22 November 2013 - True to the traditional Filipino spirit of bayanihan, Filipino groups and organizations across Switzerland are organizing fund-raising activities such as a bake sale and other events to help raise funds for the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The Samahang Pilipina (SP) Bern organized a bake sale during the week.  Swiss and Filipinos alike supported the activity by donating cakes, pastries and bags of other goodies, which the group sold or traded in return for any amount of donations from passers-by.

Even some Filipino men came to support the women’s fundraising activity by bringing a guitar and serenading the crowd with Filipino and Christmas songs as they queue in front of the SP stall to donate for the typhoon victims. The half-day event raised more than 5,000 Swiss francs (CHF). The money will go to the provision of immediate relief to the typhoon victims, particularly in Leyte and Cebu.

Filipino employees at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) also initiated fund-raising among themselves and other UN employees. The initiative, which initially raised CHF 16,506.30, was doubled by the UN reaching a total of CHF 45,435. The donations will be divided equally between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

The Hiligaynon Group of Switzerland, which was one of the first to organize a fundraising event, also donated CHF 6,000 to the victims in the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Negros. The donations will be coursed through the local groups in Iloilo, Capiz, Antique and Negros.

The English-speaking Roman Catholic community in Berne, whose members include a lot of Filipinos residing in the Swiss capital, also organized a bazaar for the typhoon victims.

Even the Philippine Catholic Mission has been celebrating masses across Switzerland for the typhoon victims. Mass collections from these mass celebrations will be sent to the Philippines, mostly through the Society of the Divine Word missions in the typhoon-hit areas, to help in the immediate relief efforts for the victims. 

Apart from fundraising activities, numerous Filipino individuals and groups such as those in Chur, Winterthur, Zürich, Aarau and Lugano have also been sending donations in-kind such as relief goods and clothes to the typhoon-hit areas either directly or in partnership with various humanitarian organizations with active presence in the typhoon-affected regions.

The various fundraising and charity events being organized by Filipino communities across Switzerland complement the fund-raising done and donations given by various Swiss and Liechtenstein companies such as Ivoclar Vivadent, UBS and Credit Suisse, and non-government organizations, such as the Swiss Solidarity, Caritas Schweiz and Swiss Red Cross.

Calamities and natural disasters such as typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) just proves that traditional Filipino values such as that of bayanihan or mutual help still live on in the hearts of many Filipinos abroad, even those whose connections with the Philippines are simply through their Filipino parent, as in the case of second generation Swiss Filipinos, most of whom were born and raised in Switzerland and have only visited the Philippines on occasions. END