VLOG: Family bonding, volunteering for #Haiyan relief

CEBU, Philippines – Over a week after typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan) hit Central Visayas, relief efforts are in full blast with families and friends in Cebu spending their Sunday bonding while doing their part to help survivors.

It’s not an ordinary, laid-back Sunday for a lot of the families and students here in Cebu.
They’re here at the Cebu International Convention Center volunteering to repack relief goods for victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan in Samar and Leyte.
The goal is to produce 150,000 food packs, with each food pack feeding a family for two days.
It’s crucial work they’re doing because this is the biggest repacking center in the Visayas and it’s near the disaster-hit areas.
What exactly is in a food pack?
It comes in a sack like this, and it has 10 canned goods. They put in 5 sardines and 5 meat products – beef loaf, meat loaf, canned goods.
They also put in 6 kilos of rice.
But it’s not work for the people here.
The mood is positive, the energy is high and it’s a form of bonding for families and friends.
They say they were struck by the images of the devastation and want to help out in any way they can.

SHERWIN CARREOS, CEBU RESIDENT: Maraming nagrereklamo sa Facebook. Marami raw dumarating na donations. But makikita niyo diyan maraming donations but we need to do something. We need to repack it pa to distribute. It’s not enough to complain on Facebook. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.

JOSUE MONREAL, SPANISH RESIDENT OF CEBU: Since the power was out, we didn’t know what’s happening in other parts of the Philippines but when we saw it on the Internet and heard from our friends in Leyte, their houses were destroyed and we saw the images. It’s quite said. It really moves you to help even just a little. A little can help a lot of people.

MARIA MONREAL, SPANISH RESIDENT OF CEBU: We weren’t aware of the severity of the typhoon so when we saw the images, it really breaks your heart. My God, so many people don’t have houses anymore, they have to live there with the bodies and that’s what moves you because you wouldn’t wanna be in that situation.

People are welcome to walk in and volunteer.
It’s a 24-hour operation with each shift running for 2 hours.
But those 2 hours matter a lot for victims who need all the help they can get.

Ayee Macaraig, Rappler, Cebu.

– Rappler.com