Famous New York hotel donates linen for Sendong victims

A prestigious hotel in New York has donated bed sheets and towels for victims of tropical storm "Sendong" (international name: Washi), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the DFA said the linen donated by the Marriott Hotel New York Storage Center in Edison, New Jersey, will be sent to Sendong victims in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities. Volunteers from the Handang Tumulong Foundation, Inc. (HTFI), Kagayanon Association, Association of Filipino Teachers in America (AFTA), Filipino-American Association of Fair Lawn, Philippine Consulate General in New York, and other Filipino-American community members helped pack the linen in 51 balikbayan boxes on January 21. The boxes will be sent to the Tabang Sendong Relief Program of Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro under the name of HTFI. The DFA said storage center manager Jim Morris expressed the Marriott Group's sympathy for all those affected by the storm. "Sendong" devastated Mindanao and Visayas last December, leaving 1,259 dead and more than P1.7 billion in damage to property. - VVP, GMA News