The devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi left shockwaves around the world, and one local resident knew she had to step up to help with relief efforts.
Before Kalmaegi hit Thailand and Vietnam in the beginning of November 2025, it ran through the central provinces of the Philippines, where it was known as Typhoon Tino. Several provinces were hit hard, but the most damage was in the Cebu province, where Marve Walwal grew up.
According to GMA Integrated News, 150 of the 269 recorded deaths in the Philippines were in Cebu. Walwal says her hometown, San Isidro, Talisay City, was only a 20-minute walk from one of the hardest hit areas in Cebu.
When Walwal heard about the effects of the typhoon, she had already had a trip planned to visit her father toward the end of November.
“At first, I was just collecting bottles and clothes to help a little bit,” says Walwal.
Then her boss suggested she reach out to the Drayton Valley Community Foundation about their crisis relief grant. After applying through the Drayton Valley Multicultural Association, Walwal was granted $10,000 to offer aid to those affected by the typhoon. She also partnered with the Cebu chapter of the UNIFIED Inglewood Association, which is a Filipino teacher association based in California, United States, to secure the grant.
Walwal says Inglewood was already involved in relief efforts after a 6.9 earthquake hit only a month before the typhoon.
Because Tino had hit so close to home, some of Walwal’s childhood friends and acquaintances were affected. She also had the benefit of connections with people who worked in the local government for the area.
“Most people in the town office are mostly my childhood friends,” says Walwal.
While she was down there from November 28 to December 18, Walwal did her best to ensure the funds went directly to those in need to avoid any corruption. The only organizations involved were the multicultural association and UNIFIED Inglewood, and the relief efforts provided by the funding are still underway in Cebu.
Walwal started at the relief centre in her hometown, bringing the donated goods with her and inquiring about how she could help. She says they chose to help those who were at the relief centre because those individuals did not have family or other support they could go to for help.
“We made a list,” says Walwal. “We needed some utensils, medication, this and that. We were able to help at least 250 people at the time.”
She says there were a lot of volunteers at the centre, and she had brought together several volunteers and family members to help her with her own efforts to help. Knowing the patrons at the relief centre were being looked after, she decided to look for areas where she could be more effective.
“Then I met some people who said the government hadn’t gone to their place because it’s a remote area,” says Walwal. “[They were in] an area where no vehicles can go there …and they don’t have transportation to go there.”
Across the Philippines, more than 600,000 homes were damaged, with 75,000 needing to be replaced. Walwal’s father encouraged her to build homes, but she knew they were limited to how many they could build. They had to carefully consider which families they could help out.
She says they plan to build six homes for families in remote areas. They already have contractors who have stepped up to the task and are volunteering their time. All Walwal has to do is provide the supplies.
Since Walwal is back in Canada, the UNIFIED Inglewood Association is acting on her behalf in Cebu. As the housing projects come up, Walwal is sending them money to cover the costs of roofing materials, lumber, and other items necessary for building a home.
While she’s confident she will be able to help some families, Walwal says she’s paying attention to the costs of goods. Once the rebuilds start on a larger scale across the province, the prices of some commodities will rise due to demand, and it may impact the number of homes she can build.
Though her trip home was tempered by the damage caused by Tino, Walwal says she still enjoyed reconnecting with friends and loved ones. She says there were moments that showed the resilience of the people in her hometown.
“They are already devastated, but children still play there as if nothing [had happened],” says Walwal. “They are resilient.”
Anyone who is interested in donating funds to help with the relief efforts can reach out to the Drayton Valley Multicultural Association at 780-514-5249
