TWO realizations hit Martin Lorenzo del Rosario when he witnessed a road mishap in 2012—the importance of basic emergency response and the value of volunteerism.
“During that time, a motorcycle driver and his back rider were in critical condition. There, I saw the impact and it made me realize how important it is to be trained for basic emergency response even as a bystander because I could have done something had I known what to do,” he said.
Renzo, as he is fondly called by friends and family, joined the Philippine Red Cross as a volunteer in 2013, a year after the incident.
While years may have passed, he continues to help others out of altruism and remains a proud member of several volunteer groups.
Renzo, now a college sophomore student taking up Bachelor of Science in Nursing, co-founded the Velez College Emergency Response Team.
He is also an ambulance dispatcher for the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and an ambulance crew member of the Barangay Guadalupe Emergency Response Team.
These tedious but selfless efforts to save lives have landed Renzo a regional nomination for the 2019 Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV) under the Individual-Youth Category.
This is his second time to be chosen for the same award. He was first nominated in 2018.
The SOV aims to pay tribute to the “unsung and ordinary” Filipino citizens and organizations whose services contribute to the country’s development priorities.
Renzo was given a plaque and certificate of appreciation for his volunteer work during the Regional Development Council 7 full council meeting for the first quarter of 2020 last Feb. 28.
“I dedicate these awards to all of my fellow volunteers who are serving in their respective fields of service. To those who have helped me in becoming a volunteer and to those people whom I was able to help along the way,” he said.
Life as a volunteer, though, has not been easy for Renzo.
Among the challenges he had to hurdle are time and financial constraints, miscommunication among colleagues and political interventions, among others.
“You don’t necessarily have to devote an entire day for volunteerism. You can break it into several fragments while balancing your other duties. Love volunteerism in the best way possible. If you love what you are doing, these challenges won’t be much as a problem,” he said. (WBS)