09 December 2013 - The Filipino community in Dhaka immediately put the bayanihan spirit into action to raise funds for their fellow Filipinos affected by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) through the concerted efforts of two Filipino organizations, the Filipino Grand Alliance in Bangladesh and the Philippine Society in Bangladesh.
They held a garment sale on November 22 and 23, observed as weekends in Bangladesh, at the Embassy premises. Garments and donations came from Mr. Ariel Miranda, Managing Director of SGS Bangladesh Limited; Ms. Estela Ilagan and Ms. Valerie Chong, Head Director and Finance Director, respectively, of International Textile Procurement Services (ITPS); Ms. Maria Melissa Salinas (Country Manager) and Ms. Juliet Velasco (QC and Technical Manager) of Celio Sourcing Ltd.; Mr. Jashim Uddin Ahmed and Mr. Delwar of Signet Enterprise; Mr. M.I. Khan Bachchu, Managing Director of Fashion Plus International Ltd.; Mr. Augusto Sison of Handcraft Manufacturing; Liz Fashio Industry Ltd. through Mr. Abner Palanca; Ms. Richel Patricio; and Ms. Gemma Umali of Jordashe Bangladesh. Over 250 Filipinos and Bangladeshis took part in the event, availing themselves of quality garments at discounted prices and contributing a total of 458, 960 Bangladeshi takas (BDT) to the fund drive.
The Filipino community continued on with a fundraising at the Banani Catholic Church which brought in BDT 57,515, and a Party for a Cause that was held at the Emmanuelle’s in Gulshan 1, Dhaka in the night of November 24. The fundraiser was attended by not only the Filipino community but their friends in the international and Bangladeshi community as well. Diplomatic community members were also visibly supportive of the event. Everyone wanted to support the efforts to raise as much assistance for those affected by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). The night was filled with music performed by members of the Filipino community and it ended with proceeds reaching BDT 458,000.
The assistance guidelines issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs have been conveyed to the donors for their reference on how to pass on their donations/assistance through the proper agencies. END
