For Immediate Release Contact: Jay Mendoza, NAFCON, 408-297-1977 December 12, 2004

BAYANihan Disaster Relief A project of NAFCON "Give the gifts of new beginnings."

December 8, 2004

Dear NAFCON Members, Family and Friends,

Millions of persons in the Philippines in the last few weeks have Become victims of crisis and devastation triggered by a series of typhoons including Yoyong, Violeta, Unding and Winnie. According to a report by CNN, over 1,000 men, women and children are feared dead or missing from one province alone. The death toll continues to rise due to landslides, flashfloods and health problems. 170,000 persons have been evacuated to higher grounds in Southern Tagalog and hundreds of thousands more from other provinces in Central and Northern Luzon have lost their homes.

Thousands of men, women and children are in need of medical assistance in evacuation centers. Amidst this devastation, new beginnings await the victims.

In the spirit of bayanihan, the NAFCON National Steering Committee is calling to launch the BAYANihan Disaster Relief project to aid the victims of this crisis. Throughout the nation, local drop-off and coordination centers are available to collect and gather financial or material support.

The money and resources collected will be coursed to the victims through the Citizens Disaster Relief Center (CDRC) and the Council for Health and Development (CHD) in the Philippines.

As we pray for the victims of disaster, may the Filipino BAYANihan spirit prevail in us all. Each one of us can remember a time when we were in need of help. We must remember how much a simple donation means to those persons who have lost a loved one, lost their home, lost all their belongings, have become sick or ill, or lost their means of living. By helping victims of disaster, we help to build hope, courage and determination for the families and young children to re-build the future and have a new beginning.

Please find below a description of the BAYANihan Disaster Relief project and how you and/or your organization can immediately support the victims and/or get involved. We urge you to contact your friends, relatives and co-workers to give generously.

On Behalf of the National Steering Committee,

Jay Mendoza National Coordinator

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BAYANihan Disaster Relief A project of NAFCON "Give the gifts of new beginnings."

MISSION BAYANihan Disaster Relief is being launched to aid victims of crisis in the Philippines and has been initiated in response to the recent devastation and crisis triggered by typhoons Yoyong, Violeta, Unding and Winnie. The primary objective of BAYANihan Disaster Relief is to provide relief to victims of crisis by collecting and coordinating the remittance and transportation of money, food, medical supplies, resources and material support from the United States to the victims in the Philippines. The project shall be ongoing for multiple years and coordinate the remittance and transportation of financial and material support twice per year to the Philippines, one in December and one in June. The campaign seeks to involve as many organizations, groups, networks and individuals from people primarily in the United States.

DROP-OFF AND LOCAL COORDINATING CENTERS Local drop-off and coordinating centers have been identified for the following major cities: New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino. Please see below for drop-off locations and contact information. The Local drop-off centers in different states will coordinate with NAFCON national headquarters in San Jose, California.

MONETARY DONATIONS All monetary donations are tax deductible. Please make checks out to "FOCUS", the fiscal sponsor for donations, and please write "NAFCON-Bayanihan Relief" in the memo line. You also have the choice of making checks out to your local organizational affiliate of NAFCON and/or drop-off center, and the full amount will be remitted to NAFCON by that organization.

Please mail donations and correspondence to:

Bayanihan Disaster Relief, c/o FOCUS, 525 W. Alma Ave., San Jose, CA 95125

PHILIPPINE COORDINATION - CITIZENS DISASTER RELIEF CENTER and COUNCIL FOR HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT The money, materials and supplies received by NAFCON will be coursed to the victims through the Citizens Disaster Relief Center (CDRC) and the Council for Health and Development (CHD), both of which are non-governmental non-profit organizations with over 50 years of combined experience. The CDRC and CHD will coordinate the distribution of relief aid, medical supplies and medical assistance to the victims. The donations provided through NAFCON will enhance the already existing programs for victims' relief.

BAYANihan National Coordinating Committee
· Fr. Arturo Balagat, United States Filipino Catholic Ministries Council, St. George Church, San Bernardino
· Robert Roy, Philforum, New York · Jay Mendoza, FOCUS, San Jose, California
· Chito Quijano, California Nurses Association, Southern California
· Ace Saturay, Filipino Workers Action Center, Seattle, Washington
· Terry Valen, Filipino Community Center, San Francisco, California

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BAYANihan Disaster Relief A project of NAFCON "Give the gifts of new beginnings."

LOCAL DROP-OFF AND COORDINATING CENTERS

New York Philforum
87-08 Justice Ave., Rm. 2E
Elmhurst, NY 11373
718-565-8862 718-565-8856
Contact: Robert Roy, Executive Director

San Francisco Filipino Community Center
35 San Juan Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
Contact: Terry Valen, Organizational Director

San Jose FOCUS (Filipino Community Support)
525 W. Alma
San Jose, CA 95125
408-297-1977 408-197-1978
www.focusnow.org
Contact: Jay Mendoza, Executive Director

Seattle Filipino Workers Action Center
2809 Beacon Ave. S. #18
Seattle, WA 98108
206-763-9611 206-860-6949
Contact: Ace Saturay, Executive Director

San Bernardino St. George Church
505 North Palm Ave.
Ontario, CA. 91762
909-983-2637; 909-986-5146
Contact: Fr. Arturo Balagat

Los Angeles Tulong Sa Bayan
3517 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213-384-4206
Contact: Fernando Fernando, or Chito Quijano @ 626-255-5949