JEDDAH, 29 March 2004 — The Cebuano Speaking Organization in Saudi Arabia (CSOSA), with the support and cooperation of other Filipino community organizations and private sponsors, will conduct a fund-raising event for the benefit of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) on April 9. “CSOSA believes that not only in times of actual tragedy or calamities are the times to pool our support and resources. PNRC would be in a better position if donations and support come in at anytime,” say Rolly Amaranto, one of the leaders of CSOSA.
The campaign will feature fund-raising games from 3 to 6 pm at the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ). The evening program kicks off with a musical show featuring local talents Jeannette Cerbito, the Friends of Jeddah Band, Henry Hipolito and other guests.
Proceeds of this program will be donated to the PNRC, a non-government organization engaged in rescue and relief assistance to victims of disasters and fighting, among other forms of humanitarian activities, regardless of ethnic grouping, religion or age.
With branches in almost all provinces of the Philippines, from Batanes in the north to Tawi-Tawi in the south, Red Cross volunteers are often always among the first to be there when a calamity strikes and among the last out.
CSOSA leaders said the PNRC is worth supporting because of its track record.
The group is just the latest in the Kingdom to throw its support behind the Red Cross since PNRC Secretary-General Lourdes Loyola wrote the Filipino community, through the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, two years ago to seek help for its humanitarian projects.
Loyola, in a letter to then Ambassador Rafael Seguis, said the PNRC’s traditional sources of donations, both in the Philippines and abroad, were becoming overstretched because of “donor fatigue” and the slowdown in growth of many economies worldwide.
Among those that have responded were Filipino schools in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, as well the groups of mechanical and electrical engineers in Riyadh and Jeddah. A group of martial arts practitioners and an organization of artists in Riyadh, along with a big group in Jeddah, had also launched separate projects for the Red Cross.
In endorsing the PNRC request, Seguis, who is now undersecretary of foreign affairs in Manila, told Arab News that assistance could be in the form of cash, in kind such as clothes, shows and toys, or blood donation in any of the Red Cross blood bank in the Philippines.
CSOSA leaders said the organization will also accept donations in kind, such as clothes, shoes and toys, to be shipped to the PNRC. Interested donors may contact Nelson Baraga at 05831-3107, Manny Alkuino at 05870-3634, Wenfred Castolome at 05269-7618) or Rolly Amaranto at 05277-9735.
