In November last year, TS Kalmaegi (Local name: Tino) hit Palawan province in the Philippines. Among the municipalities hardest hit were Coron, Linapacan, Busuanga, and Culion—the group of islands that constitute the Calamian Islands in the said province.

Considering that and the subsequent calamities that likewise hit and impacted the lives of residents there, the Pastoral Counseling Center (PCC) of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) held a psychological first aid or support activity in the Ecclesiastical District of Calamian on January 16, 2026.

The said activity, held at Sitio Sabang, Brgy. Nangalao, Linapacan, Palawan, was led by Brother Mark Lemuel Talento and Brother Elmer Adao, ministers of the gospel from the PCC.

After a prayer by district counseling aide Brother Marc Eirl John Josol, Buklod, KADIWA, and Binhi members conducted stress debriefing. This aimed to help the attendees to process a traumatic event, realize their reactions, and cope with the situations.

The KADIWA and Binhi members also held Play Therapy. Through board games, they were able to vent out their emotions. Concurrently, Children’s Worship Service members engaged in Art Therapy. They were given coloring materials and books to enhance their creativity and express their feelings. The event concluded with a prayer by Brother Talento.

“The activities are fun and stress-relieving,” said Ranilo Dava, finance officer from Linapacan Group Worship Service of Coron Congregation. “Through these activities, we learned how to cope with the difficult situations that we’ve had and will encounter.”

“I thank so much the Church Administration for always remembering us, even sending ministers to visit us, know, and uplift our condition,” said Nangalao Extension deaconess Melanie Castil. “Stress-relieving activities are really a big help for us. Most of all, our faith has become more steadfast.”— With reports from Jed Ceder Dosdos