July 16, 2026
‘Wherever I’m needed, that’s where I go’
By Joy Rojas
In relief operations organized all over the country by the Tzu Chi Foundation for the thousands displaced by fires, typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, Johnny Kwok is a constant, reliable presence.
No task is too small or insignificant for the volunteer fondly known as Uncle JK. At an ocular visit in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, following a 6.9 quake in June, he and fellow Tzu Chi volunteers inspected collapsed buildings, distributed bread to families at evacuation centers, and paid a courtesy call to the mayor. At Tzu Chi’s 290th medical mission in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, in May, he coordinated with the point person of Indigenous People seeking free treatment, and later joined volunteers in signing the Tzu Chi song “One Family.” In Dingalan, Aurora, where towering storm surges from Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong) engulfed homes made of light materials in November 2025, he addressed beneficiaries before they claimed assistance.
“No specific role for me,” said Kwok in “Human Library,” a talk featuring longtime volunteers at the 2026 Tzu Chi Scholars’ Camp from July 3-5 at Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila. “Wherever I'm needed, that's where I go."
Like the camp’s participants, Kwok comes from a poor family. Upon graduation, he worked, saving enough money to start a small business, which he ran from 7 am to 7 pm seven days a week.
For entertainment, he tuned in to DAAI TV on his black-and-white television set, and watched shows about the Tzu Chi Foundation and how founder Dharma Master Cheng Yen guided her volunteers. “Sometimes, I would get hooked, because there was very good drama about the volunteers and what they do at the foundation.”
His own Tzu Chi story started unexpectedly in 2012, when his cousin, Tzu Chi volunteer Luis Diamante, invited him to join the foundation. After participating in a sign language play at Resorts World in 2013, he hasn’t stopped since. Indeed, in an earthquake-prone country pummeled by an average of 22 typhoons each year, there is always someone who needs help.
Volunteering is physically taxing and takes up much of your time and resources. Still, the rewards are immeasurable. Of his most memorable experiences, Kwok recalls joining relief work for survivors of Typhoon Odette (Rai) during the pandemic. Despite the fear of contracting COVID-19, he and the volunteers extended assistance to 11 municipalities, a deed that did not go unnoticed.
Wherever they went, residents greeted them with colorful homemade banners and festive cheers, thanking them for the much-needed necessities. At the airport, they were approached by an officer who invited them to the exclusive VIP lounge.
In a Sultan Kudarat medical mission in April 2024, Kwok was deeply moved by the sight of Ma. Fe “Nene” Socias. The lone survivor of a car accident, she lost her right eye, both hands, and her legs from the knees down.
Yet she wasn’t at the medical mission seeking treatment. Socias, a local volunteer with the provincial health office, was helping push patients on a wheelchair!
Curious, Kwok approached her and asked, “How are you?” Her reply was not what he expected. “I’m so happy today because I can do what you Tzu Chi volunteers can do.”
“How meaningful it is to be a Tzu Chi volunteer,” Kwok thought to himself.
To his young audience, he encourages them to join the foundation that has taught them to live with kindness and compassion. “Together we can change the world in a better way,” he says.
In Tzu Chi, they will find a family among volunteers. Drawn to the camaraderie of his companions, he likes how they refer to each other as brother and sister, and how the Tzu Chi uniform makes everyone equal, regardless of their status in life.
Said Kwok, "Entering Tzu Chu has been the happiest chapter of my life.”
In the 2026 Tzu Chi Scholars’ Camp segment called “Human Library,” longtime volunteers (from left) Johnny Kwok, Harvey Yap, Rosa So, and Peggy Sy Jiang tell host Cherrie Rose Ang about the rewards of volunteer work.
Volunteering since 2013, Johnny Kwok has no preference when it comes to tasks. “No specific role for me. Wherever I'm needed, that's where I go.”
(First from right) Signing the song “One Family” at Tzu Chi’s 290th medical mission in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro.
With cousin Luis Diamante (right), Johnny Kwok explains how to use a grocery gift check to beneficiaries at a relief distribution in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, in the aftermath of Typhoon Basyang (Penha).
Conferring with Mayor Aurora Guzman Taay of Dingalan (right) during an ocular visit after Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong).
Chatting with a local at an ocular visit in Cebu following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in September 2025.
One of the rewards of volunteer work is meeting inspiring individuals like Ma. Fe “Nene” Socias (right). Despite losing her right eye, both hands, and both legs from the knees down in a car accident, she assisted patients during Tzu Chi’s medical mission in Sultan Kudarat in April 2024.