Filipino-Japanese volunteers begin Bontoc school work camp

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Filipino volunteers from Love Our Brethren (LOOB) Inc. and Japanese volunteers from Student NGO ALPHA arrived March 2, 2026, for a work camp in Barangay Bontoc, Lambunao, Iloilo.

Led by LOOB Executive Director John Horatius G. Loot and ALPHA founder Shimon Ashino, the group of eight Filipino campers and 19 Japanese students paid a courtesy visit to the Lambunao Government Center.

On behalf of Mayor Reynor R. Gonzales, the volunteers were welcomed by Dr. Flordelyn G. Amon, the senior administrative assistant, and Vice Mayor Arvin L. Losaria.

Department heads, municipal officials and executive assistants also attended the welcome for the youth volunteers.

During their 10-day stay, the Filipino-Japanese volunteers will construct one additional classroom at Bontoc Integrated School, which organizers said will be their seventh project at the school.

The LOOB-ALPHA partnership has donated 24 classrooms in the municipality, organizers said, with the latest beneficiary the Daanbanwa Integrated School, inaugurated in August 2025.

LOOB and ALPHA have conducted youth-led work camps that combine volunteer service and cultural exchange, with projects typically focused on school facilities and community support. (MLV/Cec Infocenter Lambunao)