On December 18, 2011, the STP Relief Fund Campaign is being reactivated in response to the recent tragedy brought by Typhoon Sendong (international code name: Washi) in Northern Mindanao, Philippines, when it ravaged through poor communities, mainly in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. It has left more than 927 killed, hundreds missing, and 47,000 cramped in evacuation centers. Many who were killed were women & children. And yet the Philippine government blamed the people for their "complacency" instead of evacuating the people from the villages. 

Non-profit organizations Damayan (New York), People's CORE (Los Angeles), and community-based organizations such as Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan NY/NJ, KmB/Pro-People Youth USA, and Alliance Philippines appeal to our fellow Filipino Americans and allies to please make a donation through PayPal, direct bank deposit or by mailing a check in order to provide the most direct relief to the hardest hit areas in Northern Mindanao including Cagayan de Oro City.

Our campaign objectives include:

1. Raise $2,000 by Saturday, December 31, 2011 (completed);
   
2. Raise an additional $2,000 by Martin Luther King Jr Holiday on Monday, January 15;
3. Educate the Filipino American community about impact and causes of Typhoon Sendong;
4. Mobilize the Filipino American community, especially in New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois.
   
   

Background

On September 25, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy devastated the Philippines. Metro Manila and various parts of the Philippines were under a state of calamity. Varying sources estimated about 240 people were killed, several thousands were missing, almost half a million displaced, and an estimated $4.9 billion in damages. News reports stated that it was the worst rainfall that the country has seen in 40 years. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Ondoy's total rainfall was 410mm while Hurricaine Katrina's was 380mm in New Orleans.

Like former US President George W. Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina, former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s devastating neglect of the people’s basic needs made typhoon Ondoy an even greater tragedy. 

In response to this calamity, Damayan, a non-profit organization based in New York, and People's CORE, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization, with member-organizations of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) launched Sagip-Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP) Emergency Relief Fund Campaign, a nationally coordinated effort in the US to provide financial and material support for the direct benefit of the Typhoon Ondoy victims. Member-organizations were based in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and New York, and included generous support from community groups and individuals. 

With the recent developments in Northern Mindanao, the same organizations have reactivated this campaign after recognizing the urgency to help our kababayans during this extremely difficult time.