Filipinos in the diaspora to hold fundraising concert in aid of kababayans hit by typhoons back home

TORONTO – The Filipino bayanihan spirit lives on as overseas Filipinos in Toronto prepare to hold a fundraising concert dubbed Kababayanihan on December 19 happening at Its OK Studios, 468 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B2. 

The initiative comes in response to the widespread back-to-back devastation caused by Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan, two of the strongest typhoons to batter the Philippines this year.

Data shows Typhoon Tino left 269 dead (including 150 in Cebu and 77 in Negros Occidental), 113 missing, 523 injured or sick, and caused P490.1 million in infrastructure damage and P484.8 million in agricultural losses.

Super Typhoon Uwan, which struck five to seven days after Tino, recorded 28 deaths, 2 missing, 52 injured or sick, and caused an estimated P2.2 billion in infrastructure damage and P1.9 billion in agricultural damage.

Many of the hardest-hit communities continue to face prolonged displacement, food insecurity, and loss of livelihood.

Organized by a coalition of Filipino organizations in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), including Likha Filipino Cultural Hub, Anakbayan Toronto, Folklorico Filipino Canada, Bayan Toronto, Migrante Ontario, Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture, Kapwa Cultural Initiatives, Adhika, and Combat Science Warrior Arts of Asia, the event aims to raise funds for relief and rehabilitation efforts in the hardest-hit communities.

According to the alliance, Kababayanihan is a concept drawn from three Filipino terms: kababayan (fellow Filipinos), bayani (hero), and bayanihan (community solidarity and collective effort). 

Amid the ongoing trillion-peso ghost flood control project scandal, which has raised public outrage over alleged misuse of funds meant for disaster mitigation, Filipinos in the diaspora stressed the need for accountability. 

The alliance emphasized that even weeks after the typhoons, many Filipino families are still rebuilding their lives, with some facing the holiday season without homes or loved ones. They reiterated that “now, more than ever, they need the support of their global community.”

“We call on our kababayans in Toronto to come together in a collective act of bayanihan.  Join us as we raise funds for those who still face uncertainty after having lost their homes and livelihood. But we’re not just raising money, we also invite you to join us in raising our voice in demanding for better delivery of social service, a scientific approach to disaster management, and transparency in governance,” said Nova Rellosa-De Leon, co-founder of Likha Filipino Cultural Hub.

All funds raised will be split equally between the Consortium for People’s Development through Sagip Migrante and the Angat Buhay Foundation. The Consortium for People’s Development is a national network of development and humanitarian organizations providing community-based disaster response while the Angat Buhay Foundation is an NGO dedicated to empowering Filipino communities and fostering bayanihan.

For ticketing information, visit Anakbayan Toronto’s social media pages. 

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