Filipinos will always make an effort to help those in need. My schoolmates at Far Eastern University (FEU) wanted to do something for Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors, but we wanted it to be fun, and with the participation of the entire academic community.

A major drawback was that we had no budget, which meant we had to improvise.

Luckily, my father George Pascua, the head coach of the FEU Men’s Volleyball team, asked me how his squad could get involved in the project. We thought of organizing benefit volleyball games between the current lineup of the FEU Men’s and Women’s volleyball teams versus the alumni’s teams.

We called the event Spike Relief.

We asked people who will watch the games to each donate at least one liter of bottled mineral water, instead of buying tickets, because this remains a priority for the typhoon survivors. One of the inspirations of the initiative was the experience of Lady Tamaraw Spiker and Tacloban native Marie Toni Basas.

Ghost town

Toni hurriedly went back to her hometown a few days after the disaster to check on her family. She said the place looked like a ghost town, and there was a scarcity of food and slow mobilization of relief donations.

During her five-day stay, she had to walk two hours to reach downtown just to get a stable communication line.

Relieved that her family is safe, Toni is focused on preparing for the upcoming UAAP tournament.

Spike Relief was held on Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the FEU gym. The place was packed and we collected around a thousand bottles of drinking water.

My father’s team played against some of his former players, while the Lady Tamaraws faced the Philippine Army Lady Troopers, which had several FEU alumni, including the very popular Rachel Anne Daquis.

The active participation of the alumni proved that the team spirit of a Tamaraw will remain alive. We will always share our talents for a good cause.

All of these happened, of course, with the help of the FEU Student Development, FEU Athletics and FEU Central Student Organization.

This experience demonstrated that not having money should never be a hindrance to community initiatives. There will always be people who will share one’s passion to help others.

It may not always come in the form of financial assistance, but any kind of help can somehow ease the pain and suffering.