Appeals for add’l donations, body bags as rescue and relief efforts pick up pace
LOS ANGELES – Overwhelmed with support flowing in from all over Los Angeles and other parts of her jurisdiction, Philippine Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega said that it was a ‘good kind of inundation’ that she was experiencing.
Throughout the week, various organizations, corporations, and local and state government agencies reached out to De La Vega to express their sincere condolences for those affected by Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan), and extended their help in providing relief for the victims.
Relief pouring in
Among those who extended help was TV network giant CBS, along with affiliated station KCAL, other local CBS radio stations, and the American Red Cross.
De La Vega said that on Wednesday, she got a call from CBS officials who invited her to come to their sound stage in Studio City. Expecting some sort of meeting or interview, De La Vega was surprised to see CBS executives, celebrities, and Red Cross officials present at a telethon that the network organized.
All in all, the phone banks at the CBS telethon raised $164,000 for the typhoon victims.
Other Southern California cities with dense Filipino populations also began organizing their own relief drives for the Philippines.
According to Carson City Mayor Pro Tempore Elito Santarina, the Carson City Hall is will serve as a drop-off point for relief donations. For two consecutive weekends, Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24, donations will be accepted at the City Hall parking lot on 701 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 90745.
Aside from this, Carson residents can also take part in other fundraising events, including a Bayanihan (Unity) Vigil at the Carson Civic Center Rizal Monument on Nov. 22, a Zumathon at the Southbay Pavilion food court area on Nov. 23, and an ABS-CBN Benefit Concert on Nov. 24.
Santarina also confirmed that as of Thursday night, he was able to raise $14,000 during a 10am meeting with Carson City officials.
Cerritos City Mayor Pro Tempore Mark Pulido confirmed that the Leelin family have pledged five Goldilocks stores in SoCal to serve as a drop-off point for relief goods. Pulido also said that Cerritos City officials are already planning to hold a benefit concert for the Yolanda victims, sometime in mid-December. Pulido said that they are hoping to surpass the amount of funds they had previously raised for Hurricane Katrina victims, which amounted to around $150,000. The Filipino-American official also said that he expects the younger generations of Filipinos in California to be more involved in this endeavor.
Walnut City Mayor Tony Cartagena announced at the press con on Thursday that he was able to get a commitment from Atlas Shipping to provide assistance in shipping in-kind and cash donations to an archdiocese in Vizayas.
For his part, Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti reached out to ConGen De La Vega once he got word about the disaster wrought by Yolanda. According to De La Vega, Garcetti expressed his commitment that the LA City Council is ready to assist the Filipino community in this time of need.
Aside from these organizations and local government agencies, hundreds of other groups have extended assistance in one way or another.
De La Vega said that a comprehensive list of all relief efforts at her jurisdiction can be found on the Consulate’s website (http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/Typhoon_Donations.htm). The Consulate’s jurisdiction includes Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Call for more help
While donations are still pouring in, De La Vega still issued a call to Angelenos of all ethnicities.
De La Vega said that food, medicine, and monetary donations are important relief goods that the Philippine government is asking for at the moment. She recommended people to send help by donating money because it’s the “most flexible” kind of relief good. Money can be used by teams on the ground to buy the necessary supplies they might need.
De La Vega also pointed out that medicine donations should have labels in English, and should not expire within the next six months.
Aside from these three key items, De La Vega also revealed that the Philippine government is now asking the global community to donate body bags. The current death toll of 2,360 people is expected to increase as rescue operations begin to speed up in the coming weeks, she said. With the number of cadavers being recovered on the ground, De La Vega said that rescue teams are quickly running out of body bags for the dead.
“Relief efforts are picking up [pace],” De La Vega guaranteed.
The Philippine government faced sharp criticism over the past week for their slow response to the needs of the survivors.
De La Vega explained that this was because other areas were previously inaccessible to relief operations. With aid coming in from other countries, she said people will see a sharp increase in relief operations.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend November 16-19, 2013 Sec A pg.1)
