Christmas is a season of joy. It’s a season of pleasure and rejoicing. It’s a time of year when we put our troubles behind and focus on goodwill and spreading the joy with our fellow men. Christmas, for us, is in a large part all about the LiP Christmas Giveaway. What is the LiP Giveaway? For those who are new here and don’t know, every year, for the past 10 years, my family and I have been giving away food and Christmas gifts to poor people in Mindanao, mostly around Davao and in Bukidnon. It’s been a very joyous thing for us, something that we get great pleasure from. For the past 4 years or so, I have been inviting the readers of this website to participate in the giveaway by donating money for the purposes. Since I did that, the scale and size of the Giveaway has grown quite vast.
I started asking for donations a bit early this year. Normally I don’t start until the very end of November, or even in December, but this year I decided to start in early November. Why? Well, because I knew that the world’s economy is in bad shape, and many people would not be able to give in the amounts that they have in the past. A lot of people are either not working, or worried that they may lose their jobs. I can certainly understand that. So, this year I decided to start the drive a bit early. As expected, donations were down this year, but a number of people were still able to be very generous. I want to thank all who donated, and for those who were unable to do so, I understand completely.
But, even with the donations being down, we wanted to make an impact this Christmas. We had great plans. But, just over a week before Christmas, great calamity struck Mindanao. A typhoon passed over Davao and struck with great devastation in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and the rest of Northern Mindanao. Some places outside Mindanao were also severely hit, like Dumaguete City. As of this writing, already over 1,000 have been confirmed dead due to flash floods that hit the areas. At this time, as many as 2,000 or 2,500 people are still missing, depending on the report that you read. Speculation is that the death toll could easily be expected to reach 3,000.
When this great tragedy hit, within a day I decided to divert some of the Christmas donations over to assisting the Typhoon victims. The level of human suffering is really huge, and I feel like this is the sensible thing to do. So, on Sunday, December 18, I made a rather sizable donation split between relief groups in Iligan and also in Cagayan de Oro. By the middle of this past week, Feyma and I decided to make a second big donation to the effort. This is a bit outside what we have ever done with the funds donated for the Christmas Drive, but I did talk to a few of the donors, and they all agreed with my decision to do this, so I feel that most readers, and particularly donors to the effort will strongly agree that this was the right thing to do.
Even with these disaster relief donations, we still wanted to have a Christmas Giveaway, to do something a bit more traditional than simple disaster relief. Do you remember, last year, we gave donations to some students who were very poor? These students were, at that time, 3rd Year High School students here in Davao. They had only hot water for their school lunch, they could not afford anything else. So, last year, we sponsored the girls for their school lunches for the rest of the school year. This year, we are continuing to sponsor these girls with the money from the LiP Giveaway donations that we have received. These girls are quite grateful for this help that they are receiving.
So, this year’s Christmas is very somber here in Mindanao, and much of the Philippines, and it is a different type of LiP Giveaway this year. However, I feel that to have ignored the severe need at this time would have been a terrible thing to do. If any of you can offer further help for the victims of this disaster, i would encourage you to do so. For those who contributed to the LiP Giveaway, know that your money has gone to assist those in Northern Mindanao who are greatly in need.
Merry Christmas to all of you. Even though it’s hard to rejoice in the face of such a calamity, we do have many things to be thankful and joyous for.
I’m a hundred percent with you on this, Bob. As “Tiny Tim” said, “God Bless Us One and All”, and most especially those flood victims who have so little. The Western reader who may happen by hear and think. “Well, hey, I’m having tough time too”, fair enough, we each have to make our own decisions … but unless you have seen what a flood can do here, first hand, you have NO idea what tough times are.
Everyone have the very best Christmas you can and here’s hoping for a healthy and prosperous New Year for all.
Hi Dave – Thank you for your vote of support on this. I have been told by people who are in or have been in the affected area that it looks a lot like the typhoon in Japan earlier this year. Can you imagine? Because of the suffering there, we felt that giving assistance for that was the only logical thing to do this year.
Ive been helping with the Lutheran Church in Matina… My friend Pastor Reyes has been helping many of the needy children there.. Im so happy to have helped them..
Will be going again in Feb 2012 for a month to visit my wife and family ..
Roscoe..
Hi Ross – Helping others always leaves a good feeling! Good luck on your trip, I hope you enjoy it greatly.
hello bob
i know you have done alot of wonderful things in mindanao.helping others is one of the blessings to the less fourtinate.
thanks for all you do bob and feyma
Ron W
Thank you Ron, I appreciate your kind words! Merry Christmas.
Hi Bob – Good morning.. a somber Christmas indeed! Majority of us here (In manila, and the people I know) and everywhere, cried when we saw the devastation that typhoon brought to the people of CDO and Iligan and vicims of typhoon Sendong. Thank you Bob, and to everyone for always helping Filipinos.
Thank you sugar, I appreciate your kind thoughts. Merry Christmas to you!
Bob I applaud you for your efforts each year with your Christmas drive. My wife has been doing a similar thing here in Bucana in Downtown Davao. Every year for the past 8 at this time, she has been feeding in excess of 300 children. Usually this consists of Spaghetti, fruit salad, cakes and soft drinks. Before this (eating) she promotes dancing, singing and games (musical chairs, orange between the head, etc) for prizes like 50p or 100p notes which to these people living here is a lot of money. It’s so nice to see all the smiles and it really is a joyous occasion. Funny thing is neither of us are religious and find the biggest calamity in this country is religion. Anyway, this year we were able to defry the normal 30,000p + cost (we usually absorb ourselves) by asking for donations as we see you doing. Helped offset most of the expense this year and actually spread the word to even more to come and have fun with us. Thanks for all you and Feyma do.
Thank you Cory… oops, sorry, I mean Joseph. I have heard about your spaghetti feed, and I congratulate you on that, I think it is a wonderful thing. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
My in-laws live in CDO and thank God they are OK. It will take a long time before help isn’t needed. It wasn’t even that big of a storm. Just a lot of little things that added up to kill a lot of people. I hope a lesson is learned here. Number One lesson to learn? Don’t live on a sandbar in the river.
Hi Gary – Indeed there are many lessons to be learned. The big thing right now is take care of the survivors, and apply those lessons once things have settled down a bit.
Merry Christmas, Gary.
Bob,
You absolutely did the right thing. Those people are in immediate need and are first priority. It’s a matter of life and death for them. It’s just such a sad situation, especially seeing the children in the devastation. Thanks again for you do to help. Be safe.
Hi PapaDuck – Thanks for the vote of confidence. You are right, for many of the victims, this aid is a matter of life and death.
Hello Bob,
Merry Christmas to you and yours. I agree that you did the right thing by helping the people touched by this disaster. Also I an glad I finally gor the chance to met you after following your side for several years. Thanks for all the good information you make available to everyone. Keep up the good work.
Hi Steve – It was most certainly my pleasure to meet you the other day! Thanks for the good company!
Merry Christmas to you and your family Bob and to all participants and readers here on ” LIP “.
I have been following the calamity in Iligan via internet since the first raindrops began falling last week. One of my friends there narrowly escaped death from going up on the rooftop of his house when the inside of it kept filling up with water after it reached waist high ! This was in one of the worst hit areas of Iligan City. Next the house started to give way and as some of it went floating away with the water, there was still enough of the roof left for my friend to hang on to. My friend still has his life and what ever clothes he had on his back, everything else is gone forever.
Early on in this disaster I sent a donation in to a reliable and known to me personally, volunteer group based in Iligan City. As 100% of their donations will be going to the relief of others, I made a second donation through a different money transfer channel to help offset the expenses this group was paying out of their own pockets for the groups ” operating Costs ” as they are not using any of the donated funds for that.
AS for the LIP Christmas Drive, Bob I don’t think you could have made a better decision than to use it as you have this year. I have viewed hundreds of pics of some of the evacuation ( MSU-IIT I believe is the biggest one ) centers in Iligan and I don’t think you could find any people more in need right now than them, and those in the same situation in Cagayan De Oro.
Thank you very much Bob for using my LIP Minda-Claus donation this year in the place I would most like it to be used.
Yes folks, there really is a Minda-Claus !
Thanks Bob, I appreciate your kind words. Any help that anybody can provide for the victims in Northern Mindanao will certainly go to a good cause, I am sure of that.
Bob
It was just the right thing to do.
The poor and less fortunate people in the Philippines suffer bad enough as it is. Throw this disaster at them and It is hard to imagine how bad it can be for them.
I agree, Neal. A disaster like this would throw problems at anybody in any country. Throw such an event at the Philippines where many people are already dirt poor, and it’s a terrible situation indeed.
My fiance arrived on December 21st from the United States knowing about the flooding in northern Mindanao. He has friends who have fiances or GF’s there. He also has a friend in Iligan City. But to see the local coverage of this devastation has taken him by surprise.
The damage is MUCH worse than the news in the United States has portrayed. In fact, the damage looks a lot like the tsunami that hit Japan.
The suffering of the people is shocking. There is no good time for a thing like this, but to happen this time of the year is a double bad blow.
Anyone that can contribute to the people of this area…please do so. Many people of this area already have tough lives and endure much hardship, but to go through this is just awful.
By the way, his friends fiances and his friend in Iligan City are alive, but having a very difficult time. But at least they can rebuild their lives.
Thanks Bob for helping as you do.
Thank you for sharing that story, Cheryl. I have also heard from friends in the area that the scene really looks like Japan did after the tsunami. Shocking.
The bottom line is: If you live on a sand bar in a river basin, you will be washed out someday. No ans, ifs or buts about it. It seems the PH just goes from disaster to disaster and nothing changes. The people in power do not give a “sh*t”about those people except at election time.
Yep, John, living on a sandbar is not a good thing, and that ws proven last week!
Another suggestion would be that they do not allow people back in that area. However, I am sure within two or three years that place will be full of houses and shacks no matter if the people get a relocation area. Along with giving those people a new house in a safer area, the government should demand that all that get a new house and lot, that either the wife or husband or both get a tubal ligation and/or vasectomy for free or even pay them to have it. Maybe that way they will not be pumping out 4 or 6 or 8 or more kids with out having a decent livelihood.
You are really taking a tough stand, but I can’t argue. The things you say would really improve the situation.
Tough times need touch action. No matter how many companies and how many schools the PH builds, it will not keep up with the exploding population. I hope I am wrong, but I bet we will be talking about another disaster some place in the PH next year. Wait till the mega quake hits MNL.
I sure don’t disagree with you John. In fact, if I remember correctly, last year when I made my 2011 predictions, I think that I predicted something about a natural disaster… they come every year, it seems.
Good choice with regard to the funds, Bob! While it is always nice to see the pictures of your family handing out things to the kids, this year the money was truly needed elsewhere.
Hi Tom – Thank you for your vote of confidence. We always enjoy giving out food and gifts, but this year, as you said, the money was badly needed elsewhere. I hope you had your family had a Merry Christmas, Tom.
Bob,
It was Mindanao a week before Christmas now it’s the Visayas before the New Year. What’s next?
Yes, there is flooding in the Visayas now, and other parts of Mindanao. But certainly nothing on the scale of Sendong. Who knows what would come next. Nothing, I hope.
Once you learn Visaayan you shoud really try English; Sombre is spelt this way,and am heading to Cagayan wth some supplies in a few days…
Geoff – What an ass you are! Somber is spelled exactly as I have spelled it. Maybe in Australia it is spelled differently, but I’m not an Aussie.
Hi Bob,
Kudos to you and your efforts and to everyone in here who extended their help to our kababayans in CDO and other provinces hit by the disaster. I know that your kindness will be returned ten folds. If there’s one thing I’m so proud about being Filipino is that we all know how to stand up after every storm and muster enough strength from our faith that this too shall pass. I just hope that everyone in this country will have an open mind about how fragile mother nature is and we need to take care of her soon, so she can also protect us too
Hi Speb – Thank you for your kind comments, I appreciate it very much.