ASSOCIATED PRESS
Residents carried boxes of goods yesterday as rescuers, right, headed back to their camp after spending the day searching for mudslide victims near the slopes of the Mayon volcano in Albay province south of Manila.
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Isle Filipinos seek typhoon donations
Beth Lazo prayed her family in the Bicol region of the Philippines was OK yesterday as the death toll climbed past 300 in the wake of "super" Typhoon Durian.
"I really so worried and sick," she said. "I'm very much worried because I couldn't get in touch. They are very poor and they've been relocated and I don't where."
High winds from Typhoon Durian triggered falling boulders and mudslides off the Mayon volcano on Luzon island southeast of Manila, engulfing entire villages Thursday.
HOW TO HELP
Donations can be dropped off at the Filipino Community Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily or mailed to the center at 94-428 Mokuola St., Suite 302, Waipahu, HI 96797. Checks should be made out to the Filipino Community Center and are tax-deductible.
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The Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Center reported yesterday 309 bodies have been found and 298 people were still missing.
The Bicol Club of Hawaii and the Filipino Community Center sent out a plea for donations to help the victims of the typhoon, designating the Fil-Com Center in Waipahu as the collection point.
Toy Arre, president of the Fil-Com Center, said collections started slowly yesterday.
Donations might be thinner this time as compared to a fundraising drive that raised $80,000 in response to a deadly landslide in Leyte earlier this year, he said.
"It's Christmas," said Arre, adding that there are several fundraisers to compete with during the holiday season. "My suspicion is we probably won't do as well."
Arre will make his plea for donations again on his radio show tomorrow and expects more donations to come in the mai.
"It's better to just send money so whoever is sending relief operations can use it immediately, whether it's for shelter, medicine or food, whatever it is," he said.
The Bicol Club of Hawaii is spearheading the effort. Bicol president Noni Panen said the community has been willing to donate.
"Hopefully we can raise a lot of funds and donations," he said. "We're the only organization from that region. Right now we don't have contact with them."
Other community groups joined the relief effort.
"We're close to the Bicol region. We just want to help," said Jun Colmenares, executive vice president of the Congress of Visayan Organizations. "We always try to help each other, whichever region is affected with calamity."
The Hawaii International Relief Organization, which helps with disasters in the Philippines, may help too. Jun Abinsay, the organization's chairman, said he is in contact with the Philippine consulate to see what the organizations in Hawaii can do to help.
Meanwhile, other Hawaii residents continually tried to reach their families in the Philippines. But communication links appear to be down.
J.P. Orias, who works at the Filipino Community Center, hadn't reached his two older brothers there as of yesterday.
"I couldn't go through," he said. "I'm at a loss."
"I heard there's not even electricity over there. It may take time."