Helping Marikina was the seed that spawned the creation of Sulong Simpol.
Preparing a hot meal for people who have been soaked by the rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses was the start of a series of other relief efforts that continues for the Simpol team. There was no plan for it at all. In fact, it was just a spontaneous act that lead to more serious relief efforts.
The Objective was simple, feed people a hot meal, those drenched in the rain and floodwater from the unforgiving reign of Ulysses. We merely started with a few people within reach—Marikina, who have always been through the years been affected by the overflowing of the Marikina river. But this year it has been unpredictably devastating as waters rose its highest in decades.
For me it was just a rainy afternoon aside from the single fruit tree that fell to the ground. I could have just spent the day in bed. But it took someone else’s generosity to move me to action. There was no grand plan. In fact it was just a pot of arroz caldo that started it all, and yet it lead to feeding over 2000 hot meals to people in areas around Marikina and Rizal, which has been badly hit by the typhoon.
The first pot hit the streets of Marikina even before the rains stopped. Yet the feeding continues as donations continue to be shared through us at Simpol. More efforts will be done in the coming days. Please watch out for more information on our relief efforts on our pages.