Amb. Manuel M. LopezChristmas seems like a dream in the aftermath of so many natural calamities suffered by our country this year.

Fresh in our memory is the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that destroyed Bohol and affected Cebu, and especially super typhoon Yolanda that struck a host of islands in the Visayas, practically wiping out cities and towns with a deadly storm surge.

Thousands of lives were lost, millions of refugees remain in temporary shelters and billions in crops, property and infrastructure were damaged.

With families torn apart, and with our fellow employees among the victims, it is important to let them know that we are there for them at this time of great need. As true kapamilya, let us be instruments in making Christmas a reality for them by sharing our blessings.

Through channels established for this purpose by Lopez Group Foundation Inc. and by ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya, we have the means to reach out to our fellow employees and fellow Filipinos who need assistance to fully recover from the disasters we have seen. Let us stand by them and support them as they rebuild their homes and their lives.

We are all survivors of great tragedies that have beset our nation in times past. We must be steadfast in believing that thereis a greater purpose for these trials that we seem to constantly face as a country, and as a community of human beings. Let us strengthen one another with our faith in God, and in our fellow Filipinos. Together, we will surmount our current challenges and fulfill our dreams as individuals and as a nation.

Such is our hope and our prayer. In behalf of my wife Maritess, our children and grandchildren, I wish you all the blessings of a meaningful Christmas and an auspicious New Year. (Amb. Manuel M. Lopez Chairman, Lopez Group)