Filipino group cancels Dubai party to raise funds for typhoon victims

A Filipino group cancels its annual Christmas party and will instead hold a fundraising breakfast for victims of Typhoon Bopha.

DUBAI // A Filipino group has cancelled its Christmas party as a mark of respect for the victims of Typhoon Bopha. It will instead hold a fundraising breakfast in Dubai on Friday.

The storm killed more than 1,000 people when it hit the southern Philippines this month. Hundreds more are still missing.

“It doesn’t seem right to ?celebrate at this time,” said?Matilyn Bagunu, the president of FilCom, an umbrella organisation that represents Filipino community groups in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. “Many lives have been lost. They do not have food, water, shelter and need to rebuild their lives. They need all the help they can get.”

FilCom has already sent to the Philippine Red Cross Dh7,530 it raised at a “lunch for a cause” on December 7.

Friday's breakfast will take place between 8am and 11am at the Asiana Hotel’s Boracay nightclub in Deira. There will also be music and dancing. It costs Dh50, with the proceeds going to flood victims. People are also asked to bring canned foods, packed noodles, towels, soap and other relief goods that will be sent to the Philippines.

For more information, contact Wendell Castro, the team leader of FilCom's disaster co-ordination committee, on 055 539 8173 or at [e-mail].