Typhoon Ondoy.

I don't know how many of you have heard about the tragedy that struck my native country of the Philippines but in case you haven't, I'll give you a brief recap. Over the weekend, a tropical storm by the name of Ondoy (internationally known as Ketsana) wreaked havoc on the main island of Luzon causing landslides and severe flooding in the some areas of the capital city of Manila and it's surrounding areas. People lost their lives, their homes, their automobiles and were left hungry and with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. It was a horrid image. Sounds familiar though, right? A bit reminiscent of the damages done by Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, Lousiana in 2005. Imagine all of that, but on a 3rd world country. Imagine a whole month's worth of rainfall in 6 hours and watching your car float away with the currents, your house and many others disappearing so fast underwater and you have no choice but to find refuge on your rooftop, waiting for someone to rescue you and your family. Like many other Filipino-Americans in the United States, I had to sit back and watch while so many of my countrymen suffered and lost their lives. It was so tough. It was one of the most disturbing images I've seen in my lifetime and just like Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks, they are images I will always remember for as long as I live.

As if that wasn't enough, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has reported that in about 2 days, there is another tropical storm coming in the Philippines' direction. My countrymen are feeling discouraged and so weak but the relief efforts are amazing. Watching the local Philippine news amazes me. So many celebrities and people of power are so hands-on with the relief efforts and doing all they can to help the victims of this natural disaster, whether it be monetary or through food and clothing donations. Although I cannot offer any physical help, every little bit helps. I want to extend a link to all of you who may be reading this entry and challenge you to help. The Philippine National Red Cross, along with many other local organizations (ABS-CBN, The GMA Network, San Miguel Beer, Coca-Cola Philippines, etc.) in the Philippines are doing all they can to offer relief of any kind to the Filipinos who were affected by the typhoon. As I have said before, every little bit helps. As an absentee citizen of the Philippines, the only help I could muster up was monetary and although it wasn't a huge amount, I know that in some way I was able to offer help the best I knew how aside from my continuous prayers for my fellow countrymen. If you would like to make donations please visit the Philippine National Red Cross online and select the Typhoon Ondoy option on the drop-down menu. Trust me, it will be very greatly appreciated.

And, with that I'd like to please ask all of you to pray or continue to pray for the Philippines and all of the lives that were taken and/or destroyed by the typhoon. As a Filipino, I can vouch by saying we are very strong and hopeful people. I believe that with each other's help and prayers, my countrymen will rise above this calamity and become stronger in the near future.

God bless the Philippines and all my countrymen. I am very proud to be a Filipino.