The recent calamity that hit the Visayan region of the Philippines just a week ago is without a doubt the worst I have ever experienced in my 22 years of life. It was a little difficult to grasp the magnitude of the situation at first, but then I remembered a friend of mine from college who hailed from one of the heaviest affected areas. When I contacted her I found out she wasn’t in Tacloban, but her family was still there and she hadn’t heard from them in 2 days. I could not offer her anything other than words, asking her to hold on to hope that her family will be okay. The next day I asked her again if she had heard from her family, and she told me, ‘Yes, we are here in Manila. Everything is gone but at least we are safe.’
That was the moment the situation began to really sink in, when the images I saw on TV began to stop feeling like some post-apocalyptic movie. I quickly messaged her to tell me if she needed anything, and in response she said, ‘Thank you so much! But the people in Tacloban need food and water more.’
I guess without her knowing she was the spark plug that made me begin seriously thinking of ways to help. But aside from donating in cash and kind or combing through one’s closet for clothes no longer used, there is an even easier way to help out.
All we need to do is eat.
Calling all foodies all over the metro! This weekend, several establishments will be donating part or all of their income for the day to relief efforts in hopes of alleviating the dire situation our Filipino brothers and sisters are currently facing. If you’ve been stuck wondering how you could help out, then this is quite possibly the simplest way. Check out the partial list I made below of establishments familiar to me to see if your favourites are in on the action, and bring everyone along when you pay a visit!
For a more complete list, check out Pepper.ph or Spot.ph.
The support we need to provide the victims of the calamity in this instance cannot stop at just relief goods. We also need to consider that they need to rebuild their homes and lives in the near future.
