Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news from the Philippines.
When Tropical depression Ramon struck the islands in mid-October, at least nine people perished in storm-related incidents, while floods and landslides in the provinces of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao displaced approximately 8,500.

Lorelei Anisco Zuelo – Head of Roxas City Social Welfare and Development Office (F): The recent typhoon that affected Roxas city has brought some psychological and economic difficulty to the residents.

VOICE: With all her love and prayers, Supreme Master Ching Hai offered US$15,000 for urgent necessities and asked that our Association members please go if possible to assist the most desperate.

This amount could obtain US$203,000 in supplies purchased in the United States, based on the cost of living in the Philippines. Covering their own travel and related expenses of US$2,100, Our Association’s Formosan (Taiwanese) relief team arrived in the capital Manila on October 20.

Together with the local Association members, they studied the situations in the affected areas and decided to go to the heavily hit Visayas province.

Once there, the local Social Welfare and Development Department helped the relief team identify 4,000 affected households in need of urgent aid.

After purchasing and preparing packages of rice, vegetable oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cookies, as well as soap, they started on October 24 distributing to the households in over 38 villages.

Lorelei Anisco Zuelo Zuelo – Head of Roxas City Social Welfare and Development Office (F): The relief assistance of the Supreme Master Ching Hai is very timely for us, so that we can extend assistance to the barangays that were affected.

Relief recipient (F): Master Ching Hai, thank you very much for giving us this relief.

Young relief recipient (M): Thank you, Master Ching Hai.

VOICE: With appreciation for the assistance of the Philippine officials, we join in thanks for Supreme Master Ching Hai’s compassionate support, and for the sincere efforts of our Association’s relief team. May the storm-affected residents see a swift return of their regular daily lives as we pray that such weather calamities subside through our gentler lifestyles on the planet.