March 24, 2026
Compassionate listening at Humanities Class and Charity Day
By Joy Rojas
Nearly a year after Tzu Chi Foundation established an ear and hearing center in its free clinic at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila, about 500 hearing-impaired patients have benefited from the service. Using an audiometer, tympanometer, and other screening devices, audiologists Dr. Joyce Rodvie Sagun and Kristine Layson have been able to make accurate diagnoses and recommend appropriate solutions to patients’ specific hearing problems.
Dr. Sagun’s dream of putting up a Hearing Aid Bank has also become a reality. In 2025, 126 indigent patients received free hearing aids donated by Rotary PDG Danny Low and Dr. Angeline Low. For the last 30 years, the couple based in Sydney, Australia, have provided foundations and poor communities in Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia, and the Philippines with free hearing aids sourced from their corporate partners. In their first visit to BTCC last August, they turned over 300 hearing aids to Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez.
And yet, much still has to be done for individuals diagnosed with the disability described as “invisible”—one with no obvious physical signs like a missing limb or dependence on a cane, wheelchair, and other assistive devices.
World Hearing Month
In celebration of World Hearing Month, Tzu Chi’s eighth Humanities Class and first Charity Day invited Dr. Sagun, Layson, and Vincent Balingan of Hard of Hearing Group Philippines to inform 289 scholars and 111 medical assistance beneficiaries about the struggles of a sector that often feels left out from the largely hearing society. The gathering was held on March 22 at BTCC’s Jing Si Hall.
To stress the importance of our ability to hear, Layson asked members of the audience to cup their ears with their hands and whisper what they had for breakfast to their seatmate. The exercise elicited laughs as many misunderstood what they heard. The crowd laughed too when a scholar volunteered to read a sentence with many missing letters—a “choppy” visual representation of what a hearing-impaired person hears when spoken to.
But there’s nothing funny about a condition with no known cure or treatment to restore it. Left unaddressed, hearing loss can cause mental health issues like loneliness, depression, and low self-esteem.
Cognitive decline or dementia is a known long-term effect, says Dr. Sagun, “because hearing is the gateway to the brain. If we lose the very basic ability to hear, we eventually lose the brain’s ability to process information.”
Communicating with the hearing-impaired calls for compassionate listening, an act that requires awareness, patience, and adjustment. Balingan, who lost his hearing in his youth, relies on a hearing aid, but can also carry a conversation by lip-reading or writing down what he wants to say. Gently tapping him on the shoulder, making eye contact, speaking simply and clearly, and using hand gestures and facial expressions are ways to make him and others feel included and that they matter.
Free consults
Following the talks, the audiologists conducted free consults with nine patients at the free clinic at BTCC’s Synergy Hall. The first was Crystal Cayetano. Now 8, she was diagnosed as hearing-impaired when she was 4.
“That’s when it all started to make sense to me,” says her mother Irene Gilhang of her second of three children. “She’s not a crybaby. She’s very quiet. And she sleeps soundly even if it’s noisy around her.”
Crystal, who was diagnosed at 1 with congenital heart disease, microcephaly (or a smaller-than- usual head, suggesting poor brain development), intellectual disability, and developmental delays, communicates with her parents and siblings through informal sign language and a few words. Currently at Level 3 in a Special Education program, she recently stopped speech therapy due to budget constraints. Her mother accepts the occasional laundry job and her father, who is recovering from a mild stroke, makes salted egg for a living.
Herself battling severe depression and anxiety, Irene remains strong for her family. “When you have a special child, you’ll try everything,” she says between tears. “Even if it’s humiliating, I’ll do what I can.”
At Tzu Chi’s free clinic, Irene and Crystal experienced nothing but kindness from the volunteers. “They were quick to respond and nice to talk to,” says Irene, who learned about Tzu Chi through social media. “Even in a cellphone interview, they made you feel welcome and that they want to help.”
Audiologist Kristine Layson recommended a cochlear implant for Crystal, then fitted her with a hearing aid on her right ear. Mother and daughter will return in April for a follow-up consult and to receive a hearing aid for Crystal’s left ear.
“My wish for Crystal is that I can be with her through her adulthood,” says an emotional Irene, “that she grows up to be a normal child, and that she has a good future.”
With her perseverance and love, and Tzu Chi’s full support, this mother’s wish is entirely possible.
The Humanities Class also included the talk “Youth with Purpose: Serving with Compassion,” by Tzu Chi volunteer Kinlon Fan, and the creation and performance of advocacy chants by scholars and their mentor parents.
The next Charity Day is on June 28.
The combined Humanities Class and Charity Day on March 22 saw the attendance of 289 scholars and 111 medical assistance beneficiaries.
In Master’s Talk, Dharma Master Cheng Yen shares the story of the One-horned Ox, and the impact of putting in a good word.
Scholars from Tzu Chi chapters in Pampanga, Bicol, Leyte, Davao, and Zamboanga join the Humanities Class in Manila via live streaming.
Tzu Chi Education Committee Head Rosa So (first row, far right) poses with scholars celebrating their birthday in March.
Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez (second from left) leads in the distribution of angpao (red envelope) among scholars and medical assistance beneficiaries.
Audiologist Dr. Joyce Rodvie Sagun says that if hearing loss is not properly diagnosed and dealt with, it’s because there is only one audiologist for every 2,500,000 people in the Philippines!
To stress the importance of hearing, audiologist Kristine Layson asks the audience to cup their ears with their hands and whisper what they had for breakfast to their seatmate.
Vincent Balingan of Hard of Hearing Group Philippines gives the talk “Breaking Barriers: Making Hearing Care Accessible to All.”
(From left) Tzu Chi Education Committee Head Rosa So presents tokens of appreciation to World Hearing Month speakers Dr. Joyce Rodvie Sagun, Kristine Layson, and Vincent Balingan.
Floro Elep, a medical assistance beneficiary of Tzu Chi’s free clinic, receives his rice subsidy after the Charity Day program. Beneficiaries also claimed cooking condiments, bath soap, and detergent.
Eight-year-old Cystal Cayetano cuddles her mom Irene Gilhang at Tzu Chi’s free clinic. In addition to being hearing-impaired, Crystal was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and developmental delays.
Audiologist Kristine Layson prepares to fit Crystal Cayetano with a hearing aid.
Crystal Cayetano receives a hearing aid from Tzu Chi’s free clinic.
Tzu Chi volunteer Kinlon Fan gives the talk “Youth with Purpose: Serving with Compassion.”
Tzu Chi scholars take turns performing their advocacy chants.
Tzu Chi scholars take turns performing their advocacy chants.
Tzu Chi scholars take turns performing their advocacy chants.