.
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