Filipinos abroad gather relief for kababayans

HONG KONG: Filipinos abroad who have spent harrowing days trying to contact loved ones after a typhoon devastated their homeland are mobilizing to send relief, despite misgivings about corrupt local officials pocketing aid on the ground.

With thousands feared dead and aid only trickling in after Super Typhoon Haiyan laid waste to entire coastal towns on Friday, many among the 10-million strong disaspora are still frantically trying to find out if their relatives are alive and their homes still standing.