The beginning of 2026 finds many communities in southern Negros Occidental (Philippines) still rebuilding their lives after the devastating passage of Typhoon Tino, which occurred in November of last year. However, it also marks a time of hope, thanks to the sustained solidarity response of the Augustinian Recollect Family, which accompanied the victims from the initial emergency to the first steps of recovery.
During the weeks following the typhoon, the Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos (CST-R), through its Community Extension and Development Office (CEDO), ARCORES and a wide network of volunteers and donors, carried out various humanitarian missions in the most affected areas, including the municipalities of Moises Padilla and Binalbagan.
In Moises Padilla, one of the towns hardest hit by the rise of the Binalbagan River, the Augustinian Recollects, in collaboration with the parish of San Isidro Labrador, assisted families who lost everything due to the floods. At the end of November 2025, blankets, pillows, drinking water and powdered milk were distributed, responding to the most urgent needs of those who took refuge in the parish and in the St. Isidore Academy parish school, also affected by the disaster. These actions were part of a series of missions that sought to alleviate immediate suffering and accompany the community in one of the most critical moments in its history.
With the arrival of December, attention was extended to Binalbagan, where the accompaniment took on a more educational and psychosocial character, especially aimed at children. On the eve of Christmas, boys and girls who had seen the typhoon destroy their homes and school supplies received the ARCORES Bags of Hope, backpacks with notebooks, school and art materials that allowed them to prepare for the return to classes in the new year.
Along with this educational aid, artistic expression and emotional support activities were developed, facilitated by professionals and volunteers, to help minors process the trauma experienced. In addition, students from CST-R sent toys as a sign of closeness and fraternal solidarity.
Christmas also came to the most affected families thanks to the “Noche Buena de Tomás” program, through which traditional holiday foods were distributed, the result of the generous sharing of teachers and school staff, who chose to transform their celebration into a concrete gesture of love for their neighbor.
At the beginning of 2026, many of these children have been able to resume their studies, and numerous families continue to receive the spiritual and solidarity support of the Recollect communities. Beyond material aid, these actions reflect a mission that continues: to walk with the most vulnerable, heal wounds and sow hope where pain seemed to have destroyed everything.
The new year thus opens as an opportunity to continue strengthening the Augustinian Recollect solidarity network, convinced that, even after the storm, it is possible to start again.
