Despite the hectic Monday morning schedule, some employees of DILG RO XII took a few minutes off their routine during their lunch break together with the officials of Barangay Carpenter Hill headed by PB Benedicto Pastera, to join in the repacking of relief goods for the quake-hit areas of Cotabato Province.

PB Pastera has initiated his own campaign to solicit relief goods and has allowed the use of the barangay gymnasium for the repacking activity.

Members of Zone I barangay council led by Kag.Edcil Celestial also reinforced the small band of volunteers to speed up the whole process of repacking 200 sacks of rice into 5-kilo packs for easier distribution.

The barangay council of Carpenter Hill and Brgy. Zone I, in partnership with the local Brigada News station, both believed that the tie-up is necessary in order to accommodate the expected huge volume of goods from benevolent residents of the City of Koronadal. A donation of 200 sacks of rice from a local businessman Docdoc Sala, who happens to be a resident of Barangay Carpenter Hill, was coursed through the said station. Other donations through the barangay were also accommodated by PB Pastera even while he is preparing for the barangay-wide donation campaign.

Additional number of hands were added later in the afternoon of Monday when more members of the BFP Regional Office and trainees pitched in to continue the packing of goods. Later, more volunteers composed of criminology students from Regency Polytechnic College, a local institution, made the whole process a breeze.

PB Pastera thanked everyone who responded to the need and expressed gratefulness to Mr. Cres Pedrola, station manager of the Brigada News FM Koronadal, for the quick decision to team up for the noble task.

As ‘residents’ of Barangay Carpenter Hill, where the Regional Center is located, DILG RO XII and the BFP XII personnel did not hesitate to roll up their sleeves to work with the other volunteers. OIC Ma. Theresa D. Bautista, the Local Government Capability Development Division (LGCDD) Chief, speaking for RD Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO V, expressed appreciation to all those who took part in the activity. For her, “volunteer work is a noble deed and it should remain part of our service to the people.”

Director Leysa, on the other hand, has earlier opened the doors of the Regional Office to welcome donors who might need help in establishing linkages to the earthquake-hit areas of Cotabato. She adds, ‘these are extraordinary times which require extra effort to make things flow faster.”