Story By Georgene Quilaton-Tambiga
Photos By Rachel Mae De Gracia, CVPro
Fire. In a matter of minutes it can change the lives of many. In broad daylight or during sleeping hours, fire can raze an entire community and reduce it to ashes. True enough it was fire that reduced the community in Greenville Bato, Barangay Rizal to a pile of ashes just around lunchtime on September 22, 2025.
At least 110 families lost their homes. At least 122 of the individuals are children enrolled in day care centers, elementary and high schools, and even in college. They all lost their homes and their basic school things.
Reaching out to the victims, the Community Extension and Development Office (CEDO) of Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos, Inc. and ARCORES Filipinas and International quickly organized a relief operations to distribute Solidarity Boxes to affected families.
On September 27, 2025, Rev. Fr. Cristopher C. Maspara, OAR, CST-R president, led the team of Thomasians during the operations. Officers of the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) of the College Department and scholars of the Recollect Educational Assistance for Deserving Students (READS) and CST-R Staff composed the team.
Distribution was done in two different evacuation sites—the Covered Court of Barangay Rizal and the former San Carlos City Covid19 Isolation Facility.
Beneficiaries received rice, canned goods, hygiene kits, powdered milk and the children received brand new CST-R jogging pants.
ARCORES International and ARCORES Filipinas are the social action arms of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. The Solidarity Boxes or Caja de Solidaria is a project of ARCORES in collaboration with CST-R’s CEDO. Each box intends to give immediate support to a family affected by natural or man-made disaster.
