Photo by JL T .Javier

DESPITE ONGOING heavy monsoon rains, 500 to 600 volunteers still came to help yesterday, August 8, in the relief operations organized by the Ateneo Disaster Response and Management (Dream) Team and spearheaded by Vice President for Social Development Jaime Hofileña.

Ateneo Resident Students Association (ARSA) Dream Team Deputy for Externals Dianne Cirunay said that it was amazing how fast people responded to the call for volunteers. “About 50 people already responded to the call only a few seconds after I posted the sign up sheets on Facebook.”

The volunteers were called to gather at the covered courts by 12:30 PM. However, volunteers started arriving at 9:30 AM.

“There were more volunteers than there were goods to pack,” said School of Social Sciences Chairperson Toni Potenciano.

The Sanggunian helped by disseminating information and mobilizing volunteers, together with representatives from ARSA, the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), the Office for Social Concern and Involvement, the Office of Student Activities and Megaforce, the school’s security agency.

Canned goods, bottled water, medicine, clothes and toiletries were constantly being delivered. These were deployed to the different communities the Loyola Schools are in partnership with through the National Service Training Program (NSTP), the praxis program, or the immersion with marginalized sectors of society, and COA.

“Kanina may nadala na sa Binangonan and sa Sta. Rosa, Laguna (Some goods have already been brought to Binangonan and Sta. Rosa, Laguna),” said ARSA President Kat Tuason.

At 3:00 PM yesterday, Sanggunian Vice President Ian Agatep said that 200 packs were available for deployment, and that their target number of packed goods was 5,000 by the end of the night.

Agatep said that there were three divisions of volunteers: the volunteers’ pool, where volunteers stand by for assignments; the sorting area, where the relief goods are classified and packed; and the deployment area, where the packed goods are brought inside the vehicles that would deliver them to the communities.

“During Ondoy, it was roughly like this, marami na ring tao (there were many people). This was a bit more organized because we have a system in place,” Potenciano said.

She added that the relief operations are really different from the operations following Ondoy because, in the current situation, heavy rains are still pouring and yet people are already willing to help out. “I’m really proud of each one seeing their dedication in spite of the weather.”

Other operations

Relief operations have also been undertaken in the Ateneo High School (AHS), headed by the Associate Principal for Formation Fr. Jboy Gonzales, SJ and the AHS Christian Service and Involvement Program.

“Unlike in the college covered courts, where they are packing food baskets, we are preparing cooked goods to be deployed,” acting Operations Manager Chot Duay said. “We’ve already deployed cooked food for 1,500 people [as of 4:00 PM] and, by the end of the day, we’re hoping to deploy 2,500 meals.”

The relief operations in the Ateneo High School were open to all, but there were already enough volunteers as of 4:00 PM yesterday, Duay said.

“We need more food containers, spoons, forks and cooked rice because it’s the only thing that is holding us back,” Duay said.

AHS relief operations ceased at 7:00 PM, and continued again today, August 9, at 8:00 AM.