On most days, the Masagana Filipino store in Port Coquitlam is a place where shoppers can purchase food products and goods from the Philippines.
But since Typhoon Haiyan devastated the nation last week, shop owner Roger Almirol said the business has become a rallying point for the Tri-Cities Filipino community, eagerly awaiting news from their home country.
"There is a lot of people coming here," he said. "There have been a few whose families have been one of the victims."
Almirol, who has operated the store for three years, considers himself one of the lucky ones. His family is from Luzon, a town that was largely missed by last week's storm.
He has a donation box at the Kingsway Avenue store and is encouraging people to donate as much as they can.
Malcolm Travena is another Tri-City resident who has been following the news since the storm hit last week. His wife, Megin Alvarez, is from the Philippines and the two run the aid organization Meaningful Volunteer, which funds education programs there.
"The damage is compounded by the poverty already in the Philippines," he said. "A lot of them are living in houses made of bamboo. They have no chance in a typhoon."
He is also concerned about the political situation in Manila. The Filipino government has considered implementing martial law, a decision Travena fears could be used as an opportunity for military leaders to deal with people who oppose the government.
"That is the fear," he said. "That they will use the typhoon as a justification for martial law and that will help them sort out their political problems."
Travena said he and Alvarez will continue their work in the Philippines - they also run similar initiatives in Uganda and Nepal - and have been considering opening a school in the country.
While they are not doing anything specific for storm relief, Travena encourages people to donate whatever they can to the Canadian Red Cross.
