Misamis Occidental flooding happened last December 25, 2022. Yes, right on early Christmas morn, Misamis Occidental was hit by a great flood which was the very first in the province, the saddest Christmas ever! It was so heart-breaking to see my kababayans lost their lives and properties due to nature’s counteraction. It is the universal law of balance which we humans contribute to the cause and suffer the effect. Anyway, through this fatal and catastrophic event which we do not have any control of, humanity still prevails through bayanihan. We grieve and mourn with the victims of Misamis Occidental flooding and thanks to all private individuals who extended their helping hand to reach out to those who were affected.
Watching from miles away home, I felt remorse for being useless. Since arriving here in Canada in 2021, I lost all my causes to prioritize scrimping and saving for my tuition fees. All I did was study and work part-time which was so challenging for me as I also am living alone. It’s a tough journey indeed and after putting away my “Philippine identity” (just who I was before coming here), my connection with family and friends, my passion, and my causes, here I am slowly getting back to myself. I just officially zeroed in my account at Seneca College and I am sooooooo proud to finally pay for every cent from my own hard work without any debt and any monetary help from anyone not even from my parents! Yahoo!!! Oh, too much about this. Sorry I just got overwhelmed! Now back to the program.
WEW PHILIPPINES (Women Empowering Women Philippines, Inc.) is a non-stock non-profit Organization that aims to bring together like-minded women in the Philippines whose tenacity is to empower themselves so that they can empower other women. The empowerment stratagem is pooling the resources and expertise of members to raise the status of women through social responsibility, education, awareness, and literacy (S.E.A.L.). By doing so, empowered women are adept to (a) provide medical and legal assistance; (b) promote mental and emotional health; (c) champion women’s rights and, (d) address other persons’ needs. Women empowerment therefore is a united goal, that, by being empowered, women are better equipped to make sound decisions that leave a lasting impact in the society.
With this in mind, WEW Philippines founder Atty. Loueli “Toti” Talam-Jabines has been proactive with community projects since 2019 as we first sat with the other members of the board, Mechille “Mitch” Sarocam, Vioen Fernandez, and Dr. Angelie Taruc. Now our family is growing, and you may visit our FB page here to learn more of who our empowered women are. As a review, WEW Philippines, Inc. in partnership with Misamis Occidental Barter Community had extended pangkabuhayan showcase like the carabao we had given to a farmer and sari-sari store to a homeless. Along with giving free food during the pandemic, we also had our tree-planting to take care of Mother Earth. Aside from community projects, WEW also hosts webinars about various legal issues, health and wellness, creative crafts and other interests as we have a network of professional and talented empowered women in the group so better like our FB page here to keep you posted! And with the recent Misamis Occidental flooding, WEW immediately came to the rescue! Here’s a summary of WEW’s journey to extend helping hands for Misamis Occidental flooding:
- December 26, 2022 – With Atty. Loueli’s husband, Toto Jabines, they delivered drinking water to the municipality of Tudela, Misamis Occidental
- December 27, 2022 – With WEW active member, Joan Gengos, they delivered initial donations to an evacuation center in Tudela with proper coordination with authorities in the municipality.
- December 28, 2022 – With WEW board member, Mitch, they delivered ready-to-eat meals, mats, clothes, and relief goods to four evacuation centers in Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental
- December 30, 2022 – With Dying Inside Team Mountaineers (DITM) leader, Nuelan Ian Atienza (With whom I also worked with for my other cause. Visit our story here.), they delivered donations to Oroquieta City, the capital of the province.
Here are the snapshots of WEW’s initiatives with all the people who volunteered during the outreach!
With a total of PhP 62,590 in cash to date which has been accounted for, WEW Philippines, Inc. would like to thank all sponsors, volunteers, and donors. For complete details, visit Atty. Loueli’s documentation on her FB post here.
Exactly two weeks after Misamis Occidental flooding, we do not stop from here. The province is still on its recovery period and for us who haven’t extended help yet, we may drop off our in-kind donations at Jabines Law Office, Port Road, Ozamiz City, send any amount through WEW’s GCash 09985577360, contact WEW’s FB page for BDO account number, and if you are here in Canada for your convenience, Interac maeolandesca@gmail.com. We’re all in this together for our beloved province and Misamis Occidental will soon rise up to recovery! Kaya nato ni!
*All photos are grabbed from Atty. Loueli’s FB page.
Related Posts:
WEW Philippines, Inc. x Misamis Occidental Barter Community Projects
Misamis Occidental Mountain-eering with a Cause
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