ALTHOUGH numerically small, the ethnic Chinese minority in the Philippines have been so committed to philanthropy or extending help to those affected by calamities and the underserved sector.

Most of their charitable endeavors had been low-key, no media hype or loud acknowledgment even from the recipients themselves. In recent times, notably during the Covid-19 pandemic and the onslaught of Typhoon Odette, through the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) they helped a lot of people by bringing relief goods, medical supplies, food, shelter essentials — P80 million for calamity-stricken residents in the Visayas and Mindanao at the start of the year, and P300 million in 2020 and 2021 for Covid-19 charities nationwide.