In the Philippines, many companies have decided to forgo their Christmas parties. The amount they would have spent for the festivities are instead going to the people in the provinces hard hit by Typhoon Haiyan last November.

This is admirable indeed, and understandable because after all, the people in the Visayas are our countrymen. Aside from the additional help from these local companies, the survivors of Haiyan will also experience the joy of receiving aid from many people who work in German companies that have decided to scrap their Christmas parties and donate the money intended for the parties to the people in the Visayas.

Germany’s acting head of mission Joern Rohdesaid said that various German companies operating in the Philippines have provided assistance in kind and through donations from their employees. The German companies have also used their own funds and some have tapped into the resources of their headquarters and global networks.

An early Christmas gift for the people of Tacloban was a visit from Justine Beiber, who flew in from Australia. Before proceeding to the Philippines, the singer tweeted: “About to go perform the last #believetour show. The real last one and the most important one of the tour. #GiveBackPhilippines.” After singing three songs, distributing gifts, playing basketball with the children of Tacloban and hugging them, Beiber tweeted: “Special show in the affected areas #pray4philippines. You’ve changed my life, thank you…”

To all the people around the world who continue to help, maraming salamat po (thank you very much)!