18 November 2013 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is encouraging its personnel to donate two days-worth of their salaries to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda under the initiative, “Two Days for Tacloban.”  

Despite its name, “Two Days for Tacloban” is intended to benefit the affected communities in Region VIII. The distribution of the collected amount will be coursed through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Philippine National Red Cross.

 “Two Days for Tacloban” uses the scheme of the One Appeal Plan, whose funds are sourced from voluntary contributions of DFA personnel. The One Appeal Plan was established in the late 1980s as a systematic means for DFA personnel to respond collectively to requests for financial assistance from their colleagues and their respective families who have suffered from various hardships and emergencies, as well as raise funds for deserving charitable institutions.

It is through the One Appeal Plan that the DFA intends to extend financial aid to the families of its two employees who perished during Yolanda’s onslaught. A contractual staff employee in the DFA Regional Consular Office in Tacloban City, Ms. Aileen Labita, perished with her daughter Colleen. Ms. Labita and Colleen’s father were planning to get married next year. Another employee, Ms. Marites Esperas died with her  three children.

The DFA also initiated “One Day for Bohol and Cebu” after a devastating earthquake struck these provinces last month. END