Wednesday, September 30

A Consolidated List On How and Where To Help and What To Bring

Photo: Erik de Castro/Reuters

There was no danger music to warn us. In a matter of hours, Metro Manila was flooded. There are still homes submerged. Family members still missing, and the death toll is still rising.

Please help if you can.

Reposting this from Facebook:

Sahana Disaster Management System is in need of IT volunteers. The system will be extremely helpful in case of future disasters. Send a message to sahana@kahelos.org.

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Courtesy of ABS-CBN News Online, assorted updates and advisories may be found here, and a list of class suspensions and cancelled events may be found here.
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Unless otherwise specified, all landline numbers are for Metro Manila and therefore require no dialing prefix if you are in that area. If you are outside Metro Manila, add 02 before the number, e.g., 02 XXX XXXX. If you are outside the Philippines, add 632 before the number, e.g., 632 XXX XXXX.

For mobile numbers, callers outside the Philippines should add 63 and drop the 0, e.g., 63XXX XXX XXXX instead of 0XXX XXX XXXX.

Emergency/Rescue OperationsPrivate citizens who would like to lend their motor boats, please call these numbers:

•912 5668
•911 1406
•912 2665
•911 5061
For those who can lend 4×4 trucks, please send them to Greenhills Shoppng Center Unimart Grocery to await deployment. Call this number for more information:

•0920 9072902
Honda Cars and Nissan Pangasinan offer towing services anywhere within the Metro Manila area.

•Hotline: 0922 850 4452
•Maricel: 0922 445 2242
•Arnold: 0922 899 7959
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ABS-CBN Typhoon Ondoy Hotline
•416 3641
Bureau of Fire Protection
•729 5166
•410 6254
•413 8859
•407 1230
•Region III (Central Luzon): (045) 963 4376
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
All numbers are 24-hour hotlines.


•Disaster Relief Operations, Monitoring, and Information Center (DROMIC), DSWD-NCR: 488 3199
•Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU), DSWD-NCR: 733 8635
•Disaster Relief Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), DSWD-Central Office: 931 8101 to 05, local 506 or 951 7119
GMA Kapuso Hotline
•9811950 to 59
Jam 88.3
•631 8803
•Text JAM883your message to 2968
Meralco
•16211
•0917 559 2824
•0920 929 2824
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
•136
•896 6000
National Capital Region Police Office (For rubber boat requests)
•838 3203
•838 3354
National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)
Emergency Numbers

•912 5668
•911 1406
•912 2665
Help Hotlines

•911 5061
•734 2118
•734 2120
Office of Senator Dick Gordon
•0917 899 7898
•0938 444 BOYS (2697)
Office of Senator Manny Villar (For rescue dump trucks)
•0917 422 6800
•0917 241 4864
•0927 675 1981
Petron/San Miguel Corporation (For rescue helicopters)
•Lydia Ragasa: 0917 814 0655
Philippine Coast Guard
•527 6136
Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)
•143
•527 0000
www.GMANews.tv on Facebook
•Post the names and addresses of people in need of immediate assistance.
Relief OperationsIf you are looking for a relief operations site in your immediate area, you may also check here or here. A handy map of donation drop-off points is available here.
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Government Agencies, Socio-civic Groups, and Media Outfits
AKBAYAN


To donate or volunteer, call:

•433 6933
•433 6831
Aquino-Roxas relief operations/Tulong Bayan
Jiggy Cruz sounded the call for relief goods collection and distribution on September 26 (Saturday) on Twitter.

Tulong Bayan hotlines for donations and volunteers are:

•913 7122
•913 6254
•913 3306
•0908 657 9998
•0939 363 3436
Donations can be brought to:

•Balay, Expo Centro, EDSA corner Gen. MacArthur St., Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City
•White Space, 2314 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati, City (care of Monique Villonco)
Ayala Foundation
Online donations may be coursed through the foundation.

Barangay San Antonio (Parañaque)
The barangay hall, which is located near Parañaque City Hall, will serve as a drop-off point. The address is Sta. Lucia St. corner San Pablo St., San Antonio Valley 1, Parañaque.

Caritas Manila
•563 9298
•563 9308
Relief goods can be sent to Caritas Manila Office at Jesus St., Pandacan, Manila (near Nagtahan Bridge).

Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF)–Ortigas
Please drop off donations at Room 402, St. Francis Square Bldg., Julia Vargas Ave., cor. Bank Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Couples for Christ (CFC)
•727 0682 to 87
•0919 363 4036
•0922 866 7191
•0922 254 2819
The CFC Center along Ortigas Avenue is now accepting donations in cash or in kind.

For those who wish to donate through bank deposit, you may do so via the Bank of the Philippines (BPI):

•Account Name: Couples for Christ Global Missions Inc.
•Account Number 3103-3055-85.
Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC)
•929 9820
•929 9822
Relief goods for typhoon victims may be delivered to 72-A Times St., West Triangle, Quezon City.

Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR)
Per Noynoy Aquino, cash donations may deposited with the CNDR. The bank details are as follows:

•Account Number: 0031 0654 02
•Branch: Bank of the Philippine Islands Ayala-Paseo
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Each drop-off point for donations has its own contact persons.

Drop-off point 1

National Resource Operations Center, Chapel Road, Pasay City

•Francia Favian: 852 8081/0918 930 2356
Drop-off point 2

Disaster Resource Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), DSWD Central Office, Quezon City

•Rey Martija or Imee Rose Castillo: 951 7119/951 2435
•Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera: 0918 9345625
Drop-off point 3

DSWD-NCR Office, San Rafael corner Legarda Streets, Quiapo, Manila.

•Director Thelsa P. Biolna or Director Delia Bauan: 734 8622/734 8642
Gawad Kalinga
A list of needed relief goods, as well as drop-off centers, is available here.

The guidelines for cash/check donations follow below:
Donations within the Philippines:


•Gawad Kalinga Philippine Peso Current Account 3101 0977 56 – BPI EDSA Greenhills
•Gawad Kalinga US$ Savings Account 3104 0162 34 (Swift code: BOPIPHMM) – BPI EDSA Greenhills
Should you need receipts, please fax your deposit slip to Delfin Mangona, Operation GK Walang Iwanan at 726 7405. Kindly indicate name of donor and contact number.
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Donations outside the Philippines:

For donations outside the Philippines, you can choose from the following :

ANCOP USA

You can send your checks to ANCOP USA, PO Box 10095, Torrance, CA 90505. Or go to http://www.ancopusa.org if you prefer to do it online via credit card.

AYALA FOUNDATION USA

You can issue checks payable to Ayala Foundation USA with project noted (Gawad Kalinga Ondoy Relief) and send to :

Ayala Foundation USA
255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 428
Redwood City, CA 94065
Tel. no. 1-650-598-3126
Fax No. 1-650-508-8898
Email info@af-usa.org

Or you can donate to Ayala Foundation USA via credit card by visiting this link.

In “choosing organization to receive the donation”, please choose “Gawad Kalinga-Community Infrastructure Program” for now. By September 29, (Tuesday), you will be able to choose “Gawad Kalinga-Relief”.

DONATE ONLINE AT www.gk1world.com

Click on this link. This facility can accept donations from all over the world.
GMA Kapuso Foundation
•981 1950 to 59
•982 7777, locals 9901/9904/9905
The foundation will accept cash/check, credit card, and in-kind donations. The office address is: 2/F GMA Kapuso Center, Samar St. cor. 11th Jamboree St. Diliman, Quezon City.

Hillsborough Village Chapel
Water, blankets, shoes, and clothes may be sent to Hillsborough Village Chapel in Muntinlupa City. These will go to families whose houses were washed out in the nearby sitios.

Kabataan Partylist
•0926 667 7163
•kabataanpartylist@gmail.com
Drop off donations or volunteer at 118-B Sct. Rallos St., Quezon City.

Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC)
•670 0666
•832 6117
MBC radio stations DZRH, 101.1 Yes! FM, and 90.7 Love Radio are accepting donations, such as bread, canned goods, clothes, and water. The drop-off point is at the MBC Building, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City (beside Star City).

Marika Bouncers Cooperative
The c-op will accept donations starting September 28 (Monday), at 10 AM. Its office is located at 95 Malaya St., Malanday, Marikina.

Move for Chiz
Volunteers are asked to report to Bay Park Tent along Roxas Blvd in Manila. It is beside Max’s Restaurant and Diamond Hotel. They may also proceed to Gilas Minipark on Unang Hakbang St., Gilas, Quezon City.

MusikLokal Luzon Relief
•Warren Habaluyas: 0929 871 3488
•luzonrelief@gmail.com
Starting September 28 (Monday), donations can be brought to Renaissance Fitness Center, 2/F, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers Ortigas, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, from 9AM to 7PM.

Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan
•Vina Vargas: 0917 808 1247
Donations may be sent to AGS Building Annex, 446 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo, Makati.

Office of the President
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has opened Malacañang to victims of Ondoy, according to this report. Heroes Hall will serve as the emergency center.

Operation Rainbow
•Zac Faelnar Camara: 468 7991
Operation Rainbow in Ayala Alabang Village accepts canned goods, ready-to-eat food, bottled water, ready-to-drink milk and juice, clothing, and blankets.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish
•434 2397
•929 0665
Per Gabe Mercado, donations are very much welcome. The Parish is located at 12 F. Dela Rosa corner C. Salvador Sts., Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Peace Retreat Movement
Please leave all donations at the Peace Retreat Movement (PRM) office: 2/F Room 72L, Christ the King (HS) Building on September 30 (Wednesday), by 12NN.

Relief Efforts for Pasig
•0916 494 5000
•0917 527 3616
Volunteers may proceed to Valle Verde 1 Village Park.

Relief Operations Center
•Ares: 0917 855 4935
•Rachel: 0918 924 1636
A relief operations center has been established at AGS Annex, #446 EDSA, Guadalupe Viejo (after PET Tower). Please call for more details.

Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Rescued animals may be brought to the shelter located on Aurora Boulevard corner Katipunan Avenue.

Philippine Army Officers Ladies Club (PAOLC)
Relief items may be delivered to the GHQ gym at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, or to the Philippine Army Gym at Fort Bonifacio.

Philippine Daily Inquirer
•Megi Garcia: 897 8808 local 260
Donations in kind, such as instant noodles, canned goods, formula milk, blankets and clothes, are urgently needed.

These may be brought to the Inquirer office at 1098 Chino Roces Ave. corner Mascardo and Yague Streets, Makati City, or to any of its classified ads branches, or to any McDonald’s branch within Metro Manila.

Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)
Contact the nearest chapter to find out how you can help.

To donate via SMS, please follow the instructions below:

•SMS: Text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)
•G-CASH (Globe subscribers only): Text DONATEAMOUNT4-digit M-PINREDCROSS to 2882.
As of this update, Globe and Smart have waived transaction fees for donations.

For cash, check, or in-kind donations, the guidelines are below. Please note that LBC and i-Remit Singapore will be waiving transaction fees for donations.

Cash or check

Please send cash or check donations to the PNRC National Headquarters in Manila. Checks should be made payable to The Philippine National Red Cross. We can also arrange for donation pick-up.

Bank Deposit

Account Name: The Phil. Nat’l. Red Cross

Metrobank

Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 151-3-041-63122-8
Dollar Acct.: 151-2-151-00218-2
Type of Acct. : SAVINGS
Swift Code: MBTC PH MM

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 4991-0010-99
Type of Account: CURRENT

Bank of the Philippine Islands

UN Branch
Dollar Acct.: 8114-0030-94
Type of Account: SAVINGS
Swift Code: BOPI PH MM

For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip to +63 2 527 0575 or +63 2 404 0979 with your name, address, and contact number.

Credit Card

Please fax the following information to 632 404 09 79 or 632 527 0575:

•Name of cardholder
•Billing address
•Contact numbers (landline and mobile)
•Credit card number
•Expiration date
•CCV2/ CVC2 (last three digits on the back of the credit card)
•Amount to be donated
In-Kind Donations

Local

Please send in-kind local donations to The Philippine National Red Cross–National Headquarters in Manila. We can also arrange for donation pick-up.

International

1.Send a letter of intent to donate to the PNRC
2.A letter of acceptance from PNRC shall be sent back to the donor
3.Immediately after shipping the goods, please send the (a) original Deed of Donation; (b) copy of packing list; and (c) original Airway Bill for air shipments or Bill of Lading for sea shipments to: The Philippine National Red Cross–National Headquarters c/o Secretary General Corazon Alma de Leon, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila 2803, Philippines.
The PNRC does not accept rotten, damaged, expired or decayed goods. Though we appreciate your generosity, the PNRC also discourages donations of old clothes as we have more than enough to go around.

Urgent needs

•Food items: Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans, and potable water
•Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins, and medications to treat diarrhea
•Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, laundry soap, and shelter materials for house repair
For Mindanao-based donors without Paypal accounts, please get in touch with blogger Mindanaoan. Your donations will be forwarded to the Red Cross.

Radio Veritas
•925 7931 to 40
Relief goods can be brought to Radio Veritas at Veritas Tower, West Ave. corner EDSA, Quezon City.

Sagip Kapamilya
•413 2667
•416 0387
The address of Sagip Kapamilya is No. 13 Examiner Street, Quezon City. Please look for Ms. Girlie Aragon

Cash/check donations may be deposited in the Sagip Kapamilya account:

•Bank: Banco de Oro, Mother Ignacia branch
•Acct name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.
•Acct no.: 5630020111
Santuario de San Antonio Parish
Relief goods of all kinds are accepted. The parish is located along McKinley Road, in Forbes Park, Makati. Please contact JJ Yulo or Mike Yuson.

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan Task Force Noah
Please drop off donations at Cervini Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.

TXTPower
TXTPower urges its members, supporters and friends abroad to make donations via Paypal.

One may also donate via SmartMoney (5577-5144-1866-7103) or G-Cash 0917-9751092. All donations coursed through TXTPower will be sent to the Philippine National Red Cross.

Victory
Victory Fort was the first to open its doors to families affected by Typhoon Ondoy last weekend.

Other Victory centers are now engaged in relief operations as well. For a complete list, please see this page.

World Vision Philippines
The donor service hotlines are:

•372 7777
•0917 866 4824
•Pam Millora: 0917 8623209
Donors and volunteers may go to World Vision Philippines headquarters at 389 Quezon Avenue corner West 6th St., Quezon City.

For cash and check donations, see the bank details as provided by Juan Miguel Lago on Twitter here and here.

Additional contact information:

•374 7618 to 28
•374 7660 (Fax)
•wv_phil@wvi.org
Schools, Colleges, and Universities
Assumption College San Lorenzo (Makati)
Please drop donations off at the guardhouse.

Assumption College Antipolo
Assumption Antipolo is also accepting donations. The school is located along Sumulong Highway, Antipolo, Rizal.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)
The campus is now an open shelter and will take in refugees. Call 917 895 2792. Donations may also be dropped off at the MVP lobby.

Ateneo Grade School (AGS)
Rice, noodles, sardines, and drinking water are badly needed for Ondoy flood victims.

Please bring your donations to the AGS Social Involvement Office ASAP. Volunteers also needed to sort and pack food bags.

You may sign up at the GS Campus Ministry Office from 8am to 5pm on September 30 (Wednesday) and October 1 (Thursday).

Ateneo Law School
•899 7691 to 96
Donations and volunteers are needed. Ateneo Law School is located at 20 Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City.

De La Salle Santiago Zóbel (DLSZ)
•Angie Brazan: 09178597602
Starting September 28, 2009 (Monday), from 8AM to 6PM, DLSZ Typhoon Ondoy Relief Goods Collection Center will be accepting donations in kind. Monetary donations are also welcome. Please make cheques payable to De La Salle Zobel. Cash donations are discouraged.

Donors may pass through Gate 7 (Molave St.) to drop off donations at the Collection Center found at the Ground Floor of Gym 5 (Lower Grades area).

Teacher, staff, student, and parent volunteers to man the Collection Center are needed. Please text your contact details to Ms. Angie should you wish to volunteer.

De La Salle University Medical Center (DLSUMC)
•844 7832
•(046) 416 4531
Donations of canned goods, blankets, clothes, and water will be accepted. DLSUMC is located at Congressional Avenue, Dasmariñas, Cavite.

La Salle Greenhills
Donations can be dropped off at Gate 2 of the LSGH campus starting 9AM on September 27, 2009 (Sunday).

Per ageofbrillig, LSGH also has a booth for donations at Unimart in Greenhills Shopping Center.

Playschool International
Relief goods may be dropped off at Playschool International, 46 Ghana Street, Better Living, Parañaque. No cash, please.

Saint Pedro Poveda College
•Social Action Center: 631 8756 local 121
Poveda is now accepting donations of relief goods.

San Beda College of Arts and Sciences Student Council
The student council is accepting donations in cash or in kind. San Beda College is located at 638 Mendiola St., San Miguel, Manila.

Southville International School and Colleges
•825 6374
•820 8702
•820 8703
•829 1675
Southville is accepting donations of canned goods, packed noodles, clothes, drinking water, etc. at the Luxembourg Campus, which is located at Luxembourg St. corner Tropical Ave., BF Homes International, Las Piñas City.

University of Asia and the Pacific
UA&P is accepting donations. Donation booths are at Study Hall A.

You may also get in touch with Dae Lee, the Executive Vice President of the Student Exective Board at 0917 832 3533. Donations and volunteers are needed.

University of the Philippines Sigma Alpha Nu Sorority (Manila)
•0917 885 7188
•0917 665 9948
The sorority is collecting food, water and toiletries. You may drop them off at Unit 12-O One Adriatico Place, Ermita, Manila.

University of the Philippines Diliman College of Arts and Letters
•0929 6454102
CAL is accepting donations in cash and in kind.

University of the Philippines Diliman University Student Council
•Titus: 0917 800 1909
•Jose: 0927 305 6607
•Tin: 0915 490 6106
The council is is collecting food, clothing, and/or cash.

University of the Philippines Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs
•928 2947
The office is accepting donations of relief goods.

Xavier School
Please bring donations to the Multipurpose Center (MPC), Xavier School, 64 Xavier Street, Greenhills, San Juan.

Commercial Establishments
7-11
All stores will serve as drop-off sites for donations.

Alabang Town Center
Please drop off donated goods with the concierge. For inquiries, please call 842 2782 or 772 1860.

ARANÁZ
Donations of any kind for Payatas communities affected by Ondoy will be accepted at ARANÁZ stores in Rockwell and Greenbelt.

Binalot (Greenbelt 1 branch)
•Tetchie Bundalian:0922 857 3277
Brainbeam Events, Inc.
•809 0244 (per this business listing)
Relief goods may be dropped off at the Brainbeam office: 2/F MB Aguirre Cornerhouse Building, 15 Pres. Ave corner Elizalde St., BF Homes, Parañaque (across the old Caltex in BF).

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Canned goods, water, clothes, blankets, towels, medicine, and emergency supplies will be accepted in branches on behalf of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy starting September 28 (Monday) until Friday.

Fantastik! Manila
•729 0530
•501 7405
Please send donations to 5729 Calasanz St., Barangay Olympia, Makati City.

Jollibee
All stores will serve as drop-off sites for donations.

Luca
Donations can be sent via Luca branches in The Powerplant Mall, Shangri-La Mall, or Eastwood City.

Mail and More
Donations for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy are accepted at all Mail and More outlets. The complete list of all outlets nationwide is available here.

Manor Superclub
Relief items will be accepted starting September 27 (Sunday) at 10AM. Manor Superclub is located in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City.

Ministop (Ibarra branch)
Food (non-perishable goods only), clothing, medicines, beds, pillows, blankets, and other emergency supplies can be dropped off at the Ministop store located on España cor. Blumentritt, Sampaloc, Manila.

Moonshine
Donations for victims in Marikina and Cainta can be sent to Moonshine in The Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati.

Myron’s Place
Myron’s Place in Greenbelt 5, Makati City, will accept relief goods.

Papemelroti
You may drop off relief goods, such as canned goods, milk, bottled water, and used clothes at any of the following Papemelroti branches:

•91 Roces Avenue
•Ali Mall Cubao
•SM City North EDSA
•SM Fairview
•SM Megamall
•Glorietta 3
•SM Centerpoint
•SM Southmall
No cash will be accepted.

Petron
All Petron gas stations will serve as collection points for relief goods.

The Powerplant Mall
Donations will be forwarded to the ABS-CBN Foundation. Please drop them off at the adminstration office, P1 level.

Redkimono
Redkimono will accept canned goods, bottled water, clothing for all ages, basic household items. You may find the contact information for the branch nearest you here.

Recreational Outdoor eXchange
•856 4638 to 39
•rox.cs@primergrp.com
ROX will accept relief goods for Typhoon Ondoy victims. The store address is B1 ROX Building, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

Shell
All Shell gas stations will serve as collection points for relief goods.

SMART
Donations may be dropped off at the following SMART branches:

•SM Fairview
•SM North EDSA
•Gateway Mall Cubao
•Ali Mall Cubao
•SM Megamall
•SM Muntinlupa
Starbucks
All Starbucks stores are now accepting blankets, rice, bottled water, and instant noodles for the victims of Ondoy. These will be used to support The Ateneo Taskforce Ondoy.

TeamManila
TeamManila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods for distribution by Radio Veritas.

Total
All Total gas stations will serve as collection points for relief goods.

Unimart (Greenhills Shopping Center)
•721 0592
•721 1717
All cash and in-kind donations will be forwarded to La Salle Greenhills.

Vivere Suites
•771 7777
•771 0158
Vivere Suites will accept relief goods. The hotel is located at 5102 Bridgeway Ave., cor. Asean Drive, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Private Citizens
Karen Ang
•0920 952 0900
Donations may be dropped off at 3 Kagandahan corner Kabutihan Streets, Kawilihan Village, Pasig. They will be forwarded to the Philippine National Red Cross.

Anne
•0915 285 4240
Relief goods from donors in southern Metro Manila are accepted.

Bianca
•412 3861
•0927 8436002
She will pick up donations from Greenhills/San Juan area. Donate food, medicine, or clothing.

Joseph Castillo
•0908 236 8999
•(032) 211 7111
He will send a 20-foot container to Manila and is looking for donations from Cebuanos. Please get in touch with him.

Kelly and Jodge
Relief goods will be accepted at Colonade Residences, Legaspi St. corner C. Palanca St., Makati City.

RJ Ledesma and friends
•0917-8131601
Please call to have your donations (relief goods only) picked up.

Gerald Lim and friends
•0918 979 1229
•0917 797 4098
•0932 699 1794
Donations on wheels! If you have donations to give, but no means of transport, please get in touch.

Colleen Manabat (Heartrio Prints)
She will accept donations of bottled water, canned goods, blankets, clothes, medicines from 9 AM to 6PM. Please drop them off at Stall 2, MGY Building, 2444 Sto. Entierro St., Sto. Cristo, Angeles City. She will forward the donations to Sagip Kapamilya (ABS-CBN Foundation).

Miriam Quiambao
Donations may be dropped off starting September 28 (Monday) at One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. Send a message via Twitter for more details.

Erica Paredes
•0917 474 1930
Donate bread, packed juice, sandwich fillings, and the like. You can help her make them, deliver your own sandwiches to her house, or help her distribute. Call for more details.

Omel Santos
•501 7405
•729 0530
Drop off donations at 5729 Calasanz St., Barangay Olympia, Makati City or call for pick up.

An Xiao
Artist An Xiao has set up a Kickstarter account to make it easy for anyone with an Amazon account to make a donation. She hopes to raise U.S.$500 by September 30 (Wednesday), 8:49AM EDT.

Vivere Suites 5102 Ridgeway Avenue, Fil-Invest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Contact (+632-7717777) for inquiries or drop off at concierge area. Will accept relief goods.

Wednesday, September 16

Hello Schoolgirl (Korea, 2008)

Can a film really be faulted for aiming to be beautiful?

Hello Schoolgirl
(순정만화) is often blindingly so. The soft afternoon flares, the careful attention to fixing a flickering light bulb, the aerosol snow that melts a heart one floor down and later fills a lonely room; luminously lit and lilting moments that distract from the inelegant motions of lovers with significant age disparity.

Yeon-woo (Yoo Ji-tae) is a polite, 30-year old civil servant who falls for 17-year old high school student Soo-yeung (Lee Yeon-hee). Soo-yeung finds the doting, older man adorable and eventually yearns to take their relationship to a higher level. Over dinner, she blurts out that she never wants to grow up because all the adults in her life have turned into crouching cowards.

Director Ryu Jeong-ha approaches the film as an adult, creating beauty of out self-control, and yes, cowardice.

Yoo Ji-tae's Yeon-woo is what most of us have become in our thirties: complacent, easily pleased with kindness, and comfortable with his place in the society. Pleasures are enjoyed in moderation; love happens when it happens, and if it is from a distance, then so be it. There is no grand unraveling of the character. A joyfully quite ride on a bicycle, driven by Yoo Ji-tae's knack for simmering characterization, becomes the glorious race to the sunset. It's not much, but when was the last time you deliberately made time to look around around and like where you are? (Thank you, The Sundays.)

Exactly.

The other story switches the perspective: Yeon-woo's new colleague, Sook (Kang In), falls for a mysterious older woman, Kwon Ha-kyeong, who always carries an old film camera around. She enjoys the company of Sook, but she fears the coincidences that are too similar with her previous relationship. In contrast, this plot takes delight in the silliness that a youg man is willing to go through for courtship; the absence of pride in the name of love. Super Junior's Kang In (insert inaudible squeal) takes his popular backstage antics to film, making the rough, fumbling Sook frighteningly relatable.

I'm not familiar with the original webcomic by Kang Full, but Hello Schoolgirl is too beautiful for a controversial subject matter. Maybe that is the intention. The hand held cam show the underlying turmoil, but the surface has an untouchable sheen, celebrating the love, but burying the heartache.


Visit Hello Schoolgirl at Han Cinema.

Rating: 3.5