The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) collected a whooping P4 million from the voluntary collection of its military personnel for the immediate recovery of the victims of Super Typhoon “Carina”.

AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the donation came from a portion of the subsistence allowance of the soldiers.

The amount collected was turned over during a blood-letting activity on Saturday, Aug. 17, to a media foundation which supports the disaster relief efforts for those affected by last month’s massive flooding and landslides due to Carina.

Brawner also donated blood during the turnover ceremony.

“We know that GMA Kapuso Foundation will put this amount to good use. ‘Yung mga proyekto (The projects) that we jointly undertook already, like school buildings and bridges, we hope that this amount will also help rebuild infrastructure that was destroyed by Typhoon Carina,” Brawner said.

Around 6.5 million individuals or 1.7 million families were affected by Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) when it wreaked havoc in the country from July 19 to 26, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

A total of 48 individuals were killed, 16 were injured while five others were missing.

During times of disasters such as typhoons, military personnel usually chip in from their allowance to support the recovery efforts of the victims.

Soldiers are allotted a daily subsistence allowance of P150 which they use when they are assigned to a far away place to pay for their food and other expenses.

Brawner said the initiative of the soldiers to give up a portion of their subsistence allowance for their fellow Filipinos “highlights the AFP's dedication to serving the Filipino people not only through national defense but also through meaningful contributions to community welfare and disaster resilience.”