A Red Cross love story

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Mariegen Balo had always wanted to be a pianist. Graceful, talented, and hardworking, she exudes the air of one. Like a master at the start of a recital, she is unassuming until she gets to work, doing so with great panache. 

But Mariegen decided against chasing after her desired path. “If I became a pianist, I might not have been able to sustain my life,” she said. 

In lieu of the concert hall, she redirected her sights to the hospital and opted to become a nurse. 

One idle day in 1989, Mariegen was outside her house in Digos City, Davao del Sur when a white Land Cruiser with the Red Cross symbol drove by. “I was wondering what that logo meant. To me, it symbolized hope.” 

It was a eureka moment as she realized that she wanted to work for the Red Cross, after all. 

She inquired with her friend Helen Barcena, a nurse for the joint assistance program of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Coincidentally, Helen was migrating, so her position would be vacated. 

“It was also at the height of the armed conflict in southern Mindanao so there was a need for more nurses,” she said. “I applied, and luckily, I was accepted.” 

Unbeknownst to her, she would be dedicating the next 35 years of her life to the Red Cross, stopping only when retirement knocked on the door. 

RED CROSS RIDE. Mariegen Balo (right) with an ICRC delegate during fieldwork. All photos from ICRC

The PRC deployed Mariegen as a field nurse to conflict-affected areas. She assessed the needs of the displaced people and evaluated children’s nutrition; her assessments were used by the ICRC to determine the aid to be provided. 

Duty called her to Davao del Sur, Cotabato City, and the cities of Tacloban, Dumaguete, and Cebu. She spent months to a year in each location.

When Mariegen was stationed in Dumaguete in 1991, she hosted Alfonsito or “Fons,” a trainer from the PRC Davao chapter. He was in town to conduct a two-week training on first aid and water safety. 

HELPING HAND. Mariegen Balo (left) assesses the situation of people displaced by armed conflict in Occidental Mindoro in 2004.

Mariegen, who then just broke up with her beau, was being teased by her colleagues to Fons. “Alam mo ba Ate Mariegen, dalaga ka pa, at binata pa yan si Fons (You know Mariegen, you’re still single, and Fons is still a bachelor).” 

Her colleagues went the extra mile in setting them up, providing Fons with a motorcycle so they could roam around together.

“Once his class was done, I would help him clean the area,” she shared. “I also prepared his meals since he was busy with the training.” These kind gestures would not go unnoticed: on Fons’ last day, he started wooing the then Miss Sumaylo. 

The long-distance courtship continued by way of a weekly exchange of letters, cards, and telegrams. It was the early ’90s, after all. 

“We would write to each other about sweet nothings and what nots,” Mariegen recounted. “It reached the point when I became close with the postman, as he would notify me ahead if there was a message for me.” They also made regular, long phone calls. 

It was a whirlwind romance. Within months, they decided to exchange marriage vows. But Mariegen was assigned in Cebu, while Fons was in Manila. It was challenging for them to plan their wedding. 

Friends from the PRC Dumaguete chapter came to the couple’s rescue and referred a volunteer’s father —  a judge — to officiate their wedding. On February 13, 1992, the pair got married in a simple civil ceremony in Dumaguete, the city where their love blossomed.

PARTNERS. After 12 years, Mariegen and Fons finally had their church wedding in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur.

Mariegen admits that at first, she thought that her married life would be more manageable as she and her husband were working in the same organization.

However, as they’re both engaged with field work, their dynamic eventually proved to be cumbersome. Fons was covering Mindanao while Mariegen was responsible for the entire country. She would fly every week and be home only during the weekends.

“It was especially hard on our growing daughter (their only child), since we could not be with her most of the time.” To make things work, the Balos would compare their schedules.

“Thankfully, our work always brought us to the same places, so we were really able to see one another,” shared Mariegen.

Decades of serving humanity

Mariegen worked closely with an ICRC doctor, assisting in activities such as visits to detention centers. The doctor, who became her mentor, asked her if she was interested to work for the ICRC to be closer to her husband, who was based in the metro. 

Determined to put her family under one roof, Mariegen applied for the job and unsurprisingly, was hired. 

“Imagine, I was in Cebu, alone and pregnant, while my husband was in Manila. It was so difficult,” she recalled. She said that the decision to move to the ICRC in 1993 was because she also wanted to work with conflict-affected people. 

As an ICRC medical field officer, she visited jails to check the health conditions of detainees, particularly those arrested in relation to armed conflict. She worked with the authorities to ensure that the detainees received dignified and humane treatment. 

Mariegen also supported programs to eradicate tuberculosis and scabies in jails. When there were weapon-wounded people in hospitals, she checked to see how the ICRC could support them further. 

SERVICE. Mariegen Balo treats a boy affected with scabies at the National Training School for Boys in Tanay, Rizal in 2004.

Mariegen later transitioned into a protection field officer, where she was preoccupied with the ICRC’s family visit program that helps detainees to reestablish and maintain contact with their relatives: “I had to contact the family (of the qualified detainees) and inform them about this program.” 

She also facilitated the exchange of Red Cross messages between detainees and their families. These messages are delivered to their recipients through the PRC’s wide network, as the initiative is under the ICRC and PRC’s joint Protection of Family Links program.

This job made her witness heartwarming moments. She remembers an instance when she delivered a Red Cross message to a family. 

“They did not know that their missing relative was well and was in jail, so when they read the message, they burst into tears. When you see them weep over news that their brother, father, are still alive — as a human being, it’s difficult not to get carried away,” she said.

For Mariegen, all the cases that she handled under the Protection of Family Links program are memorable. “I’m happy that I’m a part of the reconnection of families,” she said. 

Coming full circle

On the days leading to her retirement, Mariegen did the things she was passionate about, for the last time. 

She dropped by the PRC headquarters in Mandaluyong City to share information materials about the Protection of Family Links program. Within a few minutes, Mariegen was greeted like a celebrity by PRC staff who have become her friends.

“Good luck on your next journey, now you will be reunited with your husband,” wished a PRC staff as she embraced Mariegen. The visit to the PRC, where Mariegen began, was a full circle moment for her.

On her final working day on December 19, 2024, Mariegen visited the Laguna Provincial Jail to help distribute hygiene kits to over 700 detainees. 

She stood on a bench to make herself heard as she explained the purpose of the donation. She also spoke to some detainees to understand how they were doing, as well as talk about the ICRC’s support for them. 

DEDICATED. Last December 2024, Mariegen helped in distributing hygiene kits to 700 detainees at the Laguna Provincial Jail.

At the end of the activity, her face lit up. Mariegen, with the biggest smile, gushed: “I’m done, I’m done! I’m happy. I just have to return my laptop and phone.” 

And just like that, Mariegen, now 65 years old, wrapped up 35 years with the Red Cross. She still plans to be in the field — this time in Surigao City, where she will settle with Fons and tend to a backyard vegetable garden. Ever the humanitarian, she also wishes to empower the out-of-school youth by teaching them piano, among others. 

What made her stay this long in the Red Cross, given the trend of Filipino nurses seeking greener pastures abroad? 

“You are helping and stepping into the shoes of these people affected by armed conflict,” said Mariegen. “Our unique work, which brings tremendous impact and is valued by our beneficiaries, gave me the fulfillment.” – Rappler.com 

Lorenzo Arada works as a digital officer in the ICRC Philippines.