Issue No.: 30
News Report
Forming a Cycle of Great Compassion
Madona Corado
  
November 22, 2009. “When we were struck by typhoon Ondoy, I really thought we were the most miserable people at that time. When I reached this place however, I discovered there are people whose lives are more unfortunate than ours. But that did not stop them from showing their kindness because when we were suffering from the onslaught of the typhoon, they were there to give us a helping hand,” Teodulo Granada, a resident from Brgy. Nangka, Marikina City, emotionally expressed before the hundreds of Dreamland residents gathered together in time for Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippines’ monthly relief distribution in the area.

Dreamland residents on the other hand, warmly welcomed the locals from Nangka, and voiced out their recall of many familiar faces that they encountered when they volunteered to help clean up the village last October 10, 2009. The said clean up activity was part of Tzu Chi’s extensive relief woks in Marikina aimed not only to provide material aid but also expedite clearing operations to prevent the outbreak of epidemics and bring back normalcy in the lives of the residents as well as the city’s.

Prior to the actual distribution of relief, Dreamland residents toured the group from Nangka around their garbage-laden village. With traces of optimism and resilience, Dreamland residents managed to smile and share their everyday accounts of survival with the residents of Nangka.

“It is my first time in Dreamland and I never expected it is like this. We experienced being inundated with garbage only during the recent calamity, but in the case of those living here, garbage is but an ordinary thing that has become a usual part of their everyday life,” Alexander Simbulan, another resident from Nangka remarked.

Granada and Simbulan were registered in Tzu Chi’s Cash- for-Work Program wherein locals of Brgys. Nangka, Malanday and Tumana were given P400 a day for cleaning their community. As their way of paying their debt of goodwill to the Tzu Chi Foundation, the neighborhood in Marikina, who did not only benefit materially but also gained spiritual uplift from Tzu Chi, signed up as volunteers for the foundation’s future charitable activities.

To prepare their minds and hearts in carrying out Tzu Chi’s humanitarian efforts, Tzu Chi volunteers facilitated a volunteers’ training camp last November 21, a day prior to the Dreamland relief.

Armed with the knowledge, skills and compassion taught and developed by the Tzu Chi volunteers and staff at the training camp, the once helpless victims of typhoon in Nangka emerged to be one of Tzu Chi’s selfless givers as they helped out with the relief program and personally handed over the relief goods to the residents of Dreamland.

“It is really a different kind of experience. We went through that stage where we were the ones receiving. But now, we are given the chance to be the one giving. It feels great and we are very happy,” Rene Miano, gladly shared as he demonstrated the correct position of hands, as well as the 90-degree bow that he was taught to in giving out relief.

With 14 residents from Nangka present that day, the number of Tzu Chi volunteers rose to 53, all united in giving 10 kilos of rice, packs of biscuits and oats to each of the 235 families in Dreamland.

Meanwhile, in light with Tzu Chi Foundation’s intention to transfer the Dreamland families from their appalling environment (Dreamland is a depressed village situated beside a dumpsite, has no electricity and sewerage system), to a much better and cleaner community in Silang, Cavite, Tzu Chi volunteers distributed survey forms as their way of respectfully getting the residents’ personal views first before implementing the said relocation.

The survey, as expected, resulted in varying opinions.

“I am quite worried about our source of income in Silang. Here, since we are living along the coastal shores, we can fish. I would just like to be certain that there would be jobs in the place where we will move in,” Danilo Tabalan, a long time resident of Dreamland, expressed.

Mila Cristobal, on the other hand, has a different view. “I am very happy when they said we will be transferred to Silang. I think I can find ways to get a job and support our family there. It would be such a great help because I have long wanted to transfer to a much cleaner and better community. If we will move in, we would not worry about our and our children’s health. We will not get agonized by the thought that our children will get dengue or diarrhea from our surroundings.”

Health issues are really apparent in Dreamland because not only its filthy environment causes health hazards to the residents, its inadequacy to provide basic needs such as toilets also brings about horrifying death.

Upon the arrival of Tzu Chi volunteers in the area, they were greeted with a tragic piece of news about a little girl’s accidental demise at about 9:00 in the morning that day. According to her neighbors, Julie Anne Caballero, four years old, was only relieving herself atop a boulder next to the landfill when one of the dump trucks, moved backwards toward her direction and accidentally smacked her down.

Baltazar Serdo, the girl’s stepfather, narrated that her head crashed unto the boulder, causing it to split open and her brain to come out. Portion of her brain remained at the scene of the crime as Caballero’s lifeless body was rushed to Salina’s, the nearest funeral house in Dreamland.

Tzu Chi volunteers immediately extended their sincere sympathies and help to the family of Caballero as they drove to Salina’s before heading back home to Manila. At the funeral parlor, the volunteers met the girl’s mother Helen, who, in between grief and tears, stayed beside her child and waited for her to be made up at the morgue.

“We are very sorry for your loss. Our sincere condolences. Please accept this little help. We hope that you will not harbor anger or hatred in your heart, instead accept the fate of your daughter with peace so that she too, can have peace as she leaves this lifetime,” Tzu Chi volunteers said as they handed her the P5,000-cash assistance.

It is been said that driver was not able to see Julie Ann behind his truck. He turned himself up to the authorities immediately after the incident.