MANILA : Overseas Chinese groups in the Philippines are doing their bit to help victims of the quake in China.

A special candlelight ceremony was held on Wednesday in memory of the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and to pay respects to the rescue workers in China.

A symbolic funeral ceremony was also held at the Chinese embassy in Manila, where various representatives from the Chinese organisations and even Philippine government officials paid homage to the victims of the earthquake.

On Wednesday afternoon, people in the Chinatown area in Manila stood still as sirens wailed at 2.28 pm - the exact moment when the quake struck Sichuan province.

People stopped for three minutes of silence and prayed for the tens of thousands that have been killed in the disaster.

The Chinese Filipino community has so far collected US$3 million worth of donations.

The overseas Chinese in the Philippines hope and pray that their brothers and sisters in China will be able to rise from this tragedy and rebuild their lives again. - CNA/ms