These are the remains of a church in Ayungon, which was totally destroyed in the recent earthquake. These young men are from a local volunteer group, trying to see if anything can be saved from the ruins.
Unpaid volunteer groups exist everywhere in the Philippines- local “NGO’s”. Many are highly organized; with monthly meetings and yearly initiation ceremonies – which may include strange rituals and heavy drinking. It’s a way for them to take themselves seriously as organizations. And they are serious.
These local N.G.O’s provide not only disaster relief in emergencies, but in normal times they also solicit food and medicine for the poor families nearby, organize local discos and sports teams, and provide counseling for their members in times of trouble.
Services that people would expect from the government in other countries are provided here by these groups. And other individuals pitch in to help without being asked. Hersley Casero, who took this picture, traveled for hours over broken roads to Ayungon to photograph theseruins for whatever help the publicity might bring.
He wasn’t asked, It wasn’t his job, nobody paid him. He just joined the joint effort without thinking. The whole country is an informal NGO.
