Design For Bantayan

Design for Bantayan will be presented:
Thursday 27 February 2014
Time 18:30
Cafe Bily Konicek
National Museum of Ethnography
Warsaw, ul. Kredytowa 1

FB event in Polish
FB event in English

Here's a brief description and backgroud of the project (original Polish version, click here):

The tourist season in the Philippines was about to start, and along with it, our ten-day vacation. Three weeks before departure we saw devastation and tragedy in the media. The largest typhoon the world had ever seen had just hit the Philippines. In spite of this we decided we would go help out rather than go on a classic vacation. This is how the project began - a comprehensive plan to help the inhabitants of the island of Bantayan, giving them the opportunity to work and earn once again.

The island found itself in the red zone, where the typhoon hit the hardest. Projections clearly indicated that this area would literally be in the eye of the storm. The prediction proved to be one hundred percent correct. Yolanda, (after traveling 1,200 kilometers from where she formed), hit the small Philippine island of Bantayan on the morning of November 8, 2013. Witnesses recounted to us that 2 hours after the first wave of impact they saw an extraordinary phenomenon high above their heads - an enormous pronounced circle with blue sky peering through - the eye of the storm. After this event there was another, even stronger attack. The Wind speed was estimated at 280km / h.

New houses for 54 Filipino families

Source: http://www.pah.org.pl

By the beginning of January we distributed construction materials for 183 families from Bantayan Island, Cebu Province in the Philippines. 54 of those families already have new homes. The construction works are still ongoing and we are planning to reconstruct 800 houses.

OPM ARTISTS RECORD "THE PRAYER" FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS

On October 15, 2013, an earthquake with the energy equivalent to "32 Hiroshima bombs" devastated the Visayas, and parts of Mindanao and southern Luzon.
Two days later, the Loboc Children's Choir sang, "The Prayer," with the rubble of the hundred year old Loboc Church as their backdrop.

Their performance moved so many people here and abroad. Then, tragedy struck again.

On November 8, Typhoon Yolanda, the most powerful tropical cyclone of the year hit East Samar, Samar and Leyte.

Thousands died. Millions were left hungry, desperate, and homeless.

Relief efforts from the Philippines and the rest of the world are currently helping the victims survive and find temporary homes.

But the bigger challenge is how to help all these people get back to their normal lives.

This is where we took inspiration from the Loboc Children's Choir's performance.

These children may be from Bohol, but their innocent voices represent not just their home province but also earthquake-damaged Cebu, war-stricken Zamboanga, and typhoon-devastated Leyte, Samar, and Iloilo -- all of whom are praying for a miracle to allow them to rebuild their lives.

And so we asked the help of various Filipino artists to lend their voices, to represent our country, and show the world that the Philippines has one voice, one prayer -- that we work together to help our countrymen rebuild their lives brick by brick.

The resulting song will be used to raise funds through downloads. The proceeds will go to the helpPH campaign, a project by the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF). It is a non-profit organization made up of major companies from the private sector and leading NGOs. PDRF, organized in October 2009 after Typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, and Frank to tap resources for reconstruction efforts during emergencies brought about by calamities, is one of the three identified institutional conduits approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the Philippine government and the private sector in formulating and implementing reconstruction strategies. 

Its goal for Cebu, Bohol, Zamboanga and now the areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda is long-term solutions and programs that will bring businesses and jobs back to these areas. They are also planning to look into better designs for houses more suited for a country that gets hit by typhoons and earthquakes. They are focusing on rebuilding the communities which includes: immediate help, provide housing, education by rebuilding school houses, providing economic incentives, and livelihood opportunities.

As a way of giving thanks to all the countries that helped us, we offer to them "The "Prayer".

To download "The Prayer" visit www.spinnr.ph.

Participating Artists:

• GARY VALENCIANO 
• MARTIN NIEVERA 
• KUH LEDESMA 
• OGIE ALCASID 
• REGINE VELASQUEZ-ALCASID
• ZSA ZSA PADILLA 
• LANI MISALUCHA 
• NOEL CABANGON 
• CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA 
• BILLY CRAWFORD 
• ANNE CURTIS 
• RACHELLE ANN GO 
• ERIK SANTOS 
• RICHARD POON 
• YENG CONSTANTINO 
• ANGELINE QUINTO
• KARYLLE 
• JAYR
• NIKKI GIL 
• KRIS LAWRENCE
• IYA VILLANIA
• NYOY VOLANTE
• SABRINA
• SHIRLEY VY (TACLOBAN SURVIVOR)
AND THE LOBOC CHILDREN'S CHOIR OF BOHOL