Sections MiscellaNEWS Senator Akaka Urges Everyone to Help RP Flood Victims
| Senator Akaka Urges Everyone to Help RP Flood Victims |
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| Sections - MiscellaNEWS | |||
| Written by Joseph G. Lariosa | |||
| Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:47 | |||
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By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA (Journal Group Link International)
C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Saying that he feels the pain of the thousands of Filipino flood victims, United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (HI-D) has encouraged “everyone in our community to do what they can to help those suffering from this terrible disaster.”
A press statement from Senator Akaka’s office Monday (Sept. 28) received by this reporter said Mr. Akaka “is scheduled to deliver a Senate floor speech in support of the recovery effort tomorrow.”
Jesse Broder Van Dyke quoted the Senator as saying, “By now, most of us have seen the images of destruction and human suffering caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana (also known locally as Ondoy) in the Philippines.”
Senator Akaka added, “Survivors are now struggling to find clean drinking water, food, medicine, and shelter.”
He said, “In Hawaii, we know all too well the damage tropical cyclones can cause. As we have in the past, we stand ready to help our friends in the Philippines. I encourage everyone in our community to do what they can to help those suffering from this terrible disaster.”
Mr. Akaka is likely to deliver a Senate floor speech between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday (about 12:30 to 1:30 midnight Wednesday in the Philippines) or 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday Hawaii time that can be viewed live on CSPAN2 and www.cspan.org.
The Senate was not in session Monday. Editor’s Note: Here are the latest article and photos about the Philippine Floods from TIME magazine:
Philippine Floods: Why Wasn't Manila Prepared? - TIME
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1926646,00.html?xid=thepage_newsletter
MOBILIZING FUND DRIVES
M eanwhile, some officials of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA) are mobilizing to raise funds for the victims of the Philippine disaster.
Nony E. Abrajano and Ed Navarra, Regions 2 and 3 chairs of NaFFAA, have suggested to San Francisco, California-based Greg B. Macabenta, NaFFAA national chair, to appeal to NaFFAA members and the community to open their wallets to help raise funds for the typhoon calamity victims in the Philippines.
Mr. Abrajano suggested that he is reactivating the Mission of Mercy in Hampton Roads, Virginia, that has raised funds for Philippine disasters since 1980.
Abrajano said, “The Mission of Mercy is only activated if there is a big disaster or calamity in the Philippines so we can raise funds from all sectors in our community including dinner dance of which all the food, music, facility are all donations.
“Right now, we are re-activating the mission to raise some funds for the Metro Manila disaster relief. See attachment for flood pictures in the Philippines as forwarded by Rudy Malonzo, one of our community leaders in the Hampton Roads area.
“I'll be requesting all our R2 officers and members to help raise funds from their respective states or chapters.
“We'll keep the NaFFAA national updates of our fund-raising activities.
“We'll do our best to help those who are less fortunate than we are especially our kababayans in the Philippines.
COORDINATE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS
“I'll ‘cc’ this message to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, our R2 officers and members, our affiliated organizations and members of our general Fil-Am community in the Hampton Roads area for their information.”
Mr. Navarra of Detroit, Michigan, meanwhile, intimated his plan to “coordinate disaster relief efforts” for the Philippines as he urged NaFFAA’s commission on elections Region 3 chair Marlon L. Pecson to resolve the one-month old election problem for NaFFAA Illinois chair being contested by community publisher-editor Bart SG. Tubalinal and community leader Angeles “Jelly” Carandang during elections held at the NaFFAA regional conference at Rosemont, Illinois.
Mr. Navarra said, “Our primary objective is to bring cohesiveness, cooperation, and collaboration among our members, affiliates, and supporters so we can continue to be engaged in NaFFAA's mission: empowerment in all aspects.
“There is a lot to be done especially in the light of the recent disaster in the Philippines wherein all of NaFFAA's state leadership needs to proactively coordinate disaster relief efforts.
“The regional leadership's focus right now is to engage members and potential members and affiliates in a cooperative mind-set while focusing on our implementation plans for our strategic plans.” (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 14:39 |
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SENATOR AKAKA FLOOR SPEECH ON TYPHOON KETSANA
Washington, D.C. – U.S Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate today:
I rise today to stand in unity with our friends in the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, who are recovering from a terrible natural disaster.
Tropical Storm Ketsana struck the Philippines Saturday near Manila, causing massive flooding across the island nation. News footage shows people being swept away by raging torrents, stranded on rooftops without supplies, or wading through waist-high flood water.
According to the Associated Press, at least 284 people in the Philippines are confirmed dead, and nearly half-a-million people have lost their homes. As I speak, rescuers are searching for any remaining survivors. Family members are mourning lost loved ones. Millions of Filipinos across the country are struggling to find clean water, food, medicine, and shelter.
I commend the United States Embassy in Manila for pledging financial aid to help the Philippine government get life-saving necessities to people living in emergency shelters.
I am proud and honored by the work of members of the United States armed services based in the Philippines. Their important mission is to provide counter-terrorism training, but in the face of disaster, our troops have heroically conducted a number of life-saving rescues. Now they are helping to distribute supplies.
I also thank UNICEF for its large pledge of financial support.
In Hawaii, a number of organizations have stepped up to help. The Filipino Community Center, the United Filipino Council of Hawaii, and the Philippine Consulate General of Honolulu are among the organizations raising funds. I am encouraged by all those offering assistance in Hawaii and across the nation.
Unfortunately, Ketsana’s path of destruction was not finished at the Philippines. The storm picked up strength over the South China Sea, brushed against the coast of China’s Hainan Island, and at full typhoon strength today slammed directly into Vietnam, where at least 23 people have been confirmed dead.
Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand are now bracing for heavy rains as the storm moves inland.
In the United States, we are no strangers to the horrors of tropical cyclones. We all remember the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. It hit the gulf coast more than four years ago, but many areas are still recovering.
In Hawaii, we will never forget Hurricane Iniki, which struck the island of Kauai in 1992, killing six people, destroying homes, hotels, and businesses, and leaving residents in some areas without electricity for months. It took parts of Kauai more than a decade to recover, and some historic buildings have never been rebuilt.
The United States stands with our friends in the Philippines, China, and Vietnam as they work to help the survivors. I want to thank everyone who has pitched in to help our friends recover from this terrible disaster.
Photos, web video, and broadcast quality video of Senator Akaka’s speech are available upon request.
A radio mp3 clip is available at: http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/akaka/akaka090929.mp3
Jesse Broder Van Dyke
Deputy Communications Director
United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii)
Front desk: (202) 224-6361
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