“Maraming salamat po, (Thank you so much) DMMMSU!”

Smiles accentuated the faces of hundreds of evacuees at Laurel, Batangas as they received donations from DMMMSU on February 6, 2020. A total of 534 bags of goods were distributed.

The  37 – member charity team of DMMMSU left Agoo past midnight of February 5 for its mission to help the families affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano.  After a nine-hour drive including what seemed an endless journey through uninhabited mountains of Batangas, the convoy composed of one closed winged truck and two buses of DMMMSU loaded with goods, and three vans carrying the team, reached the town of Laurel at 30 minutes past 9 in the morning of February 6, 2020.

The team led by Hon. Jo Ann P. Rulla, the Faculty Regent of DMMMSU, met with the Mayor of Laurel, Hon.  Joan Lumbres Amo, and the town’s Vice Mayor, Hon. Rachelle B. Ogalinda, who, along with other town officials and Municipal DSWD personnel, were attending to the needs of families housed in tents inside their town’s covered court.  After the courtesy call with the municipal officials, the team was accompanied by Ms. Mary Rose O. Matienzo, MDSWD staff to distribute goods to evacuation centers in five barangays at Laurel.  The team was advised to distribute goods in these barangays as they are the ones seldom reached by help compared with the families housed in the town’s covered court as the place is most accessible for benefactors to unload goods.

The team was first brought to Barangay Dofli where 21 families were each given three (3) bags of goods and three (3) bottles of 6.6 liters of water. After that, the team was brought to Barangay Balakilong where 27 families queued for three (3) bags of goods and three (3) bottles of water.

Realizing there were more families waiting for help, the team reduced the number of bags being distributed to the third barangay, Barangay Leviste, where 50 families each queued to receive one bag and one bottle of water. The team reached the fourth evacuation center located at the Elementary School of As-is, and 44 families were given the same help.

When the team reached the last evacuation center housed at the covered court of Barangay Poblacion 5, 119 families also living in tents were waiting.  Because there were enough left, each family received three (3) bags of goods and three (3) bottles of 6.6 liters of water, much to their surprise.

Still, there were some more of the help left which the team decided to distribute to families on their way out of the town of Laurel.

Other members of the team include teaching and nonteaching personnel: Ms. Rima Baldemor; Ms. Jo Dynalyn Lachica; Prof. Theresa Calicdan; Prof. Enrico Dacanay; Prof. Katrina Dacanay; Prof. Denver Oficiar; Prof.  Melody Tumanan; Prof. April Rivera; Dr. Maricon Viduya; Dr. Priscilo P. Fontanilla, Jr.; Dr. Florendo Damaso, Jr.;  Mr. Santos Esperon; Mr. Meljun Panelo, Mr. Nixon Aquino, Mr. Aries Ugay, Mr. Hilario Milanes; and the drivers of the buses and the truck.

Sixteen students from the South La Union Campus were also part of the team, 14 of whom come from the College of Education and they are namely, Melba Madilo, Sandra Ellamil, Olando Nolledo, Rosemari Muyano, Alma Claire Quiliza, Ruby Rose Boado, Jasmin Frialde, Marivic Macaltao, Helen Grace Rullan, Jennelyn Cabanilla, Mark Niel Gatche, Cherry Ann Paguel, Mark Aldrin Valdez, Jon Dovi Gonzales, and Divine Arcel Munar from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Ryan Bel Soriano from the College of Computer Science.

Jon Dovi, a staff of College Forum, the Official Publication of the Campus, described his experience as “something very fulfilling”. All the other students, despite their physical exhaustion during the 5-hour distribution of goods, were grateful that they became part of the team. They were happy having been part of that “one-of-a-kind experience”.

The members of the team sustained themselves with a simple breakfast until they got their next meal for the day at 4pm at the South Express Way as there were no food centers opened along their way out of the towns of Laurel, Talisay, Agoncillo, and San Nilocas – four towns which are seriously damaged by the eruption of Taal Volcano. The landscape especially that of Talisay literally turned gray.

The team left Laurel unmindful of their hunger as they were filled with joy for having accomplished one huge act of kindness. On top of that, they were all beaming with excitement when they got closest to the infamous Taal Volcano.

President Jaime Ipac Manuel, Jr. fully supported the team in their mission to deliver the goods. He provided the two buses and went to personally ask the Provincial Government of La Union, through Governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III for the truck which transported the bottles of water.

Happy about the success of the charity project, the team wished there were more help extended as many families are in need of help. Only the families officially registered in the evacuation centers received help but many others who left the evacuation centers to start cleaning their houses are also wanting of the same help. (ayu)