As for me, Proverbs 17:17 defines true friendship... it states that, “a friend loves at all times, and a brother (sister) is born for adversity.” This is the best way to describe how The Rotary Club of Makati Circle of Friends began... because we were brought together by adversity.

Our group started to bond when the Taal Volcano, in Batangas, Philippines, started to erupt on January 12, 2020. People fearfully fled their homes that were located very near the crater of the said volcano.

They moved to various evacuation centers that did not have many facilities. More so, local officials were caught flat-footed because they were not prepared for this big eruption. People who fled and ended up in the evacuation centers needed food, clean water, clothes, medicines, and hygiene kits, as well as blankets, mats and many more. There was hunger and there was confusion. The shadow of desperation was evident among those whose houses, farms, and practically all their properties acquired through hard work of several generations, were destroyed.

In the evacuation centers, donations started to come in from the LGUs, DSWD and most especially from various socio-civic organizations. Sacks of rice, boxes of noodles, canned goods, packs of coffee, and powdered milk for the children started to arrive to these evacuation centers... however, hunger persisted!!!

At the height of the evacuations of inundated towns, I was able to read in the newspaper, a Facebook commentary that was trending in social media at that time, from a resident in Batangas who saw the situation on ground Zero. He said that the evacuation centers cannot feed the people because they lack cooking facilities, correct kitchen equipment to cook all the goods that were coming in. Even boiling the water for the milk of babies and children was a problem. I did not know the person whose blog was trending at all... but I endeavored to search for him in Google and Facebook. I sent messages to all persons in Fb whose names were “Gerald Hidalgo.”

One afternoon, I found him... he replied to my Fb Message. Immediately, using our mobile phones, Gerald and I had our initial talk about the various evacuation centers he visited. To my surprise, there were evacuation centers with almost a thousand people. I told him the truth that my friends and I wanted to help and set-up the onsite kitchen which he said was desperately needed, but we cannot handle a thousand people, 3000 meals a day. I asked him to select an evacuation center with 500 people. That, we can handle. He recommended an evacuation center in a public school, in Barangay Pagaspas. I then asked him, that I needed data from him about that place. I asked him to help me do environmental scanning that also included questions about the safety of my friends and volunteers. Then we did a needs assessment, together with the Barangay Captain, and some councilors.

As soon as that was done, I called for a meeting among my friends and analyzed the data I was able to gather. Friends brought other friends and we prepared the things we needed based on the result of our discussions, to be able to set up a proper onsite kitchen, that must be complete, since Pagaspas, Batangas was very far from Manila where supplies were readily available.

We bought several brand-new commercial grade LPG burners, huge LPG rice cookers, various kinds of knives, ladles, and several of the biggest cast iron cookware we can find. Hahaha, we even bought a knife sharpener, hairnets, hand soap, dishwashing soap, several brushes for cleaning the huge pots and pans, hotpots for heating water for coffee or milk, self-heating thermos... aprons too... and of course, with a rushed printing of the very cute name for our onsite kitchen project, which our friend Maco Ravanzo, came up with. KuTiTap Para sa Taal was the name of our project. It’s an acronym for Kusina ni Tito’t TiTa Para sa Taal.

We also had safety briefings in case of an even more massive eruption of the volcano. We required everyone to wear and bring extra face masks, hats, caps, to protect ourselves from the ashfall. I borrowed from my school, the CIE British School, standard emergency packs for each passenger of the vehicles we were to use in this project, as well as first aid kits. We studied with our professional drivers, other road routes to exit Batangas, in case the main roads were to be blocked by debris.

On the day that we arrived at the Pagaspas evacuation center, the people, even the Barangay Captain, were surprised that we brought with us electricians and carpenters, complete with tools, rolls of electrical wire, bulbs, sockets, pieces of pre-cut 2’’x3” wood, nails, screws, plywood, hammer, saw, etc., things they never expected we would bring, more so, install in the evacuation center. We even bought 1 brand new chest freezer because our dear friend Julie Uy, sent 10 cases of US imported chicken leg quarter, meaning 120 kilos of chicken meat.

We installed lights in the open space where we were to set up the onsite kitchen. We also had long tables built for food preparation and serving. My friends and our other volunteers went to interview evacuees, searching for those who had some cooking experience, whom we tapped to be part of our onsite kitchen staff.

We did not get the donated supplies already distributed and given to the families of evacuees, instead, we bought our own healthier food supplies to be cooked and, we also brought various foodstuff donated by our co-Rotarians. At the onset, we decided to feed the people with healthier meals instead of just noodles and canned goods.

Actually, before we left Manila for the evacuation center, our friends asked me what they can send or help with, I told them, please give vegetables, eggs, some fresh meat, pork, chicken and condiments, salt, pepper, ketchup, cooking oil, garlic, onions... to make the food more palatable... which we also bought but we were sure those will not be enough if we were cooking for these 500 or so people, three times a day.

As we posted news about our Kutitap onsite kitchen in Fb. Our friends started to give suggestions, like to buy the healthy pigs in the area so the people there will earn. Our Friends from Manila and Cebu said that to have those hogs slaughtered and cooked for the food of the evacuees, which we did. Those among our friends who suggested that, sent money to buy those pigs. We were able to buy each of the huge hogs, weighing about 95-100 kilos, for only Php10,000.00. This necessitated for us to buy another chest freezer because of the 100 to 200 kilos of pork we suddenly had. We thought, anyway, we can keep all those equipment and appliances in storage, for other future projects.

We also set up our own proper commissary in one of the classrooms. We classified all the food we bought and were donated by co-Rotarians and other friends, just like a small grocery. That way, we always knew what we had... from onions, garlic, vinegar, black pepper, cooking oil, to the various vegetables we had on stock, canned goods, to packs of bihon donated to the onsite kitchen. I always believed that we will not be able to plan the meals well, if we did not know what we have. We assigned an evacuee to be in-charge of inventory.

We had meal planning sessions and the menu was to be posted in the onsite kitchen every 3-4 days, where the volunteers can see it and prepare the meals. Evacuees helped as slicers, cooks, dish/pots and pans washers, sweepers, trash managers, servers, and line controllers. We were also doing some of the cooking, but we were mainly guiding the kitchen staff of evacuees to follow our simple yet nutritious recipes. When serving children, the handicapped and old folks were always served first.

And so, the story went around the other Barangays, that we were cooking very good nutritious meals for +/-1500 persons a day. Several groups followed our onsite kitchen and that made us very happy. We continued to hold the fort, so to speak, until the evacuees were allowed to go back to their own barangays... with hope in their hearts, that they can re-build what they have lost.

We did not stop at feeding the evacuees, we decided to build a one-bedroom 35sqm fully furnished, concrete house for a family whose house had been badly damaged by the Taal Volcano eruption.

Whatever donated money was left from the onsite kitchen, each of us pitched in, and we were able to build and turn over a nice concrete house to Aling Cristeta, a widow with one son.

Then, we found each other huddled together in a circle, with fullness of the heart, because we made a difference. We made the evacuees and Aling Cristeta feel that they matter, that we truly cared. Even our other friends who did not actually go with us to Pagaspas, Batangas... but helped, felt that same overwhelming feeling... friends tackling adversity together to help others.

Thus, we are now called the Rotary Club of Makati Circle of Friends because “we believe that in helping others, we also help ourselves --- for whatever good we do will complete the circle and will come back to us.” (Inspired by the quote of Flora Edwards)

A circle is infinite, it has no end... it represents timelessness, which means, as the Circle of Friends grow in number... now at 60 members... we won’t stop helping disadvantaged people. We believe that the true measure of success is by literally counting the number of people whose lives have improved, have been uplifted, because of our existence.

From then on, we did projects just as friends, until we were encouraged to form a Rotary Satellite Club by CP Maricris Lim with the Rotary Club of Makati GEMS.

As friends, we know we love each other, but in adversity, we must realize we are brothers and sisters, we should be able to rely on each other, help in any way we can. Reach out, do not wait to be asked. Stand for each other. Just recently, we received our Charter approval, from Rotary International, we now stand as Rotarians, we are your brothers and sisters, especially at the height of this adversity, the Covid 19 pandemic.

Together we can change lives.