On November 8, 2013, Friday, at about one in the afternoon the wind from mega-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) wind started howling. This was followed shortly by continues heavy rain. Hundreds of homes in Lezo suffered severe damage with roofs blown away. Dozens of houses were complete leveled to the ground.

Immediately after the storm one of our PHI brothers, Dr. Nonie Leonidas, retired pediatrician, and his wife Thelma surveyed the damage in Mina, his own Barangay of about 250 families. They found nipa huts without roofs, several leaning to one side, many with walls gone, and some with just the hollow block foundation left. They called the barangay captain to invite families with damaged roofs to avail of emergency supplies that they and some friends funded. Within a week, 63 mothers lined up on their driveway. They were provided with emergency survival needs in the form of groceries, nails, wire and tarp. Tarp was the least expensive and fastest way to temporarily provide shelter to roofless homes.

With the help of PHI International funds from supportive donors all over the United States, serious home repair from replacing roofs to completely rebuilding homes was made possible. At the moment, PHI International, through the efforts of Dr. Nonie and Thelma Leonidas has helped at least 64 families who were provided with corrugated galvanized iron sheets for roofing, plywood or “sawali” to replace walls, wires, nails, plastic rattan, cement bags, steel bars and hollow blocks.

Currently, six months after Yolanda, there are still many houses with damaged roofs and shattered walls. Rebuilding efforts continue for as long as funds are available.

The post Changing people’s lives in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda appeared first on Phi International.

• Team leader, Dr. Eric Talens, Director, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Manila; Trauma Surgeon and Chief of the Division of Trauma Surgery, PGH.
• 5 physicians, 1 Dentist, 2 EMT’s, 2 RN’s, 2 Pahinungod officers,
• 4 NGO volunteer mountaineers
• 8 civilian volunteers

Repacking of the following relief and medical supplies were done by volunteers from University of the Philippines Manila and other NGO’s who trooped to Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Nurses’ Home.

• 1,568 family packs (2 kilos of rice, 6 canned goods, 4 packs instant noodles, 5 packs biscuits, and 5 sachets of instant coffee/chocolate.
• 1000 shelter packs (1 mosquito net for 5 people) and 1 sleeping mat (for 4)
• 722 blankets
• 881 Hygiene kits (5 toothbrushes, 1 tube toothpaste, 1 family bath soap, 2 small towels, 1 bottle shampoo, 1 pack sanitary napkin, 1 sachet laundry soap, 1 bottle each of Betadine, Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, 10 pcs sterile gauze, 1/2 in micropore tape and 1 pack cotton balls)
• 258 Kiddie packs (1 coloring book, 1 box crayons, 1 stuffed toy, 1 pair kiddie slippers)
• 419 tarpaulin sheets (380 brand new; 39 used) (can be used as temporary roof)
• 125 underwear packs (each pack has 4 pairs lady’s underwear and 1 pair man’s briefs)
• 285 packs of diapers (112 packs small, 60 packs medium; 50 packs large; 5 adult diapers)
• 8 big boxes of used slippers and shoes
• 1 big box of various donated toys

The team left PGH at 3 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2013. Personnel and cargo were transported by a private group (6 vehicles), from PGH Nurses’ Home to Villamor Air Base. The entire team and cargo took the government C130 flight (Manila to Guiuan) through arrangements with the Philippine Air Force. Transportation of the team from Guiuan to and from Hernani, as well as security through the roads, were provided by the 11th Marine Battalion. The local contingent of the World Food Program, Inc. provided an additional two trucks to deliver the rest of the relief goods from Guiuan airport to Hernani. The team brought their own food, drink and camping needs. Volunteer mountaineers, and some team members cooked and set up camp. The first night in Hernani was spent in two volunteer homes. The team rested with the squad of marines providing security. The medical mission started early the following day after a temporary shelter from the sun was set up by the marines. There were 80 medical consultations and 6 surgical procedures, including emergency circumcision for preputial stricture secondary to trauma, 3 debridements for neglected wounds, and 2 incision and drainages for subcutaneous abscesses. Relief goods were distributed with assistance from the Local Government Unit. The team travel\ed back to Guiuan that afternoon. Eleven members opted for the predictable but long and arduous land trip back to Manila. The rest of the 14 members waited for the unpredictable C130 flight the following day. All the team members were back in Manila by the evening of Dec. 5, 2013.

The post Disaster Relief Mission to Samar appeared first on Phi International.

A land trip was planned. Complicating the trip were the long wait for the ferry from Matnog, Sorsogon (southern tip of Luzon) to Allen Samar and the security problems (communist activity and banditry) on the road along Samar, particularly just before the San Juanico Bridge (connects southern tip of Samar island to Leyte).

Repacking of “family relief packs” and “hygiene kits” were done by various volunteers from University of the Philippines Manila and non-governmental organizations who trooped to the Pahinungod office and nearby Nurses’ Home in the Philippine General Hospital campus. The following were prepared and eventually distributed:

• 1500 family relief packs (2 kg. rice, canned goods, instant noodles, instant coffee, candles, matches, biscuits, candies/chocolates, 1 liter bottled water, and water purification tabs, all in an eco-friendly bag)
• 993 hygiene kits – (bath soap, toothpaste, cotton balls/buds, face towel, toothbrushes, toilet paper, sanitary napkin, diapers, alcohol, and betadine, all in a small handy bag).
• 400 sleeping mats
• 400 mosquito nets
• 120 coloring books, 120 packs of crayons, and 120 toys (colored rubber balls)

The all-volunteer team, led by Pahinungod Director, trauma surgeon and PHI Brod, Dr. Eric Talens, was composed of:

• 11 doctors, 1 dentist, 2 EMT’s and Information officer from Manila
• 2 volunteers at the site who were typhoon victims themselves
• 5 mountaineers who brought their own supplies and provided housekeeping chores for the whole team (cooking, cleaning, and setting camp)

The team was prepared to be self-sufficient with their own food and water for the entire trip. The 8-vehicle caravan included a truck to transport the relief goods and medical supplies and a bus to bring the personnel. A separate team of 15 personnel in 6 vehicles joined en route, to provide security as the team traversed the danger areas. This group was self-sufficient in terms of food and water. All Pahinungod volunteers are insured. They fill out personal data sheets for beneficiaries just before each mission. The safety of the volunteer is paramount in any mission.

The Team left Philippine General Hospital at 11 p.m. of Nov. 17, 2013. The long queue for the ferry boats measured at least 12 kilometers. The caravan was allowed to bypass this through previous special arrangements. In spite of this, there was a 7-hour wait at the port due to the heavy vehicular and passenger traffic in the ferries. Provided with additional security (1 vehicle from Armed Forces of the Philippines) from Allen port in Samar, the team convoy headed for Leyte and arrived at Palo after a 29-hour journey.

Palo, like Tacloban, was virtually a ghost town. Many inhabitants, with resources and relatives in other areas had already evacuated. The lack of food, water and electrical power, had shut down most of the operations in the municipality including the barely functioning Local government units.

The medical mission and relief distribution were conducted at the grounds of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Palo, coordinated with the mayor’s office. The mission started at about 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon and continued only until sundown, since there was no electricity. Approximately 500 patients were treated.

Relief distribution, was carried out until 7 p.m. at night when all relief items were distributed. All volunteers, including bus and truck drivers as well as local volunteers were involved in the distribution.

The whole mission crew and security teams billeted for the night in the Iglesia ni Kristo grounds in Palo, Leyte. where they were allowed to park the vehicles, set-up camp, cook and eat their evening meal and breakfast, as well as use the toilet and bath facilities.

The team left early the next morning to deliver the residual medications to Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban. The hospital staff there was short on food since their supplies were taken by looters. The team left all the remaining food and water with the hospital staff when they left Tacloban.

The trip back to Manila took less than 24 hours and was uneventful, except for difficulty in docking back at Matnog port due to the rough sea. The team was back in Manila at 2 p.m., Nov. 21, 2013.

The post The UP Pahinungod Disaster Relief Mission to Palo, Leyte appeared first on Phi International.

Phi International will continue its efforts and contribute to the rehabilitation of typhoon stricken provinces.

Below is a partial list of donors whose contribution continue to make a difference in the lives of the Filipinos.

• PHI Kappa Mu Fraternity brothers, their extended families and friends
• Phi Lambda Delta Sorority sisters, their extended families and friends
• Missionaries of the Poor and their supporters
• University of the Philippines College of Medicine alumni, extended families and friends
• University of the Philippines High School alumni, extended families and friends
• Rotary District 7370 and Rotarians from different Clubs
• Hanover Hospital employees and physicians
• Community of Hanover, Pennsylvania

The post Thank you to the Donors for Heeding the Call to Help appeared first on Phi International.

Photos from the Facebook Page of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod

The post Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Set Out for Leyte appeared first on Phi International.

Typhoon Haiyan’s (Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines) current death toll has reached 2357, making it the the second-deadliest Philippine typhoon on record.

It made landfall in the Phillippines on November 6 causing catastrophic destruction in its path through central Philippines. Devastated are the islands of Samar and Leyte. About 11 million people have been affected and many have been left homeless. Food water and shelter are urgently needed. The Philippines needs our help.

The post 11 Million Filipinos Devastated by Haiyan appeared first on Phi International.

By Tina Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–These fraternity “brods” are leading the way in showing what true brotherhood is all about.

For the past several days now, members of the Phi Kappa Mu, a fraternity based at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine campus on Pedro Gil Street in Manila, have been juggling their time between studying and helping victims get back on their feet from the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy.”

The medical fraternity of doctors and medical students has been conducting relief operations particularly in Barangay Bagong Silangan, a low-lying area near the boundary of Quezon City and San Mateo, Rizal province, and among the hardest-hit communities in Metro Manila.

Apart from relief operations, Phi Kappa Mu members are also busy conducting medical missions in Barangay Bagong Silangan and in other affected areas as well.

According to Dr. Andro Fernandez, an anesthesiologist who has been leading the fraternity in conducting the mission since 2004, when Aurora and Quezon provinces were ravaged by a series of typhoons, they chose Barangay Bagong Silangan because it was, at that time, the “least served” area.

“Initially, that particular area did not draw much attention because relief efforts of the government and other organizations were concentrated on Marikina and Cainta (Rizal). But the following day, news reports said more than 30 people died there because of Ondoy,” he said.

Apart from the relief operations, Phi Kappa Mu members are now also busy conducting medical missions in Barangay Bagong Silangan and in other affected areas as well.

Images of grief

“Seeing the images of grief on TV, we decided to focus on that area,” the doctor added, saying the sight of coffins sharing space with evacuees at the multi-purpose center was what struck him most.

A day prior to the relief operations, Fernandez inspected the relocation site at the barangay and saw first-hand the urgent need for basic necessities.

Fernandez later led more than 30 medical students composed of fraternity brothers and sorority sisters from the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority in distributing blankets and goods to 200 families relocated at the multipurpose center. Priority, however, was given to families of those who died after being swept away by floodwaters.

On the same day, the group also distributed relief goods to Gawad Kalinga (GK) Brookside, home to at least 800 families whose houses were submerged in water.

“The GK site was a badly-hit community. The floodwaters were almost roof level in most of the houses. But many of the residents returned to their homes despite the mud and the terrible stench from the combined smell of floodwater, mud and sewers,” Fernandez said. “This was precisely what I wanted to show the brods and the “sis,”“ he added.

Apart from relief goods and blankets, the fraternity also prepared and distributed cooked food to the families.

“We brought steamed rice and boiled eggs because the people in Barangay Bagong Silangan could not cook as everything was wet and most of their appliances were not working,” said Fernandez, whose wife and three children also helped in the relief efforts.

According to Bayani Pasco Jr., the fraternity”s superior exemplar, the funds used for the relief operations were sourced from the local Phi Kappa MU Alumni Association and Phi International, a nonstock, nonprofit organization based in California and composed of fraternity members residing in North America and elsewhere in the world.

Donations from overseas
“We mobilized our brothers practicing all over the country and the world, and donations started pouring in,” said Pasco. “The fraternity was initially able to raise $5,000 for our relief efforts. We”re still receiving more pledges.”

Pasco added that part of the money raised will also be shared with members who were also affected by the floods.

The frat official admitted that their group faced various challenges in the course of conducting the relief operations.

“Our first challenge was how to get much-needed funds. Fortunately, many responded to the call, especially our members abroad,” he said. “Another challenge was how we were supposed to prioritize the recipients because no matter how big an amount we are able to raise, we knew it would not be enough.”

The fraternity also had to contend with the chaos caused by kibitzers during the distribution of goods.

“There were hundreds of evacuees but there were also thousands in the area who were nakikiusyoso lang (only kibitzers),” Fernandez said. “When we visited the area for the first time, we heard victims who were complaining because they usually got nothing, while those who benefited were the ones not affected at all by the calamity.”

“That was my initial fear”that what we could share would benefit those who do not really deserve it,” Fernandez added, saying that as soon as they got to the area, some 200 people had already lined up, waiting for the relief packs to be distributed.

“So what I did was to ask them, “Who among you have been bereaved”“ No one answered and eventually, they left,” he said.

That is the reason why the fraternity directly approached bereaved families at the evacuation center, he said.

In the case of the GK community, the group thought it was more efficient to course all donated goods to the GK organization.

“It was more organized at the GK site. And with GK in charge of the distribution, resources were optimized with the goods equally distributed to all families,” Fernandez added.

While he is thankful that the fraternity was given the opportunity to help, Fernandez said he wished they could offer a long-term solution to the problem.

Barangay Bagong Silangan has become a repository of practically all illegal settlers from Metro Manila whose houses had been demolished, he noted.

“Where will the government relocate the residents” Certainly not in areas where those with means reside. Bagong Silangan is a low-lying area that is not even safe for its residents,” Fernandez lamented.

“We can give relief operations today, next week, next month, but these are temporary measures, and the conditions in the area remain. Who knows what will happen when the next typhoon comes around”“ he added. “I hope families living in critical areas like Bagong Silangan are given a more permanent solution to prevent the loss of more lives during natural or manmade disasters.”

Still, Fernandez said he was glad the fraternity was around to help.

“We felt we had to do something for the victims, knowing that the government could only give so much,” he said.

The post Relief for Typhoon Ondoy Victims appeared first on Phi International.

The post Relief for Typhoon Ondoy Victims appeared first on Phi International.