Redwood City, CA (August 15, 2011) - On July 26, 2011, Philippine province, Albay, was severely devastated by tropical typhoon known locally as “Juaning.” The storm was said to have wreaked havoc; immediate flooding in rice field areas and low lying villages and causing the dam to the Pawa River to collapse. The province has been placed under a state of calamity. The ABS CBN Foundation International has announced a plea to global assistance through Sagip Kapamilya to provide aid to the thousands of families that have been affected.
Many towns are now without electricity, food, potable water and clothing. A town called Malinao was immediately awash in neck-deep floodwater and is currently unreachable by the media. An estimated P1 billion worth of public infrastructure has been destroyed, while over 13,000 hectares of rice, corn and vegetable farmland has been lost.
"Our kababayans in Malinao were left with nothing. Many houses were destroyed, farmlands damaged, water systems were broken and belongings were swept away,” says Carmela Lianko, Secretary of Malinaonons, USA. “Our town is often times forgotten when it comes to provincial, national and international aid, so we cry for help from all of us who have been blessed with better lives to help our town, Malinao."
“The Malianonons have partnered with the ABS CBN Foundation International, hopeful that we can kickstart recovery in Albay with our community’s help,” shares J. Robbie Fabian, President of the ABS CBN Foundation International. “We are committed to doing our part in rebuilding all that was taken by the storms. We were the first ones onsite and we’ll be there until Albay sees better days.”
For more information on how to contribute to the disaster relief fund, visit www.abscbnfoundation.org or call (650) 508.6118. Donations can also be mailed to the ABS CBN Foundation International at 150 Shoreline Dr. Redwood City, CA 94065.
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ABOUT ABS CBN FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL:
ABS CBN Foundation International is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged Filipino children and their families in the Philippines and around the world. Its flagship program, Bantay Bata (Child Watch), is a child abuse rescue operation that responds to an average of 15,300 calls for assistance a year. The program assists more than 21,000 children and families in relocation communities and feeds at least 4,400 severely malnourished children a year. Its education program serves 4.2 million elementary school children and their teachers.
In the United States, the organization partners with Filipino-American organizations and associations in addressing community issues--youth truancy, housing, issues affecting the elderly, health, and emergency needs. For more programs and information, visit www.abscbnfoundation.org.
