UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM!

excerpt from my sister 's article "Bayanihan":

"Bayanihan comes from the root word bayani – which means “hero”. In the literal sense, bayanihan means to be a hero to one another. That’s exactly what this country needs. Not just in this hour of darkness, but every single day of our lives." insightful words from my baby sister.

in case you don't know what happened to my country yet, click here [link]

i spent part of yesterday volunteering in the relief efforts for the typhoon victims and will go back tonight. it really warms the heart to see so many of my countrymen giving selflessly, pulling each other up instead of tearing each other down, the way we sometimes do. it gives me so much pride that despite the incompetence of our corrupt government, our country's citizens still manage to be more powerful than any of our officials with our acts of kindness and generosity.

let us not give up the fight. please help in any way you can, whether it's through volunteer work and donations, or through vigilant information dissemination and words of encouragement.

the late Ninoy Aquino once said "the Filipino is worth dying for". indeed, no one exemplifies this better than the everyday heroes who risked their lives for their neighbors: [link]

the most chilling picture i've seen so far: [link]

you can read my sister's entire article here [link]

for information on how to give donations for the victims of the flood, from anywhere in the world, click here [link]

UPDATE:

a tremendous THANK YOU! goes out to everyone all over the globe who contributed to the relief effort for the typhoon victims. [link]

thank you! as of today there are still thousands that need to be fed and clothed. please help out in any way you can. yesterday there was a surplus of volunteers and not enough relief goods at the donation center i went to. a little contribution can go a long, long way.