THE ATENEO de Manila University Disaster Response and Management (Dream) Team prepared 82,401 relief packs and collected P15.5 million in cash donations for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda during the relief operations held on November 12 to 17 at the Loyola Schools (LS) covered courts.

Yolanda made landfall at Guiuan, Eastern Samar the morning of November 8.

According to Sanggunian President Dan Remo, the relief packs will benefit around 475,000 typhoon victims.

The Dream Team, composed of representatives from different organizations and offices in the Ateneo, is mobilized to aid various communities that are affected by natural calamities. It is the prerogative of Vice President for Social Development Atty. Jaime Hofileña to convene the team.

Relief efforts

According to Hofileña, the Dream Team was convened via e-mail on November 9 but they were only able to meet personally two days later.

He added that despite being unable to meet earlier, the Dream Team members decided to call for cash donations, as well as respond to the request of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for volunteers in their Pasay office.

The donation booths were set up in the LS Bookstore, the Science Education Complex C foyer and the Gonzaga Hall cafeteria from November 11 to 15.

Hofileña said the Dream Team did not initially make a call for donations in kind because they were concerned about disrupting the PE classes held at the covered courts.

Meanwhile, two batches of volunteers were sent to DSWD the afternoon of November 9. The first batch was composed of 30 LS students and a moderator from the Office of Social Concern and Involvement. The second batch was composed of 26 members of the Ateneo Grade School faculty and staff.

DSWD also sent a request for the Ateneo to serve as one of its satellite repacking stations on November 10. Under this agreement, DSWD would provide the relief goods while the Ateneo would provide the manpower to repack them.

The covered courts were cleared for this as early as November 11, but operations could only start the next day because of a delay in the delivery of goods.

HUNDREDS FOR THOUSANDS. The relief goofs, which were packed by hundreds volunteers benefited around 475,000 families affected by Typhoon Yolanda.

Nonstop operations

DSWD initially requested that the Ateneo produce 50,000 repacked packages. The Dream Team planned to hold operations nine to ten hours a day from November 13 to 15 to meet this quota.

However, DSWD later requested an increase of the quota to 80,000 packs. Given the increase, the Dream Team decided to run the relief operations for 24 hours starting November 14 until the morning of November 17.

All PE students were required to help with the relief operations in place of attending the regular PE classes. The National Service Training Program classes were also cancelled on November 16 so that students could help.

Several LS teachers also decided to call off regular classes, instead signing up their students to help with the relief operations.

At 4:51 AM of November 17, the quota of relief packs was reached.

However, Hofileña said that the surge of volunteers was an issue for the Dream Team.

Sanggunian President Remo said that the number of volunteers ranged from 300 to 800 at any given time.

­­­The relief operations faced regular idle times because supplies from DSWD periodically ran out.

Meanwhile, Hofileña said that the Dream Team also helped the relief operations of the Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, which were held at the Richie Fernando Covered Courts, by giving them the funds to buy the goods for the relief packs.

As of press time, the Dream Team is communicating with the Ateneo campuses in the Visayan region to determine if they need help with their own relief operations.

They will also fund the deployment of solar-powered water treatment units, constructed by the Ateneo Innovation Center, to the affected areas.

The Dream Team will also be sending blankets and food to typhoon refugees currently staying in Villamor Air Base.

Counseling and training

Aside from the relief operations, the Dream Team also collaborated with the Fr. Jaime Bulatao, SJ Center for Psychology Services (Bu Center) to provide psychosocial services to the typhoon victims and others who have witnessed the devastation in the affected Visayan regions. Counseling sessions started on November 16.

The Bu Center is the service arm of the Psychology Department.

According to Bu Center Executive Director Karina Fernandez, they have offered services to journalists who covered the typhoon. Relatives of Ateneans who were affected by Yolanda have scheduled appointments with them as well.

Psychology Department faculty members have also been sent to the Villamor Air Base to provide counseling sessions to refugees.

On November 22, the Bu Center also held a training workshop on identifying traumatized victims and how to interact with them for those who wished to help their relatives and friends who were survivors of the storm.

Independent efforts

Several student organizations have also contributed to the relief efforts.

Ateneo Management Association (AMA) pledged to donate the following to the victims: Proceeds from its party Madhouse, proceeds from the AMA Caroling, donations from the boxes stationed in the John Gokongwei School of Management Student Enterprise Center and donations collected during AMA Week.

The Ateneo Environmental Science Society and the Computer Society of the Ateneo also pledged the proceeds of E-Drive, a project in which they resold Ateneans’ used electronics, to be sent to the typhoon victims.

The Ateneo Book Bench, in partnership with the Rizal Library, has also launched a book drive, the proceeds of which will be turned over to the Dream Team.

Typhoon aftermath

Some Ateneans had relatives who were affected by Yolanda.

Sophomore Julia Sucgang’s family lives in Palo, Leyte, one of the areas greatly affected by the typhoon.

Though her family survived by hiding in the underground shelter of their home, Sucgang still shared in the anxiety of others were not able to contact their families during the height of the typhoon.

Sophomore Sienna Nacario’s family lives in Calbiga, Samar. She said her relatives witnessed the severe devastation in Tacloban City, which they described to have been completely “wiped out.”

After the storm, Nacario’s family decided to conduct their own relief operations because towns near Tacloban were not receiving enough aid.

“We rented trucks and buses to transfer the donations that we receive from our friends and family,” Nacario said.

While the Ateneo “cannot give everything” to the relatives of Ateneans affected by the storm due to lack of resources, Acting LS Vice President Maria Luz Vilches, PhD said the Ateneo can “help them right now with psychosocial rehabilitation.”

Rehabilitation

The Dream Team is also currently making plans for rehabilitation efforts.

“We certainly wish to involve ourselves in rehabilitation for as long as it takes, but that means as well assessing realistically how much resources we can devote to this.” said Hofileña.

He added that they may focus on one or two areas only. They are currently looking at Culion, Palawan as one of their target regions because of the lack of aid the island has received. The Loyola College of Culion is run by the Society of Jesus.