Pinoys in UAE 'sing' for Yolanda victims


Tags: typhoon yolanda
AL AIN, United Arab Emirates—Together with the group Filipino Community, Al Ain (FilCom, Al Ain), overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here did their share in helping the countless victims of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines.
 
Boxes of donations were gathered in the UAE from OFWs following a two-day concert for Yolanda victims. Photo by Lucky Mae Quilao
The OFWs were encouraged to donate clothes, blankets, slippers, towels, beddings, canned food, noodles, toiletries, and medicines to those affected by the super typhoon, which lashed most of the Visayas and several areas in Southern Luzon on November 8.

In exchange, a two-day concert entitled “We Sing for Philippines: Charity-for-a-Cause” was held last week, with performances by the FilCom Band, FilCom Dance Group, Workshop Camp Glee Club, Nayla’s Crib, Marita Taylor, Jojo Broqueza, Romina Natividad, Rommel Perico, Van Wendell, and Julius Regis.

“Sa ngayon, meron na akong naiipon na mga 30 boxes [of relief goods]. We’re expecting 15 to 20 boxes pa,” said Nelson Nico, executive chairman of FilCom, Al Ain.

The event, prepared in less than a week, was thought of by the members of the different Filipino organizations here themselves.

“Sila nga yung nagsabi sa amin na magkaroon ng concert kasi mas malaki ang market at hindi lang mga Pilipino ang magpa-participate. May mga other nationalities din na nag-pledge ng tulong,” Nico said.

“We Sing for Philippines: Charity-for-a-cause” was held at Nojoom Square, Al Ain Mall Extension. The mall's management did not charge them for the space.

The performers did not ask for talent fees, too.

The event was also sponsored by the Ayla Hotel, Tawam Hospital, NMC, Al Ain Hospital, Al Noor Hospital, Ideal Medical Center, LBC Cargo, Creative Style Quality, Oasis Living, Al Ain Zoo, Digerati, F/5.6 Photographer Circle, Filipino Association for Computer Excellence (FACE) Al Ain chapter, Balingastagnon In UAE, and APO-Al Ain Directorate. — Lucky Mae Quilao/KBK, GMA News

Tags: typhoon yolanda

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more