LifeNets Japan Katsuo Project for the Philippines

Updated December 23, 2013

The clothing is now beginning to arrive in the Philippines from Japan.

Reports below from Karlo Santos, our Manila facilitator. He is President at New TentWorld Services, Independent Distributor ad Royale Business Club International and General Manager at Click Cre8 Digital Publishing Services.

Dec 11, 2013  A temporary setback but there are reasons to smile, anyway; there is always a first time so next time we know better and at least we know that the boxes made it to Manila.

So near and yet so far... I was at the Las Piñas post office and took a photo of the three boxes of donated children's clothing from Lifenets Japan c/o Yumiko Yamomoto, M.D. I wish I could claim and bring the boxes home right away, but a technical error has been detected (a Notarized Deed of Donation & Deed of Acceptance is needed) so I will come back again tomorrow with the extra paperwork. Despite the temporary setback there are reasons to smile, anyway, there is always a first time so next time we know better and at least we know that the boxes made it to Manila.

These items were sent for the young survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda. We will be bringing these boxes in addition to construction materials with us on a truck to Leyte next month to maximize the use and capacity of the vehicle. To all our Japanese friends we (the members of United Church of God, AIA Pilipinas) send you our heartfelt thanks and gratitude.
P.S. I will post more pictures once the Customs has given the go signal for the opening of the boxes and eventual release tomorrow afternoon.

Dec. 20, 2013

Answered prayers: Papers were FINALLY stamped PASSED by Customs officials at Las Piñas Post office. Now the boxes of donated children's clothing sent by Dr. Yumiko Yamamoto of LIFENETS Japan have filled up the trunk of our Mirage. Thank you God!

Posted December 8, 2013

by Dr. Yumi Yamamoto, LifeNets Japan director

After Nov. 8th, 2013 we heard news of Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Philippines as all did in the world. I thought of Japan’s disaster and how people all over the world helped our people.

Dr. Yumi Yamamoto LifeNets Japan

Especially I remembered LifeNets’ direct help for people in Fukushima, which I reported in Lifenets homepage (www.lifenets.org/japan) . I thought it was time LifeNets, Japan had to do something in return for people in the Philippines.

I talked to my friends including Japanese and also foreigners who are English teachers in Kochi where I live. We decided to collect children clothing, because there were already many charity associations, including LifeNets, Red Cross, UNICEF, etc. which collects monetary donation for the Philippines. We focused on children clothing because it is small and light to send. I named this project as ‘Katsuo Project for the Philippines’ of LifeNets, Japan.

Katsuo means bonito fish, which is one of the most famous and delicious fish in Kochi. Katsuo swims in a group, helping each other (? I guess so), even as far as from Japan to the Philippines all over the Pacific Ocean. Katsuo does not matter however rough the ocean may be or however far the destination may be.

Some of my friends talked about Katsuo Project at the kindergartens where their children attended. Others talked to their friends who had small children. Many wanted to help. A lot of kid’s clothing was handed to my friends from their friends and was collected to my house which is the LifeNets office in Japan. By November 24th more than 2,000 pieces of kid’s clothing were collected.

Because a lot of clothing (more than we expected) was collected in a short time, my worry went to the charge of shipment. Fortunately some people made monetary donation for the shipment, too. Especially from Fukushima where LifeNets sent a lot of relief goods in 2011, we got a larger donation. It was amazing to see how some people help someone one time, and then in the future they will help others in return.

The next day after I wrote to Victor Kubik about our possible help, which was in a few days of Yolanda, his friend, Earl L. Roemer, gave me an address of a veterinarian, Dr. Karlo Santos who lives in Muntinlupa City near Manila. Earl wrote me that Karlo has the space and the transport capability with his own trucks, and that he is willing to make the journey to the area because it is his commitment to this typhoon relief. Earl, Karlo and I became friends through internet (Facebook) soon, and discussed more about help we may do. By this way, I got clothing, funds for the transport, and people who help deliver in the Philippines.

On Novembr 24th, several people were at my house to sort out clothing. There were Japanese couple with a five-year-old daughter who willingly donated her clothing and helped sorting and also English teachers from Singapore and the States. It was wonderful to see how Japanese people sort clothing before donating. Much of it had already been sorted out according to size, sex, type of clothing. All pieces of clothing were cute, nice, clean, tidy and some of them were even in the packages (brand new).

On November 27th three big boxes including about 1000 pieces of children clothing left my house (Office of LifeNets, Japan) as the first shipment of Katsuo Project for the Philippines. Karlo will receive them in 10 days according to its normal schedule.

Hopefully it is before the time Earl arrives in the Philippines in December. He and Karlo will go to Leyte and other areas to deliver all this clothing with any other possible help for people.