Operation Tulong continues to extend aid to the Filipino people through the most challenging of times. In the face of super typhoons and a malignant pandemic, Mae Binauhan and Operation Tulong volunteers reached out to people in critical need. As DZRH celebrates its 85th anniversary, Binauhan, dubbed the station's Wonder Woman, recounts some memorable missions and shares the secret to the persistence of DZRH's public service arm through nearly half a decade.
Operation Tulong kicked off in 1979. Binauhan shared that the first members of Operation Tulong comprised of taxi drivers who helped mainly patients. From there, the members, and services offered branched out.
"May magagawa ba kami?"
One of the biggest missions for Operation Tulong happened in the wake of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which ravaged the Eastern Visayas region. They faced an enormous challenge: food sources were scarce, roads were inaccessible, and she and only four others were available to feed countless typhoon victims who were left without homes, loved ones, and livelihoods.
"May magagawa ba kami (Is there anything we could do)?" the Wonder Woman recalls thinking at the time.
"Paano ko mararating 'yung mga lugar kung saan nagkalat pa 'yung maraming debris (How do I get to those places where much debris are still scattered)?"
They were flown via Hawker plane by the Philippine Air Force (airports were destroyed as well), and they left no stone unturned in restocking supplies whenever lugaw or rice porridge ingredients ran low, in order to feed people--for almost an entire month, from Tacloban City to Guiuan in Eastern Samar.
"Kahit na anong mangyari, nandoon tayo"
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its cases of infection, DZRH Operation Tulong remained standing, Binauhan said in Filipino.
The Philippines was not spared its regular round of typhoons amid the global pandemic. One typhoon came after another, and the team of volunteers moved from one province, onto the next, and so on. The operations proved extremely hazardous.
"There was this incident na nagpunta kami ng I think in Cagayan. Tapos nalaman ko lang the following day na ‘yung pinanggalingan pala naming lugar, nandoon ‘yung sentro ng COVID-19 na maraming may sakit," Binauhan shared.
("There was this incident that we went to, I think, Cagayan. Then I found out the following day that the place we had come from, that was the center of COVID-19 which had many infected people.")
In that following day, she noticed that some volunteers were coughing and sneezing quite a bit. She urged them to take a double dose of vitamins.
"Sa awa naman ng Diyos, parang hindi naman (infected)," Binauhan reminisced
(By the grace of God, it seemed they were not infected)."
The Operation Tulong head emphasized that the aid they provide--"first thing(s) first," or as a primary necessity--is food:
"So kahit na anong mangyari, nandoon tayo para gawin ‘yung ating tungkulin, of course (So whatever happens, we are there to do our duty, of course)," Binauhan stated.
Walang kapagurang paglilingkod
Binauhan revealed that Operation Tulong owes its continuity to members who have hearts eager to help and others who give unceasingly to the cause. The members apparently volunteer all their lives, and pass on the legacy to the next generations. This heart for volunteerism, alongside dedication, gives them the strength to overcome all sorts of adversities.
When asked what makes a wonder woman, she responded that people were often surprised she could go from place to place and go on day after day with the team of volunteers.
"Sabi nila, 'Hindi ka ba napapagod, wala kang kapaguran?' Hindi ko naman nararamdaman ‘yun, lalo na kapagka pupunta sa mga lugar na talagang nangangailangan ng tulong," she said.
("They say, 'Do you not get tired?' I don't feel it, especially when going to places that really need help.")
Binauhan is thankful for DZRH Operation Tulong's members, for their enduring partnership and hearts to serve their fellow men. She also expressed gratitude for the radio segment's listeners for their trust, and the team's partners for enabling them to reach more people.
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