On the receiving end of relief operations
I am allergic to relief operations. My college teachers have consistently dissuaded us from engaging in such activities. They say that it fosters a dole-out mentality among the poor; that is, it makes them dependent on whatever rich people give out of charity. Furthermore, it is only a short-term solution to a complex and systematic problem. My teachers did mention though that relief operations would only be valuable in times of calamities and emergencies.
The other thing I don’t like about donating relief goods is that I never get to see where and with whom the donations end up. These past few weeks, I had a chance to see what it’s like to be on the receiving end.
A lot of Catholic schools out there profess to work for the cause of social justice and the uplifting of the poor in the society. The sad reality is many of these schools are limited to donations or outreach programs that are not sustainable and does not undergo the process of evaluation and study. That is why I deeply admire Xavier School, a Jesuit school for Chinese-Filipino children in San Juan. Among the many service and interaction programs they give to the students, this year, they formally adopted the school where I currently teach, ERDA Tech, a technical-vocational high school for poor students in Manila. Since last year, Xavier has been consistently donating chairs, books, instructional materials and teaching aid to improve the school. During last month’s catastrophe, the school did not forget to send out part of its proceeds to our students.
The first items my students received were the usual plastic bags of canned goods, milk and other food products. Interestingly, the students did not know how to react once they received the items. Some even mentioned to the teachers that it might be better to donate these to evacuation centers in Marikina and Pasig. I admired those students who thought of others before their own needs. For sure, these students were affected, too, by the flood. Most of them live beside Pasig River and Estero de Paco. When the chest-high murky waters invaded their homes, they were not able to save the heavy appliances like their washing machines and refrigerators. Their houses were a mess and a pervading stench brought about by the water and mud continued to linger in their homes. Despite these, some of them still considered themselves fortunate and blessed.
The following day, the students were to be given bags and clothes. To make sure that everyone got enough, the students were asked to choose only three articles of clothing from our Audio-Visual room, which has since come to resemble an ukay-ukay store. This time around, my students were so thrilled and enthused. I guess it was because the Xavier community sorted out the donations they received and made sure that the recipients will be given clothes that are useable and brand new-looking. I found out later that day that the room was almost empty after the last section’s turn to the detriment of my co-teachers who had been previously told that they would be next after the last batch of students. My co-teachers, after all, were also affected by the deluge. Fortunately though, my co-teachers were mature enough to be happy for the students who enjoyed the gifts from Xavier School.
But of all the stories that day, there was one heartwarming scene that I think God deliberately made me see and which made me later on decide that I should share these experiences. I was walking down the stairs, having just finished my English fourth year class. As I was going on my way, I saw through the side of the railings one of my favorite students from last year. He was a simple but very smart and insightful boy, obedient and dependable but not in a geeky kind of way. He had just finished selecting clothes and all of these were packed inside a plastic bag. Something made him stop walking, though. He crouched, untangled the plastic and brought out all the clothes he selected. He was smiling from ear to ear. He unfurled a T-shirt, looked at it and then pressed it against his chest to see if it fit. Then, he took out and viewed smaller articles of clothing that were clearly not his size. At first, I wondered why he chose these. A few seconds later, it dawned on me that instead of choosing more T-shirts for himself, he decided to get two other shirts for his younger brothers. Most admirable of all, his smile was as precious as when he was looking at the shirt he chose for himself.
I want to share these with the many students who chose to spend their time volunteering to sort and pack relief goods instead of playing Mafia Wars or watching Glee marathons even before the government announced that classes would be suspended for one week. I know that it was an effort to do so, most especially because you would never see the results of your work. Having the opportunity to be on the receiving end, I am happy to tell you that what you did was certainly meaningful and virtuous. The joy and appreciation of my students overflowed to the point that even a mere observer like me was touched by the early Christmas scenes I saw for the past week. You did not only give your clothes and possessions, you made others feel the joy and appreciation you felt when you first received these gifts. If at all, these moments remind us that even the little that we have and choose to donate would be enough to make a child smile because of the blessings others chose to share.
