Appeal for Solidarity for Victims of Typhoon in Mindanao, Philippines

 The Jubilee South Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JSAPMDD) appeals to the international community for support to the victims of Typhoon Sendong that hit the southern part of the Philippines last December 16, 2011.

Just a week before the Christmas holidays, villages were swept away by flash floods and landslides as Typhoon Sendong struck provinces in Northern Mindanao and unleashed more than a month’s worth of rainfall in 12 hours.

The hardest hit are the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Nearly 1,500 people were reported to have been killed. As of December 20, 2011, the national disaster agency reports that more than 338,000 people in 13 provinces were affected, with almost 43,000 still in evacuation centers such as schools, churches and gymnasiums. Around 10,000 houses were damaged, of which a third were ruined. More than $340,000 worth of crops were also damaged.

We demand governments of rich industrialized countries to provide finance as part of climate debt reparations. We also urge the international civil society community to send assistance, whether in cash or in kind, to ease the burden and suffering of the victims of this climate catastrophe.

Donations can be coursed through our member organizations in Mindanao, the Freedom from Debt Coalition – West Mindanao Chapter and GITIB. Please send donations to:

Freedom from Debt Coalition – West Mindanao Chapter
Contact Person: Lucita Gonzales or Lourdes Anabieza
Tel. No.: (6388)5213771
Email: fdcwestminda@yahoo.com

or

GITIB
Contact Person: Roldan Gonzales or Naome Medina
Tel. No.: (6388)5212168
Email: gitib2001@yahoo.com