Philippines disaster relief gets $3.3M from Hawaii

A disaster relief effort that aims to help the Philippine victims of November’s monster storm Typhoon Haiyan was launched with $3.3 million in funding from Hawaii.

Project HOPE is off and running, having already given emergency assistance to thousands and partnering with other nongovernmental organizations to plan long-term recovery efforts, officials with the Consuelo Foundation said Wednesday.

The Consuelo Foundation is a 25-year-old Honolulu-based nonprofit with the mission of running programs in Hawaii and the Philippines that prevent and treat abuse, neglect and the exploitation of children, women and families.

After the storm struck in November, the foundation’s board put up $2 million and urged matching contributions from Hawaii’s Filipino community, business community and others here.

At a news conference at the foundation’s Honolulu headquarters, Bryan Andaya, vice chairman of the Filipino Community Center, announced that the center had raised $600,000, a record for Hawaii’s Filipino community. Another $700,000 came from donations directly to the Consuelo Foundation.

"Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the people of Hawaii for all their support," said Jon Matsuoka, the foundation’s president and CEO. "So many people gave large amounts and small amounts and those that could, just give what they can."

Matsuoka said it was decided that Project HOPE (Haiyan Operations for Protection and Empowerment) would stretch over 212 years and devote 25 percent of its resources to the immediate needs of the victims and 75 percent to long-term recovery and rehabilitation.

"There are plenty of folks on the ground providing emergency relief in the form of temporary shelters, food, water and sanitation," he said. "Very few have invested in the long-term recovery process, so this is where we found our niche."

Large sections of the country’s rural central islands, the Visayas, were devastated by Haiyan’s fury, he said, and the foundation decided to focus on areas that have been largely ignored, including Eastern Samar, Talotu-an, Iloilo, Bantayan Island, Coron and Palawan.

He said a team of disaster relief experts was assembled to travel across the Visayas, make connections with local governments and NGOs, and help prioritize needs.

"When we first visited Tacloban and the Visayas, we realized the people were not only suffering from shock and trauma, but were also listless. Their livelihoods had been destroyed," Matsuoka said. "We were also highly concerned about the well-being of children, especially those who lost their parents."

Here are some of the projects in the works:

» An employment program involving cut flowers and vegetable farming in Ormoc, Leyte.

» Construction of 125 fishing boats in Barangay Talotu-an, Concepcion, Iloilo, and Barangay Malawig, Coron, Palawan.

» Construction of seven day care centers in Guiuan, Marabut and Quinapondan.

» Repair of Barangay Talotu-an elementary school and day care centers in several other locations.

"We’re talking about doing a lot," Matsuoka said. "Obviously, the needs are unimaginable. The recovery will take decades; $3.3 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions needed for recovery."

Mia Castro, Consuelo Foundation Philippines managing director, said the project will create the most impact by prioritizing, filling gaps and selecting partner NGOs with resources to aid in the effort.

The foundation board in January traveled to the Philippines to check on Project HOPE’s progress, and foundation chairwoman Constance Lau described a challenging trip across the vast island country and into the region crippled by the storm.

"The devastation went on for miles and miles and miles," she said. "It’s unreal seeing it in the media, but when you’re actually on the ground, all you can see is debris and mangled steel."

Lau, who is also chairwoman and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., said she is thankful so many generous people helped to make Project HOPE possible.

"Everyone in this Hawaii community opened their hearts and gave," she said.

Veteran TV host Emme Tomimbang said she was proud of Hawaii’s Filipino community for rallying for the cause. She described the extraordinary effort putting together the Aloha for the Philippines Mahalo Concert at the Hawaii Theatre on Dec. 28 on short notice.

"We raised a lot of money. We almost had a full house with only four weeks of planning," she said. "It was the community coming together with connections to that place, the Philippines."