What started as an evening of music on the streets of Legazpi City found its fullest meaning a week later under the mango trees, where children received school supplies, families gained access to clean drinking water, and young volunteers witnessed the tangible impact of their efforts across two evacuation centers in Camalig, Albay.
Many Hands, One Mission
On May 30, 2026, A-PAD Philippines (A-PAD PH) Human Resource Network (HRN) Bicol Volunteers, together with Psykada, LoveIs2BIG, Camalig Bank Foundation (CBF), Bicol University-KUGOS, Righters.ph, and Bicol University Gawad Kalinga, conducted a humanitarian outreach in two evacuation centers — Tagaytay Evacuation Center and the Camalig Bungkaras Evacuation Center (CBEC). Local government support was extended by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office alongside barangay captains, barangay health workers, kagawads, and community volunteers who helped ensure the activity ran smoothly on the ground.
The outreach mission was a model of what multi-sectoral coordination, community-rooted response can look like: no single organization carrying the weight alone, but each contributing what they could, where they could — for children and families still displaced by the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano.
What the Children Received
At the Tagaytay Evacuation Center, distributions were held at the elementary school covered court with Mayon Volcano standing in full view in the background, a quiet reminder of both the crisis that brought these families here and the strength in coming together to help those who are affected.
A total of 79 children from Grades 1 to 6 received age-appropriate school supply packs from A-PAD PH Volunteers — each containing a plastic envelope, pencils, an eraser, a sharpener, bond paper, art paper, notebooks, a ruler, and scissors, with ballpens added for Grades 4 to 6, crayons for Grades 1 to 3, an intermediate pad, and pad paper for Grades 1 to 4.
At CBEC Bongabong, the covered court and rows of red enclosed humanitarian tents laid beside each other mark the daily reality of the 80 families sheltering there. On May 30, however, the activity moved outside — under the canopy of mango trees, children gathered for an afternoon of art and story.
Forty-nine (49) children from Grades 1 to 6 received school supply packs containing notebooks, pencils, an eraser, a sharpener, pens, crayons, a ruler, and a plastic envelope with handle — contributed by Camalig Bank Foundation (CBF) — with HRN volunteers supplementing each pack with envelopes, notebooks, bond paper, art paper, and scissors.
CBF also provided the arts materials and snacks for the psychosocial session, a contribution that allowed the busking donations to stretch further — extending school supply coverage to 15 preschoolers at CBEC and 25 preschoolers at Tagaytay who might otherwise have not been covered.
Clean Safe Water, Rice Packs, and Stories for Families
To help address water access concerns and provide families with a sustainable source of safe, potable water – a total of six water filter bucket units from Waves for Water Philippines were distributed across the evacuation sites through the partnership of LoveIs2BIG, A-PAD PH Volunteers, and Camalig Bank Foundation.
In addition, Bicol University-KUGOS, Righters.ph, and Bicol University Gawad Kalinga provided 5-kilogram rice packs to 203 families—80 families in CBEC and 123 displaced families in Tagaytay—while also donating a Maleta Library, a traveling collection of books, to support children’s learning and recreation during displacement.
Clean Safe Water, Rice Packs, and Stories for Families
To help address water access concerns and provide families with a sustainable source of safe, potable water – a total of six water filter bucket units from Waves for Water Philippines were distributed across the evacuation sites through the partnership of LoveIs2BIG, A-PAD PH Volunteers, and Camalig Bank Foundation.
In addition, Bicol University-KUGOS, Righters.ph, and Bicol University Gawad Kalinga provided 5-kilogram rice packs to 203 families—80 families in CBEC and 123 displaced families in Tagaytay—while also donating a Maleta Library, a traveling collection of books, to support children’s learning and recreation during displacement.
Youth as Agents of Change
The supplies that reached the displaced children on May 30 were made possible through a shared effort. The A-PAD PH Bicol HRN Youth Volunteers turned music into action, busking at Sawangan Park and the Obelisk to raise funds for school supplies kits just a week later, while Camalig Bank Foundation supplemented the outreach with school supply packs and art materials. Across both evacuation sites, the mission remained the same: different hands working together to support the same children.
This was not lost on the volunteers themselves. A-PAD PH HRN Bicol Coordinator Joram Aris Ballon, reflecting after the activity, captured what many on the team felt:
“Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan. Sabi ko ngani sa feedbacking kasuhapon, dakulaon nang improvement ang nahihiling ko sa satuyang grupo, individually and collectively… I am so proud to be a part of this amazing team.” [ “The youth are the hope of the nation. As I said during yesterday’s feedback session, I have seen tremendous improvement in our group, both individually and collectively… I am so proud to be part of this amazing team.”]
He noted, too, the ripple effect the activity had on Psykada — a fellow youth group joining the outreach for the first time. During the debriefing, they shared how deeply the experience moved them. “Igwa man nanggad kitang naitabang sainda, dakulang impact. They actually cried out of overwhelming experience. We helped young people to love the work for the community.” [“We were truly able to help them, and it made a significant impact. They were moved to tears by the experience. We helped inspire young people to develop a deeper love for serving their community.”]
Beyond the school supplies distributed that day, the outreach offered young volunteers a meaningful reminder that even small acts of service can contribute to a larger community effort. Through experiences like these, the Bicol HRN Youth Volunteers are learning that they are not merely witnesses to the challenges of their generation—they are active participants in shaping solutions.
In reaching out to children in evacuation centers, they became part of something greater than relief distribution. They helped foster hope, collective effort, and community resilience.
“Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan,” the words of José Rizal quoted by volunteer coordinator Joram Aris Ballon, are often seen as an ode and a challenge to the youth. In moments like these, through volunteerism and collaboration, those words become visible not only in what young people aspire to be, but in what they are already doing for their communities today.
Looking Forward
As communities across Albay continue to face the impacts of Mayon’s unrest, A-PAD PH and its partner organizations remain committed to supporting ongoing humanitarian and recovery efforts in the region.
The convergence of youth volunteerism, private sector support, academic institutions, and local government demonstrated through this outreach offers a replicable model — one where collective action, rather than singular effort, drives meaningful impact.
Diyos an Magbalos. To every volunteer, partner, donor, barangay official, and community member who made May 30 possible — maraming salamat.
Organizations and individuals who wish to support ongoing efforts for Mayon-affected communities may connect with A-PAD PH to explore collaboration and assistance opportunities.