People of goodwill

Ruffy Magbanua

“THERE’S nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” – Anonymous

WHEN NGCP’s Carmen district office was half-submerged through the night of Jan. 16, my former colleagues had to endure the biting cold and the subsequent discomfort of being stranded overnight.

It was the first time ever they experienced  flashfloods of such magnitude to happen right under their very noses.

NGCP was one among the countless offices in Cagayan de Oro that suffered physical damage, not to mention the rigors of getting back to normalcy after the tail-end of a cold front-induced rains melted, said goodbye, and eventually exited unceremoniously with the easterly winds.

Maybe history was right. No matter how man had devoured, even feasted on the vastness of nature’s wealth, Mother Nature will always have that good and bad habits to share to mankind.

And man and the rest of the living will have to enjoy the myriad of Mother Nature’s goodness and at the same time unleash its wrath every time she will go crazy and wild.

One thing sure and unbeatable to man is Mother Nature’s constant coming with a bang, and most often than not, disastrous and tragic.

But that is not point here. NGCP’s social concern with its neighbors after the aftermath deserves a hearty note with a quick, grand applause.

It’s even more of accolade, not because of anything personal, but more of its corporate attitude, the company being CSR-driven in many ways it can. I should know. I’ve been there, done that.

In fact, no less than NGCP’s flamboyant boss Emmy Abellanosa led the outreach in the neighborhood – food packs for the hungry flood victims.

This social gesture may not be that substantive, yet it reflects how corporate social responsibility of companies could make a mark in times of trouble and need particularly in communities where they operate.

The recent flooding was a good opportunity for everyone in the corporate world to extend a helping hand.

Because corporate gestures such as NGCP’s could spell a difference and can even spark influence in the business sector to be socially conscious all the more and all the time.

This social concern may be true to other civic, the military and volunteer organizations, foremost of which were the various rescue groups that braved their way into the night  to save stranded commuters, students and the citizenry at large.

Many of them are already veterans in volunteerism, having served in previous disasters and on large-scale emergency rescue efforts.

In times like this, people who help people are the ones who walk the talk. Their spirit of volunteerism is beyond question. Their sense of community is solidly etched on  compassionate character, that of being benevolent with a heart. They are our unsung heroes of modern-day disasters. Committed and courageous.  Fearless and undaunted.

Cheers to people of goodwill!

E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com