Feb 8th, 2010. Filed under Editorial.
Help the Haitians
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When hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and inundated the city several years ago, Filipino Americans responded to the call for help. They donated cash and relief goods to help the thousands of victims. Even the Philippine embassy, under Ambassador Albert del Rosario, urged the community to donate cash to the American Red Cross.
When hundreds were killed and thousands were rendered homeless by back-too-back typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that hit the Philippines late last year, Filipinos, without any prodding, responded. Filipinos around the world and in the United States not only contributed cash and relief goods via all available channels; they also made sure the donations were really delivered by private groups and the government agencies to the victims, and fast. International organizations also came to their aid.
Now, tens of thousands of Haitians are dead and probably a million more are homeless after the devastating earthquake that struck Port Au Prince, the crowded capital of Haiti. Today, more than a week after that disaster, many, including Filipinos, are among the missing and presumed dead.
More than a hundred Filipino soldiers and policemen belonging to the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Haiti are already in place to help. There are an estimated 300 to 400 Filipinos working in the Haitian capital and many are unaccounted for.
The blood curdling scenes that are shown on TV are horrendous. Bodies are shown being scooped up and piled on trucks to be buried in mass graves.
But it is the injured and survivors who need very urgent help. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered medical teams to assist in treating the injured in Haiti.
It’s time for the Filipino Americans to open up their wallets and help. The best channel, like in the past, is the American Red Cross.
