Tzu Chi aids 1,185 Ormoc families after Typhoon Opong

The Tzu Chi Foundation provided relief assistance to 1,185 families in Tzu Chi Great Love Village in Ormoc City following the devastation caused by Typhoon Opong, mobilizing more than 200 volunteers to deliver essential aid to affected residents.

The typhoon, which struck on 25 September 2025, forced more than a thousand families to evacuate their homes due to heavy flooding and torrential rains. In response, the foundation organized a relief mission involving 207 volunteers from Ormoc, Tacloban, and Manila, along with members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), the Ormoc Fire Force, Tzu Chi scholar alumni, scholars, and youth volunteers.

The relief operation was conducted on 12 October 2025, with each beneficiary family receiving a sack of rice, a blanket, and a multifunction folding bed to help them recover from the disaster.

Tzu Chi volunteer Ferdinand Dy said assisting disaster victims is part of the foundation's commitment to humanitarian service.

"It is our duty as Tzu Chi volunteers to be present every time a disaster happens. We didn't come here for enjoyment, even if the work is difficult, we never complain, because our desire to help comes from the heart. That's what it means to be a Tzu Chi volunteer," Dy said.

Among the beneficiaries was Emma Otrera, who said her family returned home after the typhoon to find that their Tzu Chi-built prefabricated house had withstood both the storm and previous earthquakes.

"I really admire this house. Though it's a prefabricated house, it's very strong! It didn't crack even during the earthquake!" Otrera said.

She also expressed gratitude to the foundation for its continued support to residents of Tzu Chi Great Love Village.

The foundation said its relief efforts are guided by the humanitarian mission of its founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, whose advocacy encourages compassion, mutual assistance, and support for communities affected by disasters.