Three friends on a mission (from left): Maximo Alcantara III, Rio John Abel, and Darwin Lajara. (Photos from their Facebook accounts)

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MANILA, Philippines — It was supposed to be a day dedicated only to sending a beam of hope to evacuees affected by the fury of the Taal Volcano.

But this act of volunteerism turned out to be how Maximino Alcantara, Darwin Lajara, and Rio John Abel, all in their 20s, would spend their last day.

All of them died in an accidental crash with a trailer truck in Barangay Banaybanay 1 in San Jose town in Batangas at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

According to police, the Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Alcantara was traversing the southbound lane of the road when it accidentally bumped the left rear portion of an Isuzu Tractor Head, which was then entering a gate of a nearby establishment.

READ MORE:  https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1213600/3-young-taal-volunteers-die-in-car-crash

In social media, friends and relatives of the three hailed the heroism they showed in sending relief to victims of the eruption, an act that will not be forgotten as residents in the province continue to brave the harsh activities of the volcano.

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HIGHLY PRIZED Taal Island’s four-legged residents are ferried to safety in Balete, Batangas province, on Wednesday, having survived the initial rumblings of the ash-belching volcano that started on Jan. 12. (Photo by CHRIS QUINTANA / Contributor)

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Policemen inspect identification at a checkpoint to deter volcano-affected residents from returning to their homes in Agoncillo town, Batangas on Jan. 15.

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Mask-clad residents ride in a jeepney as they evacuate their homes in Laurel town, Batangas on Jan.15.

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A cow and its owner walk along a volcanic ash-covered road as they are brought to a safer place by their owners in Agoncillo town, Batangas on Jan. 15.

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Motorists maneuver a huge fissure caused by Taal Volcano eruption, along a highway in Lemery town, Batangas on Jan.15.

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Deadly calm: Main crater lake drained of water

SPEWING STEAM. Taal volcano spews steam as an ash-covered village and vegetation are seen in Laurel town, Batangas on Wednesday. Authorities are struggling to keep thousands of evacuees from returning home in areas threatened by a feared massive eruption of Taal. AFP

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BAREFOOT BUT BRAVE. Highly strung evacuees trudge along the heavily silted muddy road towards Tanauan City (above) after unloading their valuables. Joey Razon

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Farmer Jack Imperial, 49, poses for a portrait in his pineapple plantation covered with ash from the erupting Taal Volcano

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Residents clear their roofs covered with volcanic ash at Laurel, Batangas province (AP)

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Residents affected by the Taal Volcano eruption rest in Padre Pio Shrine

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Agoncillo town in the Philippines' Batangas province has been blanketed with ash from the Taal volcano

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In this Jan. 14, 2020, photo, residents walk at their volcanic ash covered village in Laurel, Batangas province, southern Philippines, as Taal volcano continues to spew ash. So far no one has been reported killed in the eruption, but the disaster is spotlighting the longstanding dilemma of how the government can move settlements away from danger zones threatened by volcanoes, landslides, floods and typhoons in one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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