The Philippines is no stranger to the onslaught of typhoons. The country has faced super typhoons before and is thus met with the idea of resiliency and strength. However, this is not enough to help our fellow countrymen in recovering from the strong winds and floods brought about by consecutive typhoons that have entered the country. There are still many victims asking for help that are met with little urgent action from the higher government. Because of this, many youth-led and non-profit organizations have started their own donation drives and fundraisers for the victims. Below are a few ways on how you can help the victims of the typhoons:
1. Ateneo DReaM Team’s Donation Drive
Ateneo de Manila University’s DReam Team, along with Tanging Yaman Foundation and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, are holding a donation drive for the victims of the typhoons. They are accepting both in-kind donations as well as monetary.
For in-kind donations, you can donate canned goods, instant noodles, rice, powdered milk, bottled water, hygiene kits (towels, toiletries, alcohol, soap, diapers, sanitary napkins), and cleaning materials (boots, gloves, shovels, mops, detergent, disinfectants, bleach). The drop-off location for these is the Ateneo College Covered Courts which will be open from Monday to Saturday, 8AM to 5PM.
For monetary donations, on the other hand, you can donate to Ateneo’s BPI Savings account (3083-7210-56, Ateneo de Manila University). They also accept donations through Metrobank and BDO. You can find more information regarding this on the university’s Facebook page.
2. ACO’s Donation Drive
Ateneo de Manila Senior High School’s Assembly of Class Officers (ACO) is calling for donations for the victims of typhoon Ulysses in Cagayan Valley. They are open for cash donations through BPI, BDO, and GCash. All funds received by the ACO will be forwarded to the Ateneo DReaM Team and the Office of the Vice President.
As of November 15, 12:08PM, ACO has collected a total of 50, 055 pesos from the donations. You can still donate through this link until November 21, 2020. For inquiries, you can visit the ASHS Sanggunian Facebook page or contact them via email (sanggu.ashs@obf.ateneo.edu).
3. De Brito’s Class Donation Drive
Students from De Brito, a Grade 11 section from the ASHS, are asking for donations for their classmates who were affected by the recent typhoons. You can send your donations through GCash (Matt Almonte, 09088187040) until November 22, 2020. In an online setting, we must make sure that no student gets left behind, and this initiative from the class of De Brito aims to do just so. You can visit this Facebook post by one of the students for more information.
4. Bangon Cagayan! by UP Anna na Cagayan
There are also a multitude of organizations outside Ateneo who have started donation drives and fundraisers for the typhoon victims. One is UP Anna na Cagayan, a UP Diliman-based youth organization catering to Cagayano students. The organization is calling for both cash and in-kind donations for the typhoon victims in Cagayan.
For in-kind donations, they are accepting water or water containers (5 gallons), rice, canned goods, cup noodles, ready-to-eat food, toiletries, disinfections kits, facemasks, and face shields. Drop-off locations are in Pasig City, Rizal Area, Manila Area, Quezon City Area, and Tuguegarao City Area.
Cash donations can be made through BPI, PayMaya, BDO, Security Bank, GCash, or Paypal. To donate, you can visit their Facebook page for the instructions and contact information.
5. Bangon Luzon by Kaya Natin!
Kaya Natin’s movement called Bangon Luzon is a donation drive in partnership with the Office of the Vice President. Previously aimed for the victims of Typhoon Rolly, they are now also providing help for the victims of Typhoon Ulysses in Cagayan and Isabela. Bagon Luzon is accepting cash donations through BPI, GCash, PayMaya, PayPal, JustPayTo, Lazada, or Shopee. You can find more information on their Facebook page or on their website.
6. Frontliner’s Kitchen
Frontliner’s Kitchen is a youth-led organization providing meals for those affected by COVID-19, such as those in the healthcare, urban, agricultural, and fisherfolk sectors. They are currently open for both in-kind and monetary donations. Their beneficiaries will be rescuers, first responders, and victims of Typhoon Ulysses in Marikana, Bataan, Catanduanes, and Cagayan Valley.
They are also receiving in-kind donations in the form of clean clothes, toiletries and feminine products, blankets and towels, canned or packaged goods, and medicine. There are several drop-off locations in Luzon (North and Central Luzon and NCR), Visayas, and Mindanao, and the complete list and contact information can be found here.
For monetary donations, they are open for both local and international donors. For local donors, donations can be made through GCash, BDO, PayPal and BPI savings. For international donors, e-Transport, Venmo, and Zelle are available. To donate and learn more about this initiative, visit the organization’s website.
7. Aksyon ng Kabataan organization
Aksyon ng Kabataan or AKO is a non-government organization formed to lead a community invested in social change. They are asking for both in-kind and monetary donations for those willing to help the victims of the typhoons in areas such as Cagayan, Albay, RIzal, Sorsogon, and Marikina. They will be providing their beneficiaries with relief packs, rubber boats, school supplies, water tanks, and construction materials for rebuilding.
You can donate your cash donations through GCash, BPI, PayMaya, PayPal, or Metrobank while you can drop-off your in-kind donations in Marikina City. More details are available on their Facebook regarding the bank details and address for in-kind donations.
8. Stream a YouTube Video
An alternative way to donate to the victims of the typhoons is by watching a YouTube video. Yes, you heard that right! You can donate by watching Donnalyn Bartolome’s, a Filipino vlogger, video in which all revenue from the video will be donated to typhoon victims. She is partnered with Influence Us, an organization whose beneficiaries are those in Marikina, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Tarlac, Camarines Norte, Bicol, Cagayan, and Catanduanes. The creator reminds her viewers not to skip the ads in the video as to build revenue for the donations. The 10-minute video can be found here.
This is by no means a complete list on where you can donate to the typhoon victims. There are many ways to help circulating around social media and let us do our best in spreading awareness on how much we can assist our fellow countrymen. Let us also be alert of scammers asking for donations and look for trustworthy organizations who provide transparency reports. Lastly, even if you can’t donate, let us not tire of asking proper emergency action from government officials. Filipinos deserve concrete plans and action, not just the premise of resiliency and help from private sectors.
Danielle Liwanag
HiLites ASHS 