Child gives mom idea for ‘great panties drive’ in Yolanda relief

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—Sheila Juan-Catilo was rummaging through her family’s closets for clothes to be donated to victims of “supertyphoon Yolanda” (Haiyan) when her young daughter, Sky, came up to her one morning.

Shyly, Sky handed her three pieces of child’s underwear and told her in a whisper: “Eto pa, Mommy, baka kasi wala na silang panties (Here Mommy, they might not have any panties).”

Struck by the gesture, all Catilo could manage was a nod to the idea of an innocent 5-year-old. “When you go through lists of donations [sought for], they were specific about food and medicines but not about underwear.”

“Imagine, these people survived with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Aside from hygiene and health issues [from not having changed for days], how do you really raise their level of comfort and dignity?” the 31-year-old wedding photographer from Imus City in Cavite said.

With friend Paula Virata, whose child goes to the same school as hers, and Catilo’s elder sister Stef Juan, they started “The Great Panties Drive,” an online relief drive for underwear for the victims of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

On a tissue paper, they sketched the project’s logo: a cute, yellow panty with a tiny ribbon, and a message that reads: “Because everyone deserves a fresh change.”

The name was catchy but tricky.

“Even my husband’s first reaction was: ‘Is this a joke?’ So I guess it’s just a matter of showing people that we are serious about this and this is a wholesome [project],” Catilo said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Facebook user Abet Rana said it caught his attention: “[but] after talking to [Catilo], it made sense. The victims of Yolanda probably received donated clothes, but the garments closest to their bodies need changing too.”

Support came overwhelmingly from friends and strangers and even companies supplying branded undergarments.

“Our house help gave me P200 [to buy underwear] and that was very touching,” said Catilo, who her friends now refer to as “panty girl.”

They called it a “panties drop” once the donations are ready for shipping.

The first time they gave away 1,341 packs or 4,283 pieces of panties, briefs and brassieres on Nov. 19 to the survivors arriving at Villamor Air Base.

The second “panties drop” was sent to Samar and Leyte through the Philippine Relief and Development Services, a Christian ministry.

Catilo said her group decided to accept donated packs of sanitary napkins, as well as barely used undergarments, mainly bras.

Others wired money which was used to buy underwear for the elderly and the children. Some, she said, sent in swim wear, gym wear and sexy lingerie, which “we don’t think is suitable to donate at this time,” and would be sold instead to raise money for the victims.

Catilo said the only thing asked of donors has been to give underwear that they themselves would be willing to use if they were in the victims’ shoes.

“This is our way of giving [victims] a fresh start. And a fresh change, literally and figuratively,” she said.

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