In October 2019, areas of Mindanao was wrecked by 3 different earthquakes—a magnitude 6.3 on October 16, 6.6 on October 29, and 6.5 on October 31—leaving the residents homeless and dependent on aid until present.

In response to the pressing needs of the devastated communities, PWC stakeholders through the Office of the Community Extension Services’ We Care We Share program took part in enabling and organizing a relief operation, starting with the donation collection on November 4-11, 2019. The repacking of goods took place on November 12, with students from different units as volunteers.

Simultaneously, the different programs of the Tertiary Education Department separately collected donations intended for PWC’s own students affected by the calamity.

On November 15, personnel from different PWC offices volunteered in the turnover of goods at Barangay Malongon, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur. The relief operation at the farthest barangay from the municipality’s poblacion was coordinated with local government offices which provided vehicles and volunteers for assistance. PWC distributed clothing, medicine, water, and ready-to-eat food to meet immediate needs and was able to provide for all 174 families of Barangay Malongon.

“In our interview with DSWD, it was revealed that among the most challenging aspect was providing care for the kids,” shared CES coordinator Paolo Naval, “there are no schools or any proper venue to hold psychological aid activities in—everything is makeshift from homes to health centers.”

Alongside the distribution of donations, PWC personnel formally trained in psychological first aid conducted an activity for the children of Malongon. A mini-counselling session transpired and the children were encouraged to share their dreams, write them down on a piece of paper then folded into planes symbolic of launching them into becoming reality. 

The residents further expressed anxiety given the constant aftershocks and the uncertainty in rebuilding their homes and livelihood. “This poses a challenge for us as an institution,” said Mr. Naval, “we are not here just to give a band aid solution when we can explore more ways of helping especially now that the affected are in the rehabilitation stage.”

Letters from PWC students

The Basic Education Department Filipino subject area also launched an initiative to reach out, this time in the form of letters. In an activity called “Liham at Dasal para sa mga Pamilyang Nasalanta ng Lindol”, students wrote messages and prayers which were sent to the affected families in hopes to uplift their spirits.

As an educational institution, PWC continues to extend aid and services to address rising needs in the community, setting a standard for its students to be honed with awareness and social responsibility. 

RCM

On November 1, 2019, a Call for Donations was posted on PWC official site for the PWC Community to support the people affected by the series of earthquakes in the provinces of Cotabato.

Ms. Apreal D. Maat, the President of the Supreme Student Council (SSC) provided the Office of the Community Extension Services of the list of the 23 College students affected by the said earthquakes.  Majority of these students are from Kidapawan and Makilala. They belong to the BSTM, BSFA, BS Psychology, BA and Teacher Education Programs.  

As a responsive and civic conscious alumna, Ms. Lizabeth Robillo-Lu, HS Batch ’74  donated rechargeable flashlights for the PWC of Davao community victims.

In order to respond right away to the affected students, the TED students forwarded directly their donations to their Program Directors’ Office.   The distribution of donations to the students from Kidapawan and Makilala was scheduled on November 8, 2019. However, since the affected students have already reported back to school, they were then just called by the Program Directors to personally hand over to them the donations of their fellow students.    After the goods were distributed to the affected students, all the extra donations collected at the Program Directors Offices were forwarded to the Rosa Santos Munda Center for distribution to other affected individuals and families. 

“Generosity  is the most natural outward expression  of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.”—The Dalai Lama XIV