Be a good volunteer at a repacking center

Some thoughts on how we can better maximize the time and effort we put into volunteering our services for the benefit of those affected by Typhoon Yolanda:

PLEASE don’t be a diva. A woman who had also signed up for the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift became impatient at 7 a.m. when only a few of us had been called into the repacking center to start work. She assumed that we would be called according to registration. She drew some looks when in an arrogant and loud manner, she asked a DSWD worker whether he was aware of what “number” it already was because she was aware that she and her companions were in the numbers 1-20. Kudos to the DSWD worker for dealing with her very patiently even if he looked like he had worked through the night.

A pharmaceutical post (of sorts)

I didn’t know what I was in for when I volunteered to serve at Shell’s medical and dental mission in Tabangao, Batangas City last August 3.

Sure, I’d been at medical and dental missions before, but always as part of a coverage team. 

The full breakfast spread for the volunteers should have set off warning bells in my head. After all, why were we being treated to so much good food if we weren’t expected to burn it off – fried rice, daing, tapa, itlog, manok and all?

One of the doctors of the Batangas Medical
Society attends to a young patient at Shell's
medical and dental mission.

They did ring faintly in my head at the reaction of some of the other volunteers when I told them I had volunteered at the pharmacy. “Kayong pinakahuling matatapos (You’ll be among the last done),” said one. “Magulo diyan (It’s a riot there),” said another.