WAIPAHU — Zosifie Fernandez listened anxiously yesterday as the names of victims in the Philippine landslide disaster were read during a live radio show from the Filipino Community Center.

"I tried to call family, but there is no communication," said Fernandez, 53. Her brother and sister-in-law live just a few towns away from the southern Leyte village of St. Bernard, which was obliterated by a sea of mud Friday.

"I don't know if my family was there," said Fernandez through her tears.

Fernandez and her husband, Montano, stood to the side as members of Hawai'i's Filipino community and supporters dropped off checks and called in phone pledges during a fundraiser at the community center.

Community leaders took to the airwaves — KNDI Radio, 1270 AM — for more than two hours yesterday in hopes of calming the concerns of the thousands of Filipinos in Hawai'i and to help raise money for relief efforts.

"This is very, very sad what has happened, especially for the children," said Zosifie Fernandez, of Pearl City.

By the first half-hour of the fund drive, the community center had raised more than $9,000 in pledges.

By the end of the day more than $15,000 had come in, said Toy Arre, president of the Filipino Community Center. The center will continue to accept donations.

Hawai'i-based military units are also pitching in. Last night, a C-17 cargo carrier was scheduled to take off from Hickam Air Force Base with 80,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, said Lt. Craig Savage, an Air Force spokesman.

The C-17, Hawai'i's second such transport, had just arrived on Feb. 8. The 173-foot-long jets are the military's newest cargo planes, capable of landing on short runways and rough terrain.

"This is the perfect situation for (the C-17)," Savage said.

About 150 Okinawa-based Marines yesterday were helping in the recovery effort in Leyte, a Marine Corps spokesman said.

Yesterday's Filipino Community Center fundraiser followed a gathering of Filipino leaders Friday night at the Philippine Consulate in Nu'uanu, said Susie Natividad, a consulate official.

"We originally planned to tackle other issues," Natividad said. But the meeting agenda soon changed to how the local Filipino community could help landslide victims, she said. More than $2,000 was donated to the landslide relief that night and another $2,000 had been pledged, she said.

"The consulate appreciates the outpour of support and generosity of the community," Natividad said.

Many of the people who gathered at the community center yesterday said they were deeply affected by the tragedy and went looking for more information and comfort.

"I feel personally very, very sad," said Montano Fernandez, 64. Fernandez and his wife both donated to the fundraiser.

"That's my obligation as a Filipino," he said.

Marilyn Silva of Waikele was also affected by the disaster. She said that as a Filipino, and as a human being, she felt the need to help the victims.

"It is really heartbreaking," said Silva, whose sister lives in Cagayan De Oro City, not too far from where the landslide occurred.

Rosa Aranita, an 84-year-old former nurse, dropped off a check at the Filipino Community Center because she said she felt for the victims of the landslide, especially the children.

"I am a Filipino and we should help one another," Aranita said.

The Philippine Consulate has been receiving phone calls since Friday from local residents concerned for relatives in the Philippines, Natividad said. But "most have called to say they want to help," she said.

Rep. Felipe "Jun" Abinsay, D-29th (Kalihi, Sand Island), made an on-air plea to listeners of the radio station to help fellow Filipinos.

"We are always coming together as Filipinos. Let us come together now," he told listeners.

While earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons are commonplace in this area, Abinsay said, he hoped that donor fatigue would not set in with people who continually give to humanitarian relief efforts.

"We can relate to what is happening in the Philippines," Abinsay said.

He said he believes that the Filipino community will again help victims of this current disaster. "That is who we are."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.