October 6, 2025
Puregold gift checks bridge the hunger of students in Tuguegarao and Aparri
By Joy Rojas
In its aftermath, September 22’s Super Typhoon Nando (International name: Ragasa) didn’t just leave parts of the Babuyan Group of Islands with irreparable damage to property and livelihood. The Category 5 storm, which ravaged extreme northern Luzon with its thrashing rains and gusty winds of up to 215 kph, cut all forms of communication and financial support from parents based in the typhoon-struck islands to their children studying in colleges and universities in Aparri and Tuguegarao, a good 5-8 hours away by boat.
Coming from a country frequented by at least 20 typhoon each year, Filipinos, particularly those in the farthest parts of the mainland, have learned to live with the constant disruption. When Dr. Raul Ting, a medical practitioner based in Tuguegarao, checked the wallets of students whose families were affected by Nando, he saw that all were empty.
“If you don’t get your allowance for one week, two weeks, three weeks, chances are you won’t be able to eat. The students we interviewed said they’re used to being hungry,” says Dr. Ting. “But their parents are also faced with a serious situation: They lost their homes and livelihood. In Babuyan Claro, over 60 percent of the houses were damaged and only 25 of the 150 fisher folks’ boats were spared by the typhoon and storm surge.”
Keen on keeping students in school even while their parents are unable to send money, he thought of addressing their plight with immediate relief.
“What we’re trying to do is ‘tawid gutom’ or bridge the hunger. During their time of need, when children are short of money, they need to be given food. This reduces their parents’ worries knowing that there are people taking care of their children while they are trying to recover.”
To put his plan into action, he traveled from Tuguegarao to Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, a nine-hour trip and in the midst of another powerful typhoon, Opong (International name: Bualoi).
“Being a very compassionate organization, they got my idea,” says Dr. Ting, a longtime friend of Tzu Chi. “So they said, ‘Let’s do it in the earliest possible time.’”
On October 2, Tzu Chi volunteers were up north to distribute Puregold gift certificates worth P1,000 to each of the 572 students—270 in Ke Bing School in Tuguegarao City and 302 in Aparri Kete School in Aparri, Cagayan.
Angeline Fronda plans to use her gift check for canned goods and school supplies. Her family, who is from Babuyan Claro, lost their home and the rice field her father was about to harvest to Nando’s wrath.
“Even the evacuation center where my parents took cover was destroyed,” recounts the 19-year-old, a member of the Ivatan indigenous tribe. “So they just stayed there in their raincoats and umbrellas and waited till the storm was over.”
Besides the gift check he received, Jerald Fernandez is thankful that the typhoon struck his community in Camiguin Island in the afternoon. Had it happened in the evening when his family was asleep, perhaps their fate would have been different. “It’s painful to know that you’re far away from them,” says the 22-year-old who studies in Aparri.
All safe from the storm and in the process of rebuilding their home, the Fernandez family can focus on getting back on their feet while Jerald attends to his schooling and personal needs.
“This was a very good experience and a very good sample of how good Tzu Chi is,” says a grateful Dr. Ting of the distribution efforts. “The help was really fast. Because of Tzu Chi, we were able to expand our help not just to Tuguegarao but to Aparri.”
In the early hours of October 1, a team of Tzu Chi volunteers pray before leaving the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, for relief work in Tuguegarao and Aparri.
In Aparri Kete School in Cagayan, volunteers set up a registration area for student beneficiaries.
Tuguegarao-based medical practitioner Dr. Raul Ting (right) assists with the registration of students in Aparri Kete School. A longtime friend of Tzu Chi, he approached volunteers to help him bridge the hunger students were facing as their families recovered from Super Typhoon Nando.
Students and volunteers pray for better days ahead following the sheer damage and loss caused by Super Typhoon Nando.
Students and volunteers pray for better days ahead following the sheer damage and loss caused by Super Typhoon Nando.
Students and volunteers pray for better days ahead following the sheer damage and loss caused by Super Typhoon Nando.
Jerald Fernandez is thankful that Super Typhoon Nando struck in the afternoon. Had it happened in the evening, perhaps his family would not be as fortunate. The youngest of six, the 22-year-old from Camiguin Island studies at Cagayan State University’s College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
Volunteers bow as they present student beneficiaries with Tzu Chi stickers and aphorisms.
Volunteer Johnny Kwok gives a Puregold gift check to a student.
Even with their loss, students are encouraged to share whatever they can afford to help others in need.
Students learn the Tzu Chi hand sign for bowing in gratitude.
At the Ke Bing School in Tuguegarao City, students wait for Tzu Chi volunteers to start a short program before the distribution of Puregold gift checks.
Tzu Chi volunteer Benson Lao gives a background on the Tzu Chi Foundation and its founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
A prayer, whether of gratitude or a fervent request, is always part of every Tzu Chi gathering.
Volunteers distribute Tzu Chi materials to student beneficiaries.
Another relief distribution in the books: Thumbs up from all!