| This story has been corrected. See below. |
Millions of dollars from Hawaii have been funneled to the Typhoon Haiyan relief effort, thanks in large part to the giving spirit and strong Christmas tradition of the islands’ Filipino community.
And the giving isn’t over.
The Aloha for Philippines Mahalo Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the historic Hawaii Theatre, featuring entertainers Pauline Wilson, Jasmine Trias, Kristian Lei, Little Albert and the Society of Seven LV.
Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing more than 6,100 people.
The Christmas tradition in the Philippines is among the most vibrant in the world. The official observance begins Dec. 16 with the beginning of Misa de Gallo and wraps up with the Epiphany on Jan. 6, but it has been said that Christmas carols can be heard as early as September.
Many colorful Christmas festivities are observed in the Philippines, one of only a few predominantly Christian nations in Asia. Different regions across the nation celebrate the Yuletide season in various ways. The famous Giant Lantern Festival is held in San Fernando, Pampanga. Various communities hold special re-enactments of the Christmas story, while others follow the Spanish tradition of attending early-morning Masses.
On Dec. 15 the FilCom Center in Waipahu hosted its annual Christmas Pasko! event, which celebrates and replicates the various elements of a traditional Filipino Christmas. This year the proceeds went to Haiyan relief.
Many Catholic churches in Hawaii celebrate Misa de Gallo, or Mass of the Rooster, in the days leading to Christmas. Misa de Gallo, also called Simbang Gabi, is a set of early-morning Masses during the season which traditionally accommodate farmers and laborers who start work early in the morning.
Shortly after learning of the typhoon’s devastating effects in early November, Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu urged his parishes to take up a collection at Sunday Masses or at the Misa de Gallo to aid the victims.
Several parishes launched relief drives, including St. Joseph School in Waipahu, which held a two-week "Gift Offering of Love to the Philippines" to collect clothes, shoes, socks, slippers, blankets and more.
"It started as a little project," said St. Joseph Principal Beverly Sandobal, "but we ended up with 367 boxes of materials. We were humbled by the response."
A remarkable number of Typhoon Haiyan fundraisers, large and small, have been held in Hawaii since the typhoon struck in early November, among them a Zumba-thon at the FilCom Center that raised $6,000.
"It was so spontaneous. The whole place was packed," said Rose Cruz Churma, president of the FilCom Center.
Lots of civic groups, schools and businesses have joined in efforts to raise funds for the relief effort. Here are a few of them: Foodland, the University of Hawaii, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Verizon Wireless, Hawaiian Telcom, Panda Express, LBC Remittance, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Damien Memorial School, St. Anthony’s Church in Kalihi, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Starbucks, Prudential Locations, Hawaiian Electric Industries and Island Insurance.
"Our hearts go out to the staggering number of people affected by this devastating natural disaster," said Tyler Tokioka, president of the Island Insurance Foundation, which donated $25,000. "We have so many employees and local families with friends, relatives and loved ones in the Philippines, that supporting this relief effort was a priority for our organization."
Hawaii banks have also come together to accept contributions for the disaster victims. From now until Dec. 31, any branch on every island will be accepting donations. The participating banks are American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawaii, Bank of the Orient, Central Pacific Bank, Finance Factors, First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii National Bank, HomeStreet Bank, Ohana Pacific Bank, Pacific Rim Bank and Territorial Savings Bank.
The FilCom Center expects to raise more than $500,000 by the time its fundraising efforts are over, and that will be doubled when it is matched by the Consuelo Foundation, which supports programs in Hawaii and the Philippines to prevent and treat abuse, neglect and the exploitation of children, women and families.
"We’re really so touched by this outpouring of help from various people," Churma said.
Silva, who wrapped up his annual Misa de Gallo schedule at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City on Tuesday morning, said he continues to encourage parishioners to send monetary donations for Typhoon Haiyan relief to the Diocese of Honolulu, 1184 Bishop St., Honolulu, HI 96813, with checks clearly marked for typhoon relief.
The diocese will forward the donations to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. From there some of the money will be distributed for humanitarian aid through Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Catholic Church’s overseas aid agency, while other funds will be distributed to individual dioceses in the affected region to help them rebuild churches, schools, convents and orphanages.
"Since the recovery from this natural disaster will take many months, if not years, we still encourage donations for this cause," Silva said in a statement.
A couple of high-profile concerts raised thousands for the relief effort.
"Kokua Philippines: A Night of Hope Concert" at McKinley High School Dec. 1 raised more than $70,000, said May Mazuno, president of the Congress of VisayanOrganizations, which organized the event in collaboration with the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the FilCom Center. The COVO organization is still accepting donations. Call 586-6050 for information.
The "Kokua for the Philippines" concert was quickly revamped as a thunderstorm struck Oahu on Dec. 15 and canceled the outdoor concert and televised portion of the fundraiser. The event was moved inside and continued as a radio and Internet broadcast and still managed to raise $1.76 million to benefit Haiyan victims. Proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross for disaster relief. Organizers also announced donations will continue to be accepted at kokuaforthephilippines.com.
As for Saturday’s Aloha for Philippines Mahalo Concert, proceeds from the Emme Tomimbang-produced concert will go to the FilCom Center, which will then deliver the donations to the Consuelo Foundation in Honolulu, which has pledged to match all of FilCom Center donations up to $2 million.
Tickets are $25 and $50 each for reserved seats and can be bought online at www.hawaiitheatre.com/ events/aloha-for-philippines-mahalo-concert or at the Hawaii Theatre box office by calling 528-0506. For more information, visit AlohaForPhilippines.com.
CORRECTION: The Aloha for Philippines Mahalo Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Hawaii Theatre. An earlier version of this story said the concert would be held at the Diamond Head Theatre.
