I was near the lake when I noticed a group of teens, my age, wearing red who seemed to be having an activity. I approached them and learned about the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

The PRC is a voluntary organization that helps to save lives specially in time of emergency.  The teens I saw were volunteers who had just finished two days of training and who were out in the field recruiting members.

They told me about the Red Cross 143 or Red Cross "I Love You".  This is a program that teaches the volunteers to look after and care for their communities.  It helps the country to be prepared for an emergency by having groups of 44 volunteers with 1 leader and 43 members. They get trained to prepare for emergencies and respond to them.

I just got recruited to become a 143 Volunteer. Now I have to know my duties and they are to (1) Predict - know the dangers in my community, (2) Plan - know what I need to do in case of emergency, (3) Prepare - get everyone ready with emergency kits, (4) Practice - train the community on what to do during emergencies, (5) Report - inform PRC about any emergency or dangers and (6) Response - provide immediate assistance during an emergency.

With global warming and climate change we have seen how disasters have brought about severe emergency situations. As a Red Cross volunteer I will learn how to always be prepared.