March 22, 2024
Tzu Chi apprentice volunteers recognized in Moving-up Ceremony
By Joy Rojas
Twenty-nine apprentice volunteers (among them three staff members from Tzu Chi Metro Manila and eight volunteers from Tzu Chi Zamboanga) were recognized as training commissioners in a moving-up ceremony held on March 17 at the Jing Si Auditorium of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Tzu Chi commissioners who serve as mentors to these volunteers-in-training presented them on stage with their official uniform, a gray T-shirt with a white collar and logo of three bamboos, a design that symbolizes strength and the great things that can be achieved with combined efforts.
Entering this stage of volunteerism requires a different level of commitment, says Tzu Chi volunteer Ligaya Ng. “They have to inspire more hearts and they have to get involved in different activities in order to understand the deeper meaning of service according to Master Cheng Yen’s teaching. In becoming a volunteer trainee, we need to shoulder more and more responsibilities—including the responsibility of wanting to improve oneself and move on to apply it in our daily life, in extending and reaching out to others to encourage more and more people in the community to join us.”
And as people join Tzu Chi, they’ll soon discover that it is much more than a charity organization. “It is a spiritual cultivation organization,” Tzu Chi volunteer Angie Cai reminds the trainees in her talk. “We attain enlightenment while doing good deeds.”
Recalling how senior Tzu Chi volunteers bravely stood in the frontlines to offer compassion and relief during the early years of the pandemic, she asks, “Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to take on that kind of responsibility? If you answer yes, then you must continue on this Tzu Chi path. Don’t just be a volunteer in words. In doing Tzu Chi work, it has to be through actions.”
When Ben Baquilod joined Tzu Chi in March 2022 as a writer for the Department of Communications, it was all about work.
Soon, the foundation’s culture would rub off on him. He became vegetarian last year, a decision he made for health reasons and in keeping with Tzu Chi’s mission of environmental protection. “It has helped me not only physically but mentally,” he says. “I feel my mind is clearer. I also noticed that I’ve become more patient.”
But the coverages—visiting scholar applicants in homes located in remote, impoverished areas, interviewing the sick in Tzu Chi medical missions all over the Philippines—made him want to do more than write about them.
“I’ve seen their suffering and poverty and I’m amazed at their stories,” he says. “Despite their hardships, their resilience is admirable.”
With each show of gratitude from his subjects, Ben witnessed Tzu Chi’s lasting impact on their lives.
He remembers Nathaniel, a college student majoring in multimedia arts. Diagnosed with hernia and financially unable to shoulder the cost of surgery, he underwent a successful procedure as a beneficiary of a medical mission organized in Tzu Chi Davao.
“He thanked us profusely,” says Ben who was in the operating room during the surgery. “He could feel the love of the volunteers from Davao, Zamboanga, and Manila, as well as the doctors from the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA). He said, ‘I found a family here.’”
Now Nathaniel isn’t just back in school, he’s healthy enough to accept parttime jobs as a videographer for weddings and product commercials. “His life changed and his confidence grew because of that medical mission. He’s thriving as a filmmaker even before graduating, and that makes me happy,” marvels Ben. “So, it’s not just about offering help. When you see lives transformed, you’re touched to give more.”
To anyone trying to find purpose in life or looking to make a difference in this world, Ben says to consider Tzu Chi. “Tzu Chi is a very welcoming place. It’s open to everyone, whatever your religious beliefs or affiliations are. The values of Tzu Chi and the foundation are very universal. It’s a perfect place for anyone who would want to cultivate themselves spiritually and mentally.”
“When you know you were able to help someone even in a small way, it’s very fulfilling and empowering,” he adds. “And in Tzu Chi, everyone is welcome to help.”
Sporting their official uniform—a gray shirt with white collar and logo of three bamboos—volunteers in training from Tzu Chi Metro Manila smile and pose for a group picture. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Tzu Chi Zamboanga holds a Moving Up ceremony simultaneously with Tzu Chi Manila, with six of the eight candidates in attendance. 【Photo by Zamboanga Volunteer】
Volunteers in training from Tzu Chi Zamboanga (upper lefthand corner) and Tzu Chi Manila pose for a photo with their mentors. 【Photo by Harold Alzaga】
Tzu Chi Zamboanga commissioners and volunteers in training cheer following a happy Moving Up ceremony. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteer training classes took place at the Harmony Hall and Jing Si Auditorium. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteer training classes took place at the Harmony Hall and Jing Si Auditorium. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteer training classes took place at the Harmony Hall and Jing Si Auditorium. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteer trainees shared their thoughts on this new stage of volunteerism. Jerom Bacarra, a registered social worker with Tzu Chi’s Charity Department since 2019, says he joined the training program because he was in awe of Dharma Master Cheng Yen. “At 25 years old, she already wanted to help so many people and set up many hospitals in Taiwan. I want to be her disciple,” he says. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
With their mentors by their side, volunteers in training prepare to make their way to the stage to receive their official uniform. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
The volunteer-in-training uniform is a gray shirt with white collar and logo of three bamboos. The design symbolizes strength and great things that can be achieved with combined efforts. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteers in training happily receive their official uniform from Tzu Chi commissioner-mentors. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Ben Baquilod (foreground left) receives his uniform from Tzu Chi Department of Communications Head Judy Lao. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Tzu Chi volunteers perform the signed moves of the lively “Pulling the Ox Cart” song. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Tzu Chi volunteers perform the signed moves of the lively “Pulling the Ox Cart” song. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez addresses the latest batch of volunteers in training. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Ben Baquilod joins volunteers in prayer before a volunteer training program. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
“I want to gain more understanding of Tzu Chi. As I understand more the values and teachings of Tzu Chi and Master Cheng Yen, it has helped me become a better person,” says Ben Baquilod during this sharing. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
At the Tzu Chi medical mission in Davao, Ben Baquilod (right, in gray) visits Nathaniel (left, in blue) a multimedia arts student a day after his successful hernia surgery. “His life changed and his confidence grew because of that medical mission. He’s thriving as a filmmaker even before graduating, and that makes me happy,” says Ben.【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
In the operating room of a medical mission in Davao, Ben Baquilod (left) listens to Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Dr. Anton Lim explain a procedure.【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
Coverages, like medical missions organized by Tzu Chi all over the country, inspired staff writer Ben Baquilod (right) to do more than write stories about the beneficiaries he meets. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
Deciding to join Tzu Chi’s volunteer-in-training program requires a different level of commitment. “They have to inspire more hearts and they have to get involved in different activities in order to understand the deeper meaning of service according to Master Cheng Yen’s teaching,” says Tzu Chi volunteer Ligaya Ng. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】