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The donations and pledges from abroad for victims of tropical storm "Sendong" (international name: Washi) have reached some $12.613 million (P554.362 million), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday. The DFA said that as of Dec. 28, the $12,613,473.87 worth of foreign donations and pledges included those from Filipino communities, Philippine Embassies and Consulates General, and private groups. "The total donations/pledges consist of US$4,780,656.15 in cash, US$2,122,255.14 in kind and US$5,710,563 worth of pledges," it said. "Sendong" brought floods that devastated parts of Mindanao and Visayas, including Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities. The storm left more than 1,200 dead and more than P1 billion in damages. According to the DFA, the top donors include:
United States ($100,000 cash and $5.4 million in pledges)
Australia (US$1,015,246.92 cash and US$304,600.82 in kind)
China (US$1.01 million cash)
Czech Republic (US$894,000 cash)
Republic of Korea (US$500,000 in kind and US$110,000 in pledges)
Indonesia (US$310,000 cash and US$200,000 in kind)
New Zealand (US$500,000 cash).
The other foreign donors include:
Japan (US$320,163.09 in kind)
Spain (US$261,470.66 cash)
Ireland (US$130,807.66 in kind)
Malaysia (US$100,000 cash)
Singapore (US$38,714.37 cash and US21,533.57 in kind)
Chile (US$25,000 cash)
Thailand (US$100,000 cash)
Denmark (US$52,783.82 cash)
Belgium (US$130,562.58 in pledges)
Italy (US$645,150 in kind)
Switzerland (US$320,714.98 cash)
Oman (US$2,909.65 cash).
Pinoy communities The Filipino community in the U.S. Northeast sent in US$11,170 in cash coursed through the Philippine Consulate General in New York. Other members of the Filipino community in the U.S. collected US$8,287.80 cash. Filipinos in Guam donated US$3,956 in cash, while the Laguna Association of Guam gave US$500 in cash. The other donations from the Filipino community include:
Filipino community in Malaysia, US$1,000 cash
Filipino community in France, US$3,921.45 cash
Filipino community in Myanmar, US$1,094.25 cash
Filipino community in Xiamen, US$2,275.30 cash
Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona, US$195.95.
Business, international groups Russian businessmen gave US$20,000 in pledges, and the Dalai Lama Trust also provided US$50,000 in pledges. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Guam provided US$14,420 cash, and the Philippine Consulate General in Guam collected US$2,895. The United Nations also launched a consolidated flash appeal for humanitarian assistance for US$28,576,819. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has an initial appeal of US$50,000, and their Philippine office has a team that conducted needs assessment in Mindanao and is providing relief support. Currently, a four-member delegation from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is now in affected areas to assess the devastation. More help from Brunei, Hawaii More aid is coming for victims of tropical storm "Sendong" (Washi), with the latest wave coming from Brunei and Hawaii. This is aside from the $2 million in emergency grant the Japanese government is extending to the Philippines. On Thursday, the DFA said Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) is giving B$25,000.00 (around P825,000) to the victims. It said BSP Managing Director Ken Marnoch gave a mock cheque representing the to Philippine Ambassador Nestor Ochoa last Dec. 27. The donation was for the Philippines Storm Humanitarian Aid Fund. "The donated amount was collected among the BSP staff in Kuala Belait in Brunei, and shall be sent directly to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) by the BSP in Manila, which does the overall coordination with other Philippine agencies," the DFA said. In Hawaii, meanwhile, the Filipino community there donated $44,000 (P1,937,319) for "Sendong" victims. About 100 volunteers gathered at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, the heart of the Filipino enclave in Honolulu, Dec. 26 to man phone lines and appeal to friends to help the victims. "Initial reports estimate that the one-day drive netted about $30,000 in actual donations and $14,000 in pledges," it said. First Hawaiian Bank (FHB), one of Hawaii's largest banks, also announced the bank has set up a special account where donations for the typhoon victims could be channeled to. The Filipino community and FHB will course these funds through the Archdiocese and Diocese of Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City and the Philippine Red Cross, respectively. For its part, LBC Hawaii announced it will send donated goods and items through the LBC Foundation free of charge. Hotels across the state expressed much interest in donating bed sheets, blankets, and towels. Deputy Consul General Paul Cortes, who was special guest at KNDI 1270 AM's five-hour live broadcast from the Filipino Community Center, expressed the Filipino people's joy and thanks to the Filipino and Hawaiian communities for their generosity. He extolled them for their overwhelming bayanihan and aloha spirits. The community will continue receiving donations until the end of December, the DFA said. - VVP, GMA News
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