22 January 2014 - An event to benefit victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that hit the Philippines was successfully held on December 15, 2013 at the Go Shil! Hall in Mechelen in the Flemish region of Belgium. 

Entitled “Picture for A Cause”,  the event, co-organized by two Filipino-Belgians, chef Glen Ramaekers and photographer Juan Wyns, along with Belgian designer Tom Suykerbuyk and Belgian actor Gene Bervoets,  featured music, Philippine cuisine and portrait sessions, in which , for a 10-euro donation, guests could also enjoy a professionally taken portrait of themselves.  Ten (10) euros for a picture is equivalent to a bag of 25 kilos of rice in the Philippines, which would be enough to feed a family of five for a week.

An array of cuisine prepared by chefs Pascal and Germelien Martens from Verte Feuilles, Axel and Anneleen Colonna-Cesari from Centpourcent, Yannick Van Aeken (formerly of Noma), Kenny Bernaerts from Studio Bern and Wout Bru and Dominique Persoone from VTM program “Masterchef” were also welcomed with success.   

Ivy Banzon, First Secretary and Consul of the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, who was at the event, remarked, “The fact that so many people wanted to help drew the attention of big media; this was instrumental in putting a spotlight to the needs and challenges of the situation.  We are really overwhelmed by the attention and concern by the international community.  Sustained help is greatly needed because the reconstruction of the area will take a long time. We Filipinos are well used to storms and earthquakes, but not of this magnitude”.

Proceeds of the event will benefit the victims through the established channels of the  Philippine Red Cross, the Jaycees International-Manila and ABS-CBN. END