Help The Philippines! #wecandothis

We all cannot believe what is happening in our home country, the Philippines. It has been rocked by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 15. The Visayas region hasn't even stood up from the calamity when a supertyphoon came barreling fast and strong leaving in its wake a destruction we have no words for. Seeing the photos and videos in the news channels and websites left us all in shock; our mouths open in disbelief, our hearts swell with anguish for our fellow Filipinos who have perished and were severely affected by the storm. Yolanda, international name Haiyan, is the strongest storm of 2013 and it has chosen to pass through the Philippines at a difficult time already. What are the odds?

We have no words... and these are just the destroyed properties. We cry at the photos of people. (via BuzzFeed)

But we Filipinos are known for our resilience and our bayanihan spirit. With these, we will prevail in these hard times. We highly encourage everyone, especially OFWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to come to the rescue of our fellow Filipinos suffering in the Philippines. There are a lot of agencies open for relief and cash donations. 

For relief donations such as canned goods, mineral water bottles, medicines, mosquito nets, and toiletries, LBC branches kingdom-wide are serving as drop-off points. You can visit any of their branches:

RIYADH Branch: Store 14-16, Abi Alabass corner Al Murshdi Streets (Near Pinoy Supermarket), Al Batha District, Riyadh 

JEDDAH Branch: Store 175, Jeddah International Market (SARAWAT), Madinah Road, Jeddah

AL KHOBAR Branch: King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Street Cross A (near RAMANIYA COMPLEX, beside SEVEN ELEVEN), Al Khobar 

Customer Service Hotlines: 800-8-110332

For cash donations, the Red Cross is accepting via Paypal.

Donations via credit cards are accepted via the following websites:

Gawad Kalinga

Feed The Hungry, Inc.

UNICEF

ANCOP Foundation USA

You can also send your cash donations via Enjaz or through your banks to the following Sagip Kapamilya accounts:

Other options to help for people outside the Philippines:

We believe in the generosity of the Filipino people. We also believe in the generosity of the world who continuously pours their donations to the Philippines. Thank you! We wish that these donations are used for the calamity victims and not go to the pockets of our corrupt officials. We appeal to the government to make sure that all donations are given to those who need it and deserve them the most. 

We also believe in the power of prayers. Let us continue to ask strength, guidance, and providence from the Almighty to see the Philippines and the Filipino people through these difficult times. 

God bless the Philippines! God bless the world. 

Love LBC, 24/7!

ARE YOU ONE of those OFWs who like to hoard goodies here abroad and send them home to your families in the Philippines? The type who could fill up two or more boxes with anything, from powdered milk, rubber shoes to sugar packets? Admittedly, I have never gotten to the habit of using the so-called "balikbayan boxes" simply because in my case, my immediate family is here with me in Saudi Arabia. But I have noticed lately that my "pasalubong powers" are a bit lackluster compared to my other relatives who come home to our province during vacation time. And that's when it clicked that I may have to level up my game and bring home more than just chocolates to my aunties and grannies. I am going to start collecting the goodies every salary day so that come vacation time, they would have more to relish from my more than five years of being an OFW. 

Good thing that LBC, our Hari ng Padala! is now actively serving our kababayans here in Riyadh and all over Saudi Arabia for all of our sea and air cargo needs...24/7! Its first branch in Riyadh opened in December 2011 and has now served 30,000 OFWs and growing. LBC's branches in Jeddah and Al Khobar are now offering box pick-ups, while its slowly making its presence in Jubail in partnership with a box service provider. 

As you can see, LBC is making it more accessible for OFWs all over the Kingdom to bring home the bacon! (Or in our case, turkey bacon from KSA :P) And when I said, "more accessible," it couldn't be any more true especially with what they call their 24/7 ACCESS POINTS. 

The 24/7 Access Points will allow you to make requests for box delivery/pick-up, information and follow-ups on the status of your balikbayan boxes (so there's no excuse at all!) and there are two ways on which you could do this: 

* 24/7 Hotline: For STC users and landline subscribers, you may call their toll-free hotline 

   anytime of the day. Jot down the number: 800-8-110332. 

   For Mobily, Zain, Friendi or other network users, you may call the following numbers:

   Riyadh: 0547212962; 0536130643

   Jeddah: 0508199437; 0543291624

   AlKhobar: 0508213741; 0543407283

   Jubail: 0567540222

* LBC Live Talk: This is an online service that will allow you to chat with an LBC 

   Associate through the web. Just visit http://www.lbcexpress.com or visit the LBC Facebook Fan 

   Page and send in your message/request.  

   

So there you have it! Christmas is coming up soon and it's right about time to stock up on some gifts and pasalubongs to our loved ones as early as now. Especially since LBC is extending their Any Box Size Acceptance Promo up to September 30, 2013! So what are you waiting for? I'm packing my box already! To my aunties and grannies, I'm going to surprise you this year! :) 

Visit the LBC Branch here in Riyadh at:

14-16 Abi Alabass cor. Al Murshidi St.

(near Pinoy Supermarket) Batha

Note: Personal drop-off of your box or drum to the LBC branch here in Riyadh will get you a 15SR discount. Personal drop-offs in Jeddah, Khobar and Jubail are only entitled to the 15SR discount every Friday and Saturday, 7PM-11PM only. 

This entry is sponsored by LBC. All opinion are the writer's own. 

Eyecandy

LBC All Box Promo

Clothes, bags, shoes, perfumes, soap, chocolates… nope, they're not things you can find in my closet. They're things you can find inside a Balikbayan Box… the ubiquitous presence that 'goes' with every Filipino abroad, and back to the Philippines.

For us Filipinos , sending balikbayan boxes is not only a trend but a culture. If a Filipino residing or working abroad hasn't sent one balikbakayan box in his/her time overseas, his/her overseas life remains unfulfilled, haha. We OFWs in Saudi Arabia are known for sending a lot of balikbayan boxes filled to the brim with rubber shoes, clothes, chocolates, fragrances… and soap (yes, even the powdered detergent… because well, they're really cheaper here.) The cargo industry is thriving in the Middle East! 

As OFWs who work hard for the things we send to our loved ones in the Philippines, we shouldn't just settle for fly-by-night cargo companies that promise quick delivery at cheap prices but doesn't get the job done. Did you know that there are a lot of cargo companies blacklisted by the Department of Trade and Industry because apart from boxes and packages not arriving their destination, some arrive with dents or holes, or worse… incomplete and manhandled stuff inside? Tsk, tsk. Also, most cargo companies have a standard box they use and aren't flexible enough to receive various sized boxes. 

That is why, LBC came up with their latest Any Box Size Acceptance Promo where boxes of different sizes are accepted at special rates. LBC, known as the number 1 courier company in the Philippines with over 1,000 branches in the Philippines, opened its first branch in Batha, Riyadh on December 1, 2011.

LBC in Batha (quite obvious eh? :P)

With LBC's Any Box Size Acceptance Promo, even durable drums and oversized boxes are now accommodated. LBC Sea Cargo doesn't have a per kilometer charge, chargeable weight (no per kilo charge) bill of lading, and hidden charges. They offer free pick-up, door-to-door delivery and guaranteed weekly shipping. But get this… when you drop off the box (instead of having them picked it up in your place), you get a SR 15 discount!

(Click for larger version.)

You also get updated regarding your boxes' whereabouts via text alerts. This promo runs from April 1 until June 30, 2013. Prices apply to Riyadh only. LBC's Jeddah and Al-Khobar branches will open soon.

LBC also offers air cargo. For air cargo, they offer sending documents and packages for as low as SR50 and SR60 respectively. The heavier the padala, the lower is the per kilogram charge. (Item may be charged either by volume or by weight.) It doesn't have any per kilometer charge and ships to the Philippines twice a week. You can also send electrical gadgets like cellphones, tablets, and laptops!

Rates for air cargo.

Customers can also follow-up their packages by connecting online with LBC's customer service via LBC Livetalk. Just visit LBC's website or Facebook page for more information.

Now, if you can send a big drum home to the Philippines, what will you send? I'll probably send fresh camel milk or gasoline (because they're cheaper here right?!). Haha. Kidding, kidding. We're sure no matter what the contents of your balikbayan box are, they will bring smiles to your loved ones' faces. :) ~ Sundrenched

LBC RIYADH 

Store 14-16, Abi Alabass cor. Al Murshidi Streets 

(near Pinoy Supermarket) 

Batha, Riyadh, KSA 

T: +966547212962, +966536130643, 

+966-11-4012709, +966-11-4028369, +966-11-4091678 

LBC JEDDAH (opening soon) 

Store 175, Jeddah International Market (SARAWAT) 

Madinah Road, Jeddah, KSA 

T: +966508199437, +966543291624 

LBC AL KHOBAR (opening soon)

King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz St. Cross A (near Ramaniya Complex beside Seven Eleven) 

Al Khobar, KSA 

T: +966508213741, +966543407283