Testimonials on the JCCI Tumaway Outreach Program
Several JCCI employees share their personal insights and experiences during the Tumaway Outreach Program in February and March.
Tracy Piamonte
February 23: I left the house at 4 this morning and drove all the way to Talisay, Batangas by myself to spend my birthday weekend with the remaining Taal evacuees. These people have nowhere to return to because their place was declared a “no man’s island”. They lost their material possessions and means of livelihood.
The John Clements team cooked and served them breakfast, gave milk to the children, and conducted skills assessments with the intention of providing jobs for them here or abroad. This is true to the nature of JCCI’s business, which is to provide jobs and help build the nation.
More than the temporary help we provided, we hoped to be able to do something so that they could regain their normal lives.
We rise by lifting others.
After having done all of these, I played golf with my good friend Hazel Aguto! The last time I played was September 2019, but it turned out to be a good game overall. (Thank you, sis, for making time despite having to play more than 27 holes today). I don’t know where I am getting all the energy but I’m glad I have it stored inside me.
Such a meaningful way to spend my birthday weekend!
Kudos to John Clements Consultants, Inc. team, namely Malou Antonio, Rachel Ibarrientos, Han Dincol and Chec Gardaya.
Vittoria Leuterio
Last March 7, 2020, I was given the chance to volunteer in Talisay, Batangas together with my partner, Justin Bernal, and other John Clements employees. It was an eye-opening experience for us because we realized how lucky we were upon seeing those families affected by the Taal eruption.
We were able to visit three evacuation centers: Brgy. Aya, Motorpool and Tranca, and of course, Brgy. Tumaway.
We had a feeding program and skills assessment for all evacuation centers and prepared breakfast (eggs and dried fish) and lunch (tinola and pancit) for at least a thousand people.
The families were really happy, because it wasn’t everyday that they got to eat home-cooked meals. Also, another private sector went to donate baby formula for the moms and babies in Brgy. Tumaway.
To compare the four barangays, Brgy. Aya and Brgy. Tranca had the best evacuation centers because the place was clean and almost all the men stationed there already had jobs at Tagaytay Highlands. However, the evacuees in Brgy. Tumaway lived on a construction site. The place was dusty and unorganized. They all had one thing in common, though: they needed a permanent place to stay.
To summarize my experience, It was overall satisfying and fulfilling. I realized how lucky I was, and especially as a mom, I also realized how lucky my baby was. I get to provide for her, unlike the mothers in Brgy. Tumaway, where not all babies are fed properly and are in badly need of medical assistance.
Joshua Matundan
The Willingness to Give Back
It is very fulfilling to be part of this kind of event, as we Filipinos embody the spirit of bayanihan, an act of kindness that causes us to join forces and help a person in need.
Since this was my second time to be involved in the program, I can say that willingness, teamwork and being customer-centric are the 3 pillars you need to have to get through it. First, you have to be willing to wake up at around 3 or 4 in the morning to travel to a place that is new to you and be willing to help anybody in need, whether an evacuee or a co-worker. Willingness to give your time and effort without anything in return is a must to enjoy and appreciate the efforts of everyone.
Second is teamwork. There is a saying that goes, “There is no I in TEAM”. But there is ME in TEAM, which means that everyone in the group needs to chip in, regardless if the effort is small or big. This was showcased in the feeding program we had, where everyone had a specific role, and when we needed help, someone would go in and help out — whether it was the prep team, washing team or just the runner. Anybody can be the oil that makes an engine run smoothly.
Third is being customer-centric. The people in Batangas are still in a state of crisis where families can’t go back to their homes because they have no homes to go back to. Everyday they wait for relief goods to come to their evacuation center, or a group of people kind enough to sponsor a feeding program for them to have hot meals. Being customer-centric is a key element since the goal is to help out and somehow make their lives a little bit better.
This disaster could happen to anyone and I am thankful to Ms. Carol Dominguez and JCCI, as we are doing something to help the people in need, rather than turning the other cheek.
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