By: Maria Juana Valenzuela

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” – John Bunyan

Once Mother Nature gets angry, no amount of preparation can stop her from taking out her frustrations on humans.

We were deeply heartbroken when we saw the aftermath of super typhoons that hit our country, the Philippines. Flash-floods, landslides, homes that were submerged in floods, families on the roof of their houses drenched in water and lifeless bodies.

A call for help was needed. We could not just sit and wait for the government to take action, our fellow citizens were in need of help… and every minute counts.

Some heard our call and extended their help, and we are deeply thankful for them. These were families, friends and people who wanted to help because it’s the right thing to do. We collected a total of 42,000 pesos and divide it into three for the disaster-stricken provinces of Bicol, Cagayan, and the Mt. Haduan area in Pampanga.

By November 22, 2020, HAPI was able to reach out to a total of 75 families affected by the massive flooding in Cagayan, which submerged one of our member’s hometown, Tuguegarao City, a day after typhoon Ulysses passed through the Island of Luzon.

I’d like to give my thanks to HAPI Member Kleng Agbayani, his mother, and his siblings who helped us in distributing the relief goods.

On November 26, 2020, another 60 families received help from HAPI with the help of HAPI Member Janice Buenaventura who lives in Sorsogon. Some victims lost their roofs, houses were damaged; they had no food, electricity and even drinking water.

As a human, helping other people is our responsibility. We cannot thank you enough, our dear donors and volunteers, for all you do for humanity.

“Help other people not because someone promise to reward you or threaten to punish you if you don’t. Help because it’s the right thing to do.”