Ordinary folk perform extraordinary deeds for typhoon Yolanda victims

You don't need superpowers to be a hero.

Much ado has been made about the amount of foreign aid pouring in for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan), but one should not forget that there are also countless good souls here in our very own backyard willing to lend a hand, spare a shirt, muster food and water, and raise money for the survivors in their own small ways.

Efforts to help the typhoon victims have been overwhelming—staging benefit concerts, relief drives, and selling products, all with the goal of giving the proceeds to the victims.
 
But there are many, much quieter ways of giving from the heart. Many of these, in turn, go unheralded every day—and perhaps that is the way it should be, but still, it does one good to hear of evidence of the goodness of humanity in these trying times.

Giving all you've got

In a heartwarming tale of giving all of the little you have, five street kids from conflict-stricken Tawi-tawi in Mindanao shared their day’s work with the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
 
In a Facebook post, Mayette Cinco recalled how these children opted to donate their earnings to the typhoon victims despite their own needs.
 
“We saw five Tawi kids waiting for us at the gate. With a smile they greeted us and handed me a small paper bag and said ‘Pakisama niyo pa po ito sa ipadadala niyo bukas sa mga binagyo. Nangalakal po kami para din sa kanila…Sana po makatulong,’” the post read.
 
The paper bag contained a kilo of rice, two sardines, and three ten peso coins. “Yung trenta po, pambili nila doon ng tinapay para hindi mayupi sa byahe,” one of the boys said.
 
“I held the precious bag so tight and assured the boys that their donation will surely help kids in Tacloban. I know how hard they worked today just so they could share,” Cinco noted.
 
“[I know it is] not easy to walk the entire day looking for scraps in every street garbage drums… but they braved the heat of the sun and all other challenges just to come up with what they think would be of help to others,” she added.
 
Case closed

Lawyer Joel Ferrer related in a Facebook post how a ten-year-old case was settled because his client asked him to propose that the settlement be donated to the typhoon victims.
 
“On my way to the court in Quezon City this morning, I got a text message from my client… ‘Propose if they will settle, all will be given to the typhoon victims less attorney’s fees...’ I was heartened by his text message that I replied ‘Wow. Very noble, include the attorney’s fees as well,’” the post read.
 
“When I arrived in court, I eagerly informed the lawyer of the defendant about the text message of my client… My client will not dictate upon defendant on how much she has to give… By God's will defendant readily agreed,” Ferrer shared.

“The contending parties arrived at a settlement after ten years only for the sake of the typhoon victims. No amount of money will heal the sufferings of the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. But if we open our hearts and mind we may be able to uplift the victims from their worsening condition,” he added.
 
Don't forget the women and children

For new mom Angelica Carballo, it is important to help fellow new mothers or pregnant women victimized by the onslaught of the super typhoon.
 
“I am currently organizing my own activity together with my husband. We collect maternity clothes like dasters, pajamas, vitamins and ferrous sulfate for pregnant women, malunggay capsules, and baby clothes,” she told GMA News Online.
 
Carballo noted that about 90,000 pregnant women were affected by the typhoon.
 
“And I just gave birth last month so fresh pa sa memory ko how difficult it is to be pregnant. What more if you're in a calamity-stricken area. Saka iba ang pangangailangan ng inang nagbubuntis and I don't think it will be addressed ng isang general na panawagan for donations,” she explained.
 
“Right now we're targeting to channel it through DSWD, but we're also looking for organization na titingin sa lagay ng buntis at bagong panganak,” she added.
 
Meanwhile, mom group Medela Moms organized a breast milk donation drive for the babies affected by the typhoon.
 
In their Facebook group, Medela Moms stated they were in cooperation with the Philippine General Hospital Milk Bank. The latter pasteurizes donated breast milk until it is fit for being distributed in calamity-stricken areas.
 
“Thank you to the rest of the families who are most willing to help. We have received several queries regarding the milk donation procedure and eventual distribution, some of which we have responded to, some left untouched,” the group said.

21-year-old Raine Mateo Calucag's concern focuses on personal hygiene for women and children. She started a program called “The Butterfly Project” which aims to provide women and children with sanitary products, particularly sanitary napkins, diapers, and undergarments.
 
Together with her three other friends, they are currently collecting these materials. Check out their Facebook page for more information on drop-off points.
 
“Undervalued ang needs of women and children. Napansin namin marami nang nagbibigay ng food, clothes, and water pero kaunti ‘yung personal sanitary care,” she noted. “Isa rin itong basic need.”
 
Anonymous donors
 
And finally, in an age where everyone seems to be posting their life achievements on social media, anonymous do-gooders are a rarity. And yet, so many are choosing not to care about putting their names on donated funds and relief goods.

For instance, Ginggay Pajaro posted on her Facebook page how an owner of a medical and dental supply store gave her cash donations.
 
“Was buying medical stuff for Tacloban for a friend in Bambang, Manila,” Pajaro said. “As I was waiting for the stuff to be packed, the owner of the place started talking to us about the sad state of Tacloban.”

“When I was about to leave, she called me and handed me two thousand pesos. I asked ‘para saan po ito?’ She answered, ‘I-bili mo ng biskwit at ipadala mo sabay ng mga gamot…’ I asked for her name but she said DI BALE NA,” read Pajaro's post on her Facebook. 

“It was so kind and trusting of her to do that,” she added.

Perhaps, given all these instances and many more that most people will never hear about, it maybe that the most extraordinary of acts, especially in the face of extraordinary circumstances, are made all the more so by their very ordinariness. — VC, GMA News