Yoko Ono, widow of the late Beatles member John Lennon, has donated ¥5 million or P2.5 million for the thousands of victims of Tropical Storm Ondoy, international codenamed Ketsana, which hit the Philippines September last year, killing hundreds. A statement from the Philippine Embassy in Japan said Ono visited the Philippine Embassy in Fujimi, Tokyo before Christmas to personally pledge the donation. “(Ono) learned about the very severe and continuing conditions of the Ondoy victims and decided to take action. As a mother herself, she feels deep sympathy and love for suffering children,” the statement read. A total of 464 people were killed when Ondoy brought a record rainfall in Metro Manila and several nearby provinces on Sept. 26, 2009. Thousands were left homeless by the floods it caused. Ondoy is one of the three devastating typhoons which hit the northern Phililppines late last year. Ono, an artist herself from an wealthy family, grew up in the Fujimi manor that now houses the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. The mansion was built by Ono's uncle, who later sold it to the late President Jose P. Laurel. After World War II, the Philippines bought the property from the Laurel family and is now called the “Jewel of the Philippines.” “The Fujimi residence is very close to my heart and I consider it my home sweet home in Japan. I am therefore very grateful to the Philippine government for maintaining the house in a good condition all these years,” the statement quoted Ono as saying. Ono and Lennon married in 1969 and collaborated on several projects. They have a son named Sean. John was shot dead Dec. 8, 1980 in New York by Mark David Chapman.
