(First published Dec. 20, 2021) More donation drives were launched following the onslaught Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) that pummeled through several areas in the Visayas and Mindanao regions last week.
As of December 19, the Office of Civil Defense reported that Odette left 58 people dead, 18 missing and 199 injured.
Overall, the severely-hit regions are:
- MIMAROPA
- Region VI or Western Visayas
- Region VII or Central Visayas
- Region VIII or Eastern Visayas
- Region X or Northern Mindanao
- Region XIII or CARAGA
Donation drives for Visayas, Mindanao
Governor Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands on Sunday, December 19 was among those who appealed for donations online after the province suffered significant damage due to Odette’s wrath.
Bag-ao shared a photo of call for donations from a non-governmental organization in Cagayan de Oro called the Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc. (BALAOD Mindanaw).
BALAOD Mindanaw is also a partner organization of the Dinagat provincial government.
The graphic indicated the bank details and the GCash number where other Filipinos can course their donations to.
In the same post, Bag-ao also attached a graphic with a screenshot of her previous post where she sought for the following relief items:
- food
- potable water
- temporary shelters
- fuel
- hygiene kits
- medical supplies
She also attached photos of uprooted trees, destroyed properties and unpassable roads in Dinagat Islands.
In a separate post, Jeff Crisostomo, provincial information officer of Dinagat Islands, shared alternative donation channels of BALAOD Mindanaw where the public can send their donations.
Crisostomo, who is posting from Butuan City, also detailed some of the provincial government’s efforts to establish communication between the residents and their loved ones outside the province.
Palawan Daily, a Palawan-based publication, also posted a donation drive for the community of Dumaran Island from a resident named Hex Mondragon.
READ: #PalawanNeedsHelpToo: Filipinos cry for aid for Odette-hit Palawan
Last Friday, December 17, community pantry organizer Patreng Non activated or launched the community kitchens in Visayas and Mindanao to provide food aid to victims there.
Non also sought for cash donations via BDO and GoFundMe, a US-based crowdfunding platform.
In a separate post, The Community Kitchen Project’s Facebook page asked for at least P500 worth of donations to help sustain their food programs to affected communities by Odette.
“500 pesos lang po ang kailangan upang makasuporta tayo ng isang community kitchen na kayang magpakain ng hanggang o higit pa sa 100 katao. Ngunit, magkano man po ay handa kaming tanggapin,” read the post.
Kids for the Future, a private youth organization, also called for relief support for affected provinces on December 19.
Based on its Instagram posts, For the Future team is coordinating with the people of the following typhoon-hit areas:
- Siargao Island and Bucas Grande Island in Surigao del Norte
- Cebu City
- Bohol
- Negros
- Bucas Grande Island in
- Dinagat Islands
- Surigao City
- Palawan
They also enumerated that they need the following relief items:
- Water/water filters
- Tents/temporary shelters
- Non-perishable food
- Solar lights/generators
- Blankets
- Satellite phones
- Portable fan/tables
- Hygiene kits
- Portable lamps and tables
- Clothing
- Pillows/blankets
In another post, For the Future listed down the drop-off points for in-kind donations for Surigao City.
Gretchen Ho also sought donations via Twitter through the organization she supports—the Waves for Water Philippines.
These funds will help purchase water filters and make clean water accessible to typhoon victims.
She said that each water filter costs P2,850.
Multiple calls for ACCESS to CLEAN WATER have been made via @wavesforwater philippines.
For now, project for #OdettePH is only 18% funded but 368 water filters have already been deployed to 6 locations.
I’ve been working with this org for yrs. To donate: https://t.co/EfH4sYYdAQ pic.twitter.com/YHjZ7as7EV
— Gretchen Ho (@gretchenho) December 20, 2021
Oxfam Pilipinas, a development organization, also shared that people in some villages of Southern Leyte are seeking for food, water, hygiene kits, sleeping mats and tents.
They also called for construction materials to repair their damaged houses.
The public can also send in donations to The Philippine STAR’s Operation Damayan for Odette relief may be sent via the following:
1. GCash (look for Payment Solution tab and search for Philstar Daily Inc.);
2. Paymaya app (click Scan to Pay, scan QR code and enter amount);
3. Bank deposit to Philstar Daily Inc./Operation Damayan Metrobank Savings Account No. 151-7-15152422-9 (email deposit slip to damayan@philstarmedia.com).
Interested parties may contact 0917-4695009 (Emie Cruz) or 8527-7777 local 2111.
To reach out to more people, Twitter user @artsofiyaaa collated crowdfunding initiatives of private individuals, groups and organizations in one Twitter thread.
donation drive for typhoon odette victims!!!
a thread;
— iya ☀️ donation drives 📌 (@artsofiyaaa) December 18, 2021
The thread includes donation drives by Ambagan Philippines Mindanao, Ayala Foundation, BTS Army, BAYAN Central Visayas, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines and For our farmers PH, among several others.
Last December 16, when Odette first struck, several organizations including the Ateneo de Manila University and the Tulong Kabataan Network have started to collect financial aid for typhoon-stricken communities.
READ: Rundown: Donation drives for ‘Odette’ victims | Caritas Philippines raises emergency aid for ‘Odette’ victims