14 December 2006
By Ephraim Aguilar
Legazpi City
AFTER READING stories in newspapers about the tragedy brought by Supertyphoon “Reming” and Typhoon “Seniang” to her home city of Legazpi, a senior student in Metro Manila has found a way to help her kababayan.
Kristina Gadaingan, 20, a social science student of the University of the Philippines Manila who knew Albay more than anyone else in her dormitory, expressed to her “housemates” her concern and grief.
A university professor living in the same dormitory asked how they could help. Although the question was apparently meant just to appease her, it challenged Gadaingan, who transformed feelings of fear and melancholy into compassion and a desire to help.
“I had no access to television that time. I simply relied on the newspapers and accounts from friends told through mobile phone to know how badly hit Albay was. Hearing of the bad news, I was stunned and could not believe what happened,” she said.
After going through the initial shock, the young student and two friends who also came from Bicol met and talked about how they could muster help for the typhoon victims in Albay.
Gadaingan sent countless text and e-mail messages and posted bulletins on the Internet, appealing for donations.
“For five days now, I have been doing a text brigade, e-mail brigade and Friendster brigade. My other Bicolano friends did the same. Many people replied to our message and showed their concern while some pledged donations,” she said.
Donation boxes
She placed donation boxes on campus and though these were just among other solicitation boxes stationed by big organizations in school corners, her action was something she deemed special.
“I was faced with some depressing situations while gathering relief assistance for the typhoon victims, one of which was having to deal with a few apathetic and nonchalant people but for as long as I saw that many others were willing to help, I was encouraged to pursue all these,” she said.
Her friend and classmate in high school, Charm Sison, 21, of Daraga town in Albay, who was in Manila to look for a job, built networks of donors everywhere she went.
Sison solicited relief assistance in offices where she had friends working and in private companies, such as a pharmaceutical company, from whom she asked for a supply of paracetamol tablets.
Taiping Philippine Carpet and the local government of Valenzuela, with which Charm has already established a connection, sent separate vans loaded with food items and clothing. The vans left for Albay at dawn of Friday.
Gadaingan never thought that her initiative would reap warm response from donors. Among those that have helped were the Mother Ignacia Ladies’ Dormitory, Religious of the Virgin Mary sisters, World Health Organization-Manila, UP-Manila faculty members and students, student organizations, and the Damayan Network of Bicol University.
“Two of the boxes I placed in our dorm and school were already filled with clothing, food items, shoes and kitchenware. Some handed cash,” she said in a mobile phone interview.
“Now, there’s this little challenge of how we were to transport these goods to Albay, though an organization in my former school there already promised to receive and distribute the donations.”
Two other Bicolano friends joined Gadaingan and Sison in their campaign.
One, who was the president of the Youth for Christ Movement at UP-Los Baños, also began rallying for help through his organization. The other, a teacher in Batangas, has also been doing his part.
Gadaingan said what she loved most in what she was doing was to see other people’s concern and generosity.
“There were people who would really ask for the details on how they could extend help. Now I know … this is how it feels when it’s all about your own hometown … there’s a different kind of energy,” she said.
At least 286,600 families or 1.5 million persons were “affected” by Reming in 1,338 villages in all six provinces in Bicol.
Latest figures from the Office of Civil Defense-Bicol showed 557 people dead and 604 missing due to mudslides that buried their villages, mainly in Albay.
More than 249,850 houses were destroyed or damaged by strong surges, flash floods and mudslides.
For interested donors, contact Gadaingan at mobile phone No. 09167674174.
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