XAVERIAN'S CORNER

Project DoTA Hits the Malls
Lancelot Yupingkun (H2B)

Posted Friday, 27-Oct-2006 1:36 PM

      During the last week of September, the destructive typhoon, Milenyo raged through our country. For two days, rain poured around the clock and disrupted our daily lives. To us, Xaverians, it may have cost at least two days without the pleasure of electricity, but to the rest of the country, it cost shelters or worse, lives. Truly, Milenyo has scarred the Filipino nation.

      Seeing the sad scene left by the typhoon, Xavier School took the initiative to act upon the tragedy through Project DoTA (Donate To Aid). Aside from the schoolwide collection of funds, Project DoTA was also able to solicit donations from kind-hearted people outside the campus. This was made possible by the mall begging activity held at Unimart and Robinson’s Galleria on October 14, 2006. Luckily, I was one of the chosen to take part in it.

      Equipped with banners, cans, and courtesy, we started the mall begging activity at around 10:30 A.M. in Unimart. Initially, it was quite a disappointment for me. Even after 10 minutes of pleading for donations, not a single person dropped a coin or inserted a bill into my can. I was becoming hopeless until a lady suddenly dropped a couple of 5 peso coins in my can. The amount seemed little, but the deed was what made me continue asking for donations. As time went by, I heard more clinks of coins and saw more hearts of gold. After an hour of doing so, my can was nearly full, and my heart was overflowing with true delight.

      In my opinion, it is overwhelming how a simple line such as “help the victims ,” can generate up to a thousand pesos in just a short span of time. It is surprising that despite the economic crisis, there are still individuals who spare a portion of their money to assist those in need. It is magnificent how a disaster can open the eyes of people and how collaboration can heal the scars of our country.

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