The Werribee resident returned from volunteering with Christian missions in the flood-devastated Negros Oriental, in the archipelago's south-east.

He spent 10 days distributing food to victims of Typhoon Ondoy, which struck in September last year, leaving more than 280 people dead and thousands displaced, including some of his relatives.

"It was really shocking to hear about what people went through; horrible stories like my aunt who had to swim through disease-infected water to find food in the days after the flood.

"You can still see the marks on the buildings where the water rose to. It must have been terrifying, yet people are already rebuilding and getting on with their lives."

During Mr Silva's stay, another calamity struck his family.

"My wife Nova and I visited my brother-in-law in the block of flats where he lived with nine other relatives. Suddenly, someone yelled 'fire!' We got as much stuff as we could and then fled with all the children to a nearby basketball court."

There, he watched the entire block go up in flames.

"The fire spread so rapidly and you could feel the heat from where we were standing. I had to keep an eye out for the kids and the family's possessions because there were looters around. There's a lot of poverty around so situations like that you have to be careful because people can get very desperate."

He said the cause of the fire was not known.

"We don't know what happened, because over there it's not like Australia, where police are able to investigate every crime. It's much more chaotic, and people are more concerned about daily survival, and where the next meal is coming from."

Mr Silva arranged for his 10 relatives to stay at a guest house with him while they recovered from the fire. Within days, they were rebuilding.

"My brother-in-law just used whatever materials he could

find to fix the unit, and put a temporary roof over it for his family.

"In the Philippines, where there's a roof, there's a home.

"I was touched by the experiences I had over there, and felt good to be helping people in my own country."

Mr Silva came to Australia with his mother when he was 17.

He has been living in Werribee and working as a forklift operator with a local company for more than 20 years.

He said he tried to visit his family once a year.