‘BayaNihao’ gives hope to typhoon victims

It was a cold and grey morning when the BayaNihao Relief Team organized by a group of Filipino and Chinese friends began their journey to the hard-hit communities of typhoon “Ulysses” in Rodriguez, Rizal with relief packs for around 1200 families.

The gloomy atmosphere from the torrential rains and howling winds of the nights before still hung heavy in the air and as the team arrived closer to the destination, the devastation of the typhoon on the communities became clear.

The Filipino-Chinese donors, friends and volunteers cooperated with the Philippine Air Force Reserve Force and local government officials to distribute two trucks of water, food packs, masks and alcohol for around 1,200 families in Rizal province.

These were part of the donations collected by BayaNihao from various Filipino and Chinese groups — part of their ongoing nationwide relief operations happening in Marikina, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Bicol and Cagayan.

No doubt, it has been a difficult year for the Philippines as the country has experienced the Taal eruption, months of lockdown from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, an uncertain economy, even numerous bankruptcies and a slew of major typhoons.

And at the receiving end of these tragedies are the most impoverished members of our

Filipino society — which became the inspiration that sparked BayaNihao, a collective effort from our Filipino and Chinese friends who wanted to extend their help directly to the most affected areas, including China companies that are helping build our physical and digital infrastructure nationwide and employing thousands of Filipinos even throughout the pandemic.

In ever y calamity, the Filipino- Chinese friends continue to organize, donate, volunteer and deliver relief to communities in need and the recent typhoons saw the BayaNihao group deliver relief goods worth over 1.5 million pesos to families in Marikina, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Cagayan — contributed by the Association of Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs, China companies like China Harbor and Fiberhome and education groups like IDSI Center and Philippine Studies Center of Jinan University.