Hi everyone.

I think it's not the proper time to blast on a happy greeting and throw confetti all over the place. Recently, my country, the Philippines has been struck by the world's strongest typhoon in record, Super Typhoon Haiyan. There's no clear data yet on how much are the damages but to date, the said typhoon already took 1,200 lives and destroying millions of dollars in property. 

The southern part of the Philippines is now under the state of calamity. Particularly the Visayas region of the country, where the set of people and their homes were recently struck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake few weeks before TY Haiyan's passing. They haven't been fully recovered yet from the destruction of the earthquake, and yet this catastrophe happened. 

As of this moment, the worst post-typhoon case is happening in the Southern PH, there's no access to food, clean water and stable communication lines. Cities are down, roads impassable and even airports are closed due to physical destruction particularly the roofing of establishments. The community is paralyzed, and would probably take a couple of weeks before everything gets to normal, or even just to get systems working.

I rarely post something like this, but I felt the need after watching the news and hearing it straight from my dad (my dad works as a port officer somewhere in Leyte, one of the places hardest hit by the typhoon) how devasted everything was. It was also my first time to see a news anchor crying on national TV while delivering his news about the current situation. Seeing how everything gets washed up and blown away in a steady blink of an eye, I could never ask for another harrowing sight of what is used to be a resilient country.

We will remain as a resilient country by the way, I just said that because I could feel how all hope is lost for some Filipinos out there. These trying times are much more different than the earlier ones, but we still stand the same. A country whose spirit is unsinkable, unshakable.

I just wanted to ask a simple favor to all of you AFF friends, and particularly to the PH Community here. Join us in praying for our fellow countrymen who don't know where or how to start after these catastrophic events. This is ground zero for them, and I myself, know how it is to start from scratch. It's a long, painstaking process, that every once in a while you get reminded of. The road to recovering may not be easy but with your help, it could lighten the burden. 

I hope that the PH Community here in AFF is okay. Mostly those who live in the Visayas region or who have relatives there. To the kids here on AFF who were not affected by the recent typhoon, I encourage you to sort your stuff and donate them to your local relief centers. This, at the most, is a needed figure to start restorations. Giving them the basic needs would aide in immobilizing the whole recovery process. 

Once again, we ask for your prayers. 

Thank you.