The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the country’s leading humanitarian organization, emphasized in a statement on Monday, Dec. 4, the power of community-based volunteering through its Red Cross 143 (RC143) program.
With over two million volunteers across the country, the PRC shared how the RC143 played a pivotal role in the PRC’s effective response to disasters, including the 7-magnitude earthquake that struck Abra province in Northern Luzon on July 27, 2022.
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https://mb.com.ph/2022/7/30/ph-red-cross-continues-to-assist-send-aid-to-quake-affected-pinoys
Jhing Bernal, a dedicated PRC volunteer
Jhing Bernal, a trained nurse and clinical instructor, joined the PRC as a technical personnel volunteer in 2016 and later became a technical employee in 2018, providing her expertise in the humanitarian organization’s safety, health, and disaster management services.
She was also trained and became a phlebotomist at PRC’s Blood Services Department.
Bernal was one of the first responders to assist the people of Abra when a 7-magnitude earthquake hit.
On the day of the earthquake, Bernal was in a vehicle with her colleagues on their way to San Juan to provide training. As they reached a village in San Juan, the earthquake struck.
“Just before crossing a long bridge, we felt the shaking. We were about seven in the automobile. We got out of the vehicle. We did not think anymore of ourselves. We picked up the elderly,” Bernal recalled.
“We called out on the people using our megaphones to get out of buildings onto open spaces. We rescued mothers who had just given birth. We called San Juan’s ambulance,” she added.
To ensure that no one was left inside the buildings and their houses, Bernal’s team called out residents using their megaphones and whistles before and as they headed back to the Bangued chapter.
The team spent their day providing assistance to the residents, visiting hospitals to evacuate patients, and rescuing older people.
The PRC provided rescue operations and blood products to the patients who needed them and disaster relief supplies to geographically isolated areas without food access, which the chapter could locate through the RC143 group chat.
Despite the Abra chapter having limited food packs, it was able to provide supplies to residents with the help of donations. A group called the Brotherhood of San Beda donated to the organization, saying they trusted the organization would bring relief to those who needed it most.
The PRC volunteers and staff hiked and met residents of Sitio Bantay, Maguyepyep, Sallapadan, and Abra halfway across the Bucloc River to give relief packs to 56 families, or 320 individuals.
In collaboration with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the PRC provided sleeping kits to upland areas affected by the earthquake.
They also assisted the response team in implementing the documentation process using the PRC beneficiary cards.
The PRC concluded that it responded to around 1,000 families, or 17,000 individuals, affected by the earthquake in Abra, providing them with humanitarian aid in the form of emergency rescue, first aid, potable water, hot meals, food items, hygiene kits, sleeping kits, feminine kits, and psychological first aid, among others.
The joy in volunteerism
Volunteering with the PRC is not without its challenges. Hiking, riding small boats, using rafts, and traversing hanging bridges are often necessary to reach remote communities.
Despite the physical challenges, Bernal swore that she had never had a job that brought her as much joy.
“The job is physically tiring. But my tiredness vanishes when I see how appreciative the people are of the aid brought to them. They gave us a warm welcome, even when their homes had just been damaged by an earthquake. They were not bitter or depressed,” Bernal said.
“They know that you are there for them,” she added.
Bernal said many people need help, and she knows from experience that a humanitarian’s work, whether as a volunteer or staff, “cannot be matched by anything—whether monetary or whatever compensation.”
Under Officer-in-Charge Bernal’s leadership, the PRC’s Abra Chapter faced another challenge with Tropical Cyclone Egay (Doksuri) a year later.
With direction from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Gordon and leadership from Secretary-General Dr. Gwen Pang, Bernal led the operations locally. She believes the chapter has “evolved” because of the seemingly impossible challenges it has survived.