Cagayan de Oro needs our Help

Everyone by now knows of the devastating floods that hit Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao late in the evening while everyone was fast asleep. Although there was much warning of the monsoon rains, no one had expected the downpour to be so much and so fast. Lots of little children died as a result and the death toll is now 650 with many without shelter and food or dry clothes.

Two institutions that are helping and are reliable are the following:

Account Name: Xavier University
Bank: BPI- Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City
Account Number: 9331-0133-63
To claim receipt, email: finance@xu.edu.ph (email/scan/fax remittance receipt)

Account Name: Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Bank: BPI-Katipunan Loyola Heights
Account Number: 3081-1111-61
To claim receipt, email: information@slb.ph (email/scan/fax remittance receipt)

Both are Jesuit networks and are working directly with the victims. Other donations in kind (water, food, clothing) may also be brought to these offices (Xavier in Cagayan, and Simbahang Lingkod in ADMU Campus, Quezon City).

UPDATE: Over 1,000 now confirmed dead by Typhoon Washi

True Solar Energy

Solar bottle lights- as simple as putting water in a bottle and onto your roof creates a light source that diffuses to fill an entire room instead of coming down as a single shaft to illuminate only one portion. A brilliant “third world solution for third world problems.”

Iliac Diaz hopes to be able to light one (1) million homes all over the Philippines using this simple technology.

Solar Chargers

Philippines Long History

Some people don’t realize how long and rich of a trading history the Philippines actually has, not only with Asian countries, but also with countries across the pacific like Mexico.

Many a Chinese junk was sunk by the treacherous waters … lives were lost to move goods. We don’t think about it now, shipping stuff here and there with ease, and with speed. But back in the 16th century, it took a lot of guts to be a seaman (either that or you were forced into it.)