Tragedies usually bring out the best and worst in people. In the Philippines, we are   fortunate because we are open to helping others in times of calamities as demonstrated by the outpouring of volunteers and donations during disasters.

At the height of typhoon 'Ondoy,' people from all walks of life flocked to the National Resource  Operations Center (NROC), the DSWD's central warehouse in Pasay City and regional warehouses, and the Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) to volunteer their services.

Ms. Lani Cruz, team leader of Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company based in the Philippines, related that 554 employees of Accenture helped in repacking relief goods at NROC for three consecutive Saturdays of November.

"I am glad that I was part of this volunteer work. It was actually more fun than I expected and it developed greater synergy among employees. It was some kind of a teambuilding session," Cruz said.

Students also took advantage of the week-long unexpected school break to assist in the repacking of relief goods.

"We came here on our own. It feels good to help," quips Francis Rosan Gonzales, one of the student-volunteers from San Sebastian College Recolectos. The school also offered their shuttle bus to transport the repacked goods to the affected barangays.

Volunteers also contributed towards addressing the psychosocial concerns of the typhoon victims by conducting psycho-social debriefing sessions in collaboration with the Team on Mental Health Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) headed by the Health Emergencies Management Staff of the Department of Health (DOH) as chair, and the DSWD as co-chair.

"Nearly 600 volunteers composed of psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychology students generously contributed their time and resources to alleviate the anguish suffered by the victims and survivors," DSWD Acting Secretary Celia Capadocia-Yangco stated.

With the magnitude of the devastation wrought by twin-typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, serving the victims would have been very difficult for the government. The volunteers saved the day by assisting in distributing relief goods, providing psychosocial counseling, and repacking of relief goods. 

On its 59th anniversary, the DSWD gives recognition to individual and group volunteers who have selflessly dedicated their time, and even resources to fellow Filipinos affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

"It is this resiliency, the determination to bounce back after a tragedy that sustains the spirit of Filipinos. On the occasion of our 59th Anniversary, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who joined us in addressing the needs of the victims of typhoons," Acting Secretary Yangco enthused.  #