Sharing God’s Love with Flood Victims

On May 18, tropical cyclone Halong devastated the northwestern coast of the Philippines, leaving over 400,000 people homeless, helpless and without basic necessities. Concerned about the victims, Supreme Master Ching Hai immediately contributed US$30,000. With Master’s love, the Formosan relief team set off on May 25 to render relief in the affected areas.

When the relief team arrived in Manila on May 27, they met with Mr. Manuel L. Morato, former chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), to convey Master’s concern for the victims. With his assistance, the PCSO office in Zambales Province was contacted and they learned that Santa Cruz had suffered the heaviest damage. In a meeting with the Chief of the Social Welfare Bureau in Santa Cruz, the team received a list of 2,000 households that were in need of urgent help.

With marvelous help from Mr. Morato and Mr. Reynaldo Martin, manager of the PCSO branch office in the disaster area, the initiates were able to purchase 20 tons of rice from the National Food Authority at half the market price. This meant that the number of households that could benefit from the emergency provisions was doubled than that of originally planned. The Mayor and the Social Welfare Bureau, assisted in the distribution of 4,000 relief packages, including rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar and soy sauce, as well as 1,000 packs of milk powder, to affected households in 15 villages and remote communities. After the Formosan relief team left, the local initiates purchased an additional 20 tons of rice for distribution to another 4,000 affected households.

Based on previous relief experiences, the initiates bought and distributed medicine and vitamins to public clinics in six different towns. Building materials were also purchased for an elementary and junior high school to repair its computer room. The overjoyed school principal told the initiates that this timely gift was the best present that God could have given them.

During the relief operation, the initiates distributed SOS climate change flyers, which were warmly received by the local people. Thank You, Master, for this great opportunity to participate in the relief work and to share God’s immense love and blessings with our brothers and sisters in the Philippines.

Expenditures for the Relief Effort Rendered to Typhoon Victims in the Philippines by Supreme Master Ching Hai

(Currency: Filipino Peso)

Description	Amount	Appendix
Rice	693,500	A
Medicine (vitamins, gastric medicine, fever medicine)	185,682	B
Foodstuffs (cooking oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, milk powder) and bags	380,095	C
Building materials	22,970	D
Miscellaneous (transportation, wages and other)	35,053
Total	1,317,300 (US$30,000)

Note: Throughout the relief operation, fellow initiates paid for their own transportation, food and accommodation expenses.

The Supreme Master Ching Hai Scholarship Bequest Philippines was set up to provide young Filipino people with the opportunity to receive an education they might otherwise miss out on because of their poor economic circumstances. The scholarship program was born from a casual conversation between Master and Professor Joe Lad Santos many years ago, when he mentioned his idea about creating scholarships for poor students. Master still remembered his great concern for the poorer students of society and lovingly made a financial contribution for the establishment of the scholarship program. (Please refer to News No. 170 and 178 for more details).

In 2005, the program was launched by Professor Joe Lad Santos, Director of the Scholarship Bequest, with the first scholarships granted to three students. Several others have been awarded with scholarships since the launch.

Ms. Mary Michelle Bonifacio and Ms. Roxanne G. Valencia are two of the first three scholarship holders who are to be duly congratulated, as both graduated in March this year with Honors. The third scholarship beneficiary will finish her course this October and will officially graduate in March 2009.

Both graduates come from financially poor backgrounds, but through the help of the scholarship, coupled with their academic dedication, Ms. Bonifacio and Ms. Valencia achieved learning excellence. Mary Michelle Bonifacio earned a Master of Arts degree in Education in Filipino with the honor of benemeritus, equivalent to “summa cum laude” in undergraduate courses, meaning ‘with the highest honor’ in Latin. Roxanne Valencia graduated from the century-old Philippine Normal University, majoring in Filipino with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, and further received a certificate from the Filipino Department of the university.

During the graduation ceremony in Manila at the Philippine Normal University, in response to Master’s generosity, a special certificate of recognition was presented to Supreme Master Ching Hai, which was accepted by Professor Santos. The certificate reads:

“Philippine Normal University, College of Languages and Linguistics, Department of Filipino, awards this Certificate of Recognition to THE SUPREME MASTER CHING HAI SCHOLARSHIP BEQUEST PHILIPPINES for the three year scholarship given to Ms. Roxanne G. Valencia of the Philippine Normal University.

The scholarship helped Ms. Valencia sustain and strengthen her desire to finish her bachelor’s degree that has expanded the creativity of her mind, the formation of her intellect, the enhancement of her learning and the advancement of her knowledge in quest of wisdom.”

Professor Santos, on behalf of the scholarship beneficiaries, wishes to extend his sincerest thanks to Supreme Master Ching Hai for continuously blessing and touching countless lives in the Philippines.

Just recently, in May this year, Master also lovingly sent a third contribution of just over US$21,000 to continue funding the Scholarship Bequest.

We send our heartfelt congratulations to the first two scholarship beneficiaries, Ms. Bonifacio and Ms. Valencia, for your dedication and outstanding academic achievements. May the subsequent beneficiaries similarly shine in their quest for scholarly excellence.

Supreme Master Ching Hai has once again shown Her compassion for humanity with a generous contribution of US$10,000 that will help Archbishop Talamayan of Tuguegarao’s fund-raising effort to build a House of Prayer for a local community, thus enabling and encouraging people in the Philippines to seek inner contact with God.

The Archbishop is anticipating his retirement to the new clergymen’s home that began construction 10 years ago and was completed in January with substantial contributions from the Supreme Master totaling US$135,000. (Please see News #185, #189 and #192.) In his letter of appreciation for the latest funding, he expressed support for a united effort to save our planet Earth through vegetarianism and the planting of more trees.