Two young Filipino-Americans, Malaya David, 10, and her 13-year-old sibling Tala managed to raise more than $100,000 for the benefit of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) by making rubber band bracelets.
Former Senator now Rehabilitation czar Panfilo “Ping” Lacson narrated the story of the Filipino-American kids in a radio interview on Friday, May 23, 2014.
“Noong nakita nila sa CNN yung devastation nangyari sa Leyte… ang ginawa ng dalawang bata sabi nila sa lolo nila over dinner, ‘Grandpa, we want to raise $1,000 para ibigay namin sa Tanuan, Leyte.’ Kasi nakita nila nakita yung sitwasyon,” Ping Lacson said.
“So ang ginawa nila nag-online sila, nagbenta sila. Alam n’yo yung rubber band bracelet na uso sa bata? Nagbenta sila nu’n. Ang na raised nila $100,000,” the former Philippine senator added.
Ping Lacson told Inquirer.net via text message that the Malaya-Tala Fund were able to raise a total of $135,000. The money raised was donated to build four classroom building particularly in Maribi in Tanauan, Leyte for the urgent school supplies to elementary schools in the region.
The former senator shared the grandfather of the two kids, Amado David, went to the country last Wednesday, May 21, 2014 to personally attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the constructed school.
“Instead of criticizing, we (should help) in our own small way to speed up the rehabilitation,” Ping Lacson noted.
Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) is the strongest typhoon to landfall in the country which devastated the Visayas region last November 8, 2014 with thousands of fatalities recorded and millions worth of properties damaged.