TONDO

TONDO

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Tambakan daw ng mga patapon

Pugad ng mga kapuspalad

Hangganan ng pangarap –

Ng mga taong

Madilim ang hinaharap.

 

Marami na ang sumumpa

Na sa Tondo’y hindi babalik

Nguni’t iba ang tawag

At hila ng ugat

Pilit nagpapaliwanag.

 

Tondo, oh, bakit ba?

Naturingan ka

Na pugad ng dalamhati

Pinagkaitan ng saya

Ng ngiti at ng ganda.

 

Ang lahat ay may pagbabago

Kung may araw, mayroon ding gabi.

Kung may lamig, mayroon ding init

Tulad ng Tondo

Gumaganda, dati’y pangit.

 

Ngayon, iba na siya

Unti-unting nagbabago

Nasisinagan ng pag-asa

Na ang dulot

Ay bagong buhay

At may ligaya!

Anna Bermudo: Kindness Behind a Pretty Face

Anna Bermudo: Kindness Behind A Pretty Face

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

When I took a respite at a Jollibee joint in Divisoria, particularly, corner of Sto. Cristo St., due to my heavy packs, I found out that I needed a separate bag for some items intended to be given to one of my friends in Baseco. It was then, that I noticed one of the crew who was cleaning tables. I told her my problem, without much ado, she left and when she came back, she had a paper bag which was just what I needed. Her prompt assistance impressed me, despite her doing something else during the time. She practically dropped everything and attended to me, although, customers were beginning to crowd the room.

My appreciation for such kind act, made me ask her permission if I can share it with friends. She shyly hesitated, but I had my chance to take her photo quickly, when she began to clean my table. She thought I was joking when I aimed my cellphone/camera for a quick shot. I found the photo to be hazy when I checked it at Baseco, so I came back to the burger joint. Luckily, I found her having a late breakfast in a sidewalk food stall near Jollibee. I practically begged her to allow me to take a clearer photo, explaining to her that what I am doing is for the benefit of others who might be inspired by people like her. Fortunately, she conceded and even cooperated by giving information about herself.

Although merely, a high school graduate, she courageously left her hometown in Zamboanga to seek a “greener pasture” in Manila several years ago. She had no chance of pursuing her studies, as she had been helping her family by sending whatever amount she could afford from her wage when she found a job. I could see that her right attitude has earned her a well-deserved job in the world-renown Filipino burger outfit which is also acknowledged for its fairness in dealing with employees.

 

Anna is pretty, an attribute that could land her a much better-paying job in cafes that could be double or triple compared to what she is earning in Jollibee. But I could surmise that despite temptations from friends, that always happen to pretty girls from the countryside, she opted to work in a family-oriented establishment. Her clean and smooth face is not covered even by a thin swipe of rouge, and she wears no jewelry, not even a single stainless ring. Her simplicity has accentuated her pretty face…. that veils an innate kindness.

 

 

 

 

The “Other Side” of Divisoria (Manila, Philippines)

The “Other Side” of Divisoria (Manila, Philippines)

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

While Divisoria has always been known as the shoppers’ Mecca, especially, during Christmas, there is” another side” of it which I do not want to present as an image of poverty but that of perseverance, patience, and honest endeavor. This is the “other Divisoria” which many people just refuse to see as it might cause them to puke! The accompanying photos show how these honest Filipinos contentedly strive to live in sheer honesty.

 

The skeptics always say, “it is their fault for going to Manila and suffer deprivation”. These hypocrite skeptics have  TV, radio, and occasionally read newspapers, so they should know that the provinces from where these people who are eking out an honest living on the “other side” of Divisoria, are infested with NPAs, Abu Sayyaf, opportunistic landlords, and loan sharks. For the arrogant, the world is just for those who can afford to live decently. On the other hand, as these skeptics have not endured days of hunger, they may not understand how it is to make a difficult decision to live a hand-to-mouth life in Manila by scavenging in garbage dumps, rather than die of hunger and be in constant fear for dear life in the province.

 

It is true that the slums have been in existence for many decades now, but there would be no slums had the government ever since the time the nation has become independent, did not get infested with corrupt lawmakers and officials. The slums have been around since the time that deprivation and exploitation have been propagated by learned Filipinos who found their way in the halls of Congress and Senate, as well as, agencies, even at the helm of the government. Unfortunately, the seed of exploitation has grown into an uncontrollable proportion today, making corruption as wrongly and unfairly viewed to be always a part of the Filipino culture.

 

The striving people from the slums near Divisoria, and other districts of Manila, in this regard, may be viewed by the arrogant as akin to dogs and cats, because of their many children, oftentimes making them utter unsavory remark, such as, “they know they are poor, yet, they keep on having children”.

 

How I wish these skeptics can also openly, make biting remarks –

• to the corrupt politicians and government officials, such as, “they graduated from prestigious universities and colleges, yet, they do not know what is right or wrong”

 

• to the filthy rich, such as, “they have plenty of money, yet they can’t even throw a piece of bread to a beggar”

 

• to the stiff-necked Catholic priests, pastors, and other religious ministers such as, “they are supposed to be representatives of the Lord, but they can’t afford to take a look at the spiritually hungry”

 

Finally, compared to the disgusting hypocrites, loan sharks, corrupt government officials, arrogant “religious ministers” and conscienceless rich, who are supposed to be learned and intelligent, the people who honestly make a living such as those who belong to the “other side” of Divisoria, are worthy to be called creatures of God – true human beings…slum denizens who are viewed by aforementioned with utter repugnance.

 

(This blog will definitely, not hurt those who do not belong to the mentioned “classes” of loathsome Filipinos.)

 

 

Rose

Rose

(para kay Rosita Segala)

Ni Apolinario B Villalobos

 

Kung siya’y iyong pagmasdan

Mababanaag mo sa mga mata niyang malamlam

Bigat ng pinapasang katungkulan

Hindi lang para sa mga mahal sa buhay

Kung hindi, pati na rin sa malalapit na kaibigan.

 

Mayroon man siyang kinikimkim

Hindi kayang isiwalat ng maninipis na labi

Ang matagal nang pinipigil na damdamin

Nakapaloob sa nagpupumiglas na tanong

“May kaligayahan kaya para sa akin sa dako pa roon”?

 

Marami na rin siyang inasam sa buhay

Nguni’t maramot ang kapalaran at pagkakataon

Kabutihang kanyang pinamamahagi sa iba

Kalimitan ay palaging may katumbas na luha

Pati na pag-abuso na nagbibigay ng matinding pagdurusa.

 

Sa kabila ng lahat, marubdob pa rin ang paniniwala niya sa Diyos

Na siyang tanging nakakabatid ng lahat ng kanyang paghihirap

At alam niyang darating ang panahon na kanyang makakamit

Pagmamahal at katiwasayan ng kalooban na sa kanya’y pinagkait

Samantala, kanya na lang iindahin, mga darating na siphayo at pasakit.

 

(Si Rose ay taga-Quezon at nang mapadpad sa Maynila noong 1972 ay kumuha ng maliit na puwesto sa Recto, sa bahaging kung tagurian ay “Arranque”. Sa bahaging ito ng Maynila makakakita ng mga alahas na binebenta ng mura dahil karamihan ay nabili ng bultuhan o maramihan sa mga bahay-sanglaan o pawnshop. At, sa ganitong uri ng negosyo sumabak si Rose, subalit hindi sa pagbenta, kundi sa paglinis na kasama ang pagtubog upang lalong tumingkad mga alahas. Ang puwesto niya ay nasa ilalim ng hagdan patungo sa ikalawang palapag ng lumang gusali, kung saan ay may inuupahan siyang kuwarto, kasama ang kanyang pamangkin na si Marivic.

 

 

Marami siyang kakumpetensiya sa uri ng kanyang trabaho – mga lalaki, kaya napabilib ako sa kanya nang malaman ko ang kanyang trabaho. Ayon sa kanya, pinipilit niyang makaipon upang may magamit sa mga emergency na pangangailangan kaya alas- siyete pa lamang ng umaga ay nag-aabang na siya ng mga kostumer na gustong magpalinis ng alahas, at inaabot siya ng gabi dahil sa kanyang pagtitiyaga.

 

Sa probinsiya pa lang nila ay marami nang natulungan si Rose, subalit hindi siya naghangad ng kapalit. Nakakaramdam siya ng kasiyahan sa pagtulong sa iba upang hindi sila makaranas ng mga kahirapang napagdaanan niya. Ayaw niyang umasa sa mga kamag-anak, kahit na yong mga natulungan niya, kaya nagsisikap, at pinapasa-Diyos na lamang niya kung ano man ang mangyari sa kanya, subalit kahit papaano ay nag-iingat pa rin siya.)

 

 

Cristina Toledo Cabanayan Packs Food for Prison Inmates

Cristina Toledo Cabanayan

Packs Food for Prison Inmates

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

I came to learn of the advocacy of Cristina Toledo Cabanayan when I took my brunch in their roadside food stall along Camba St. in Divisoria….she packs food for some inmates in Manila City Jail. It all started when her son (name withheld upon request) who was detained asked her to include his newly found friends, in the lunch pack that she prepares for him during visitation days. Her son found out that his friends have not been receiving visitors for a very long time, hence, depended on the meager and strictly- budgeted meals served by the jail administration.

 

Soonest as she heard their stories, she did not hesitate to pack meals taken from what she sells along Camba St. of Divisoria district for her son and his friends. The pack meals are brought by her grandsons to their father who is thirty six years old. The day I took my brunch, a Saturday, was a visitation day for the Manila City Jail inmates.

 

I learned, too, that Cristina’s altruism also benefited Lagring, who was adopted by her family when she found her living in the area alone, after having been abandoned by her family. Cristina nurtured Lagring back to her health, and today she helps in the operation of the roadside eatery by taking charge of everything that needs to be washed – eating utensils, pots, pans, etc. Though she is still noticeably skinny, she is back to her former spritely self. I found her washing pots and plates when I dropped by the food stall.

The husband of Cristina is a retiree with a frail health, making it necessary for him to stay at home, where he does the easy chores while the rest of the members are doing their share in the food stall. Miracle, Cristina’s daughter, though with a family of her own, helps her mother run the small business. The cooperation among the family members spared Cristina from hiring extra hands which is what food stall owners normally do.

The food stall is the source of the family’s livelihood, the blessing from which they also share with others in the best way that they can afford, but despite such, they are able to make both ends meet, as a proverb goes. They do not even know for how long they can hold on to their roadside space that accommodates their pushcart laden with foods. Despite such apprehension, Cristina, a typical Filipino, is fatalistic though in a positive way. She grew up in the same area and had her own share of ordeals that made her tough as a person.

The Spirited Anna….with sightless left eye and dimming right one

The Spirited Anna…with sightless left eye

and dimming right one

by Apolinario Villalobos

 

I thought the woman whose name I learned was Anna,  and who was sitting on the pushcart was just too trusting by not counting the money that I gave her for the items that I chose from among her “buraot” items, until she told me that her right eye can barely see while her left eye was totally useless. Her sight had been defective since she was a girl. While growing up, she was desperate and a loner because of her deficiency until she met her husband who took good care of her.

 

Anna and her husband had been selling junk items for more than five years. They would spread their items on a piece of tarpaulin as early as six in the morning along the old railroad track now covered with pavement as early as six in the morning, just when the vegetable wholesalers are packing up. An hour later they would transfer to the corner of the Sto. Cristo St. where I found her. With their four children in tow, her husband would leave her to clean their other “buraot” items in the railroad track.

 

She smilingly told me that she and her husband have been setting aside money for their children from the meager daily earnings. Just like most of the hardworking scavengers of Divisoria, they live on the pushcart…or rather, beside their pushcart that are heaped with their junks at the end of the day. Their children are aged nine, seven, four and three years. Just before noon, she told me that they, already with lunch bought from a makeshift sidewalk eatery, would join her.

 

Our amiable conversation was cut short by a sudden and steady drizzle. I had to help Anna gather her items on their pushcart and cover them with two pieces of tarp that I brought with me, intended to be given to the vendors like her. We stayed on the covered sidewalk, and it was at this time that Anna got worried for her husband and children.  Not long afterward, a guy carrying two children, and two girls huffily came running and joined us.

 

As the pushcart was securely covered, I invited Anna and her family to the Jollibee outlet a few steps away. The eldest girl jumped and gleefully shouted when she heard the name. When we entered, other customers threw us inquisitive stares as the husband of Anna and the kids were dripping wet. It was their first time to enter the establishment and even taste its cheapest Yummy sandwich, but for such a happy occasion, I ordered the regular burger and spaghetti for each of them. While they were enjoying their sandwich, spaghetti, and Coke, they strike a picture of a happy family…of contentment, a far cry from many families that are virtually swimming in affluence, yet, not satisfied a bit. As a practice, I did not take their picture while enjoying their Jollibee meal, for I do not want the photo opportunity to come out as one done in exchange for something. So as not to instigate Anna and her husband to ask questions about me, I stopped asking more questions about their life….that way, I was happy not to be asked for my name, though, before we parted ways, I told them that the snacks were courtesy of a certain “Perla”. I was resolved, however, to see them again.

 

The “Other Side” of Divisoria

The “Other Side” of Divisoria (Manila, Philippines)

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

While Divisoria has always been known as the shoppers’ Mecca, especially, during Christmas, there is” another side” of it which I do not want to present as an image of poverty but that of perseverance, patience, and honest endeavor. This is the “other Divisoria” which many people just refuse to see as it might cause them to puke! The accompanying photos show how these honest Filipinos contentedly strive to live in sheer honesty.

 

The skeptics always say, “it is their fault for going to Manila and suffer deprivation”. These hypocrite skeptics have  TV, radio, and occasionally read newspapers, so they should know that the provinces from where these people who are eking out an honest living on the “other side” of Divisoria, are infested with NPAs, Abu Sayyaf, opportunistic landlords, and loan sharks. For the arrogant, the world is just for those who can afford to live decently. On the other hand, as these skeptics have not endured days of hunger, they may not understand how it is to make a difficult decision to live a hand-to-mouth life in Manila by scavenging in garbage dumps, rather than die of hunger and be in constant fear for dear life in the province.

 

It is true that the slums have been in existence for many decades now, but there would be no slums had the government ever since the time the nation has become independent, did not get infested with corrupt lawmakers and officials. The slums have been around since the time that deprivation and exploitation have been propagated by learned Filipinos who found their way in the halls of Congress and Senate, as well as, agencies, even at the helm of the government. Unfortunately, the seed of exploitation has grown into an uncontrollable proportion today, making corruption as wrongly and unfairly viewed to be always a part of the Filipino culture.

 

The striving people from the slums near Divisoria, and other districts of Manila, in this regard, may be viewed by the arrogant as akin to dogs and cats, because of their many children, oftentimes making them utter unsavory remark, such as, “they know they are poor, yet, they keep on having children”.

 

How I wish these skeptics can also openly, make biting remarks –

• to the corrupt politicians and government officials, such as, “they graduated from prestigious universities and colleges, yet, they do not know what is right or wrong”

 

• to the filthy rich, such as, “they have plenty of money, yet they can’t even throw a piece of bread to a beggar”

 

• to the stiff-necked Catholic priests, pastors, and other religious ministers such as, “they are supposed to be representatives of the Lord, but they can’t afford to take a look at the spiritually hungry”

 

Finally, compared to the disgusting hypocrites, loan sharks, corrupt government officials, arrogant “religious ministers” and conscienceless rich, who are supposed to be learned and intelligent, the people who honestly make a living such as those who belong to the “other side” of Divisoria, are worthy to be called creatures of God – true human beings…slum denizens who are viewed by aforementioned with utter repugnance.

 

(This blog will definitely, not hurt those who do not belong to the mentioned “classes” of loathsome Filipinos.)

 

Maynila…sa mata ng Bagong Salta

Maynila…sa mata ng bagong salta

ni Apolinario B Villalobos

Hindi ko na maalala pa

Ang ibang yugto ng aking buhay

Mula’t sapul nang ako ay lumisan

Sa aking sinilangang bayan

Kung saan ang nakagisnang pagdarahop

Ay bahagi na ng buhay

Ng mga taong kakambal ay hirap

Nguni’t hindi nagsisisihang magkakapitbahay.

Musmos na isip at murang katawan

Ang nagpati-anod sa tawag ng pangako

Kumukulo ang tiyan sa kawalan ng laman

Dahil iilang pirasong barya

Hindi magasta-gasta

Sa pag-aalala   na kapag mga ito’y nawala sa bulsa

Sa laot ng buhay na malupit pala

Ay lalo akong magmumukhang kawawa.

Puyat at pagod ay di ko inalintana

Sa pag-aakalang bukas ako’y may pera na

Kaya halos hilahin ko ang araw

Sa kanyang pagbaba doon sa kanluran

Para mapadali ang pagdatal ng kinabukasan

At mga ilang araw pa nga ang nagdaan

Narating ko ang Maynila

Lunsod ng iba’t- ibang kulay at mukha.

Hindi ko mawari ang unang naramdaman

Nang ako ay unang tumapak sa pantalan

Para pa rin akong namamalikmata

Sa aking mga narinig at nakita-

Walang kapatirang daloy ng tao

Ingay ng nagtatawanan at naglalako

Kaya’t ang dating masaya

Kagya’t na pumalit ay takot

Nabahid sa aking mukha…

Sa sarili, nasabi ko na lang –

“Ah, ito pala ang Maynila”.

(Batay sa kuwento ni Ramon na taga-Calbayog, Samar…namulot ng plastik at lata, pati tirang pagkain sa mga burgeran upang ilutong batsoy, may makain lang ang asawa at anak. Tumira sa Baseco Compound, Tondo, nguni’t bumalik sa probinsiya pagkalibing ng anak na namatay sa dengue, noong huling linggo ng Setyembre 2014.)

Adela.. the Old Lady Barker of Divisoria

Adela

…The Old Lady Dispatcher of Divisoria

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

 

She is 64 years old but looks like she is only 50. She shouts destinations of jeepneys amidst the din of noise in the corner of Ilaya and Recto Streets of Divisoria (a bustling business district of Manila), as early as six in the morning. She does it until noon when she gives herself a respite while sipping a glass of buko (young coconut) juice. By this time, she would have earned about Php80 out of which she buys 1 serving of rice and half serving of vegetables that come with free soup – her lunch for the day. For each jeepney that she has filled with passengers the driver gives her 10 pesos. She resumes her job at 2pm and continues enticing passengers to take certain jeepneys until 6pm. Her afternoon routine earns her a lesser amount between Php40 and Php60.

 

She whiles her remaining time for the day observing the arrival of wholesalers of vegetables who come from as far as Baguio (summer capital of the Philippines) in the north and Batangas, a prime province south of Manila. At this time, kids who are waiting for a chance to be hired as porters huddle around her. With her earning during that day, she treats them to cheap bread and buko juice. For the night, she sleeps in a pushcart whose owner lets her use it while he and his wife sell re-bundled vegetables along the former railroad track. The pushcart is parked on the sidewalk of a side street. A portion of Recto bursts into a hectic, though, gay nocturnal life when wholesalers begin to unpack their loads of vegetables at 7PM which lasts until 7AM, the following day.

 

She wakes up at about 3AM, go to a pay toilet and bathroom where she answers the call of nature and does a quick bath. I found out that she leaves her backpack in the care of the owner of the toilet facility. The backpack that contains several t-shirts, shorts, two denim pants, six pieces of underwear, and a towel are all she has. That is her daily routine. She practically leads a Spartan life.

 

I saw all these because I spent one whole day with her in Ilaya and one night on the sidewalk beside the pushcart where she slept. To prepare myself for this I brought with me a dismantled corrugated carton that served as my mat to protect me from the cold of the pavement and a malong to serve as my blanket.

 

She told me that she is from Cebu (a prime city in central Philippines) and added that she is doubling her effort to save for her fare back home. She left the comfort of a cousin’s shack in Tondo (an old district of Manila) after finding out that her lover is a drug pusher in the area. Her cousin is a manicurist who plies her job in Luneta (Rizal Park).

 

She came to Manila to try her luck despite her age. She was a laundrywoman back in Cebu. Unfortunately, her daughter and son who have their own families seem not interested in taking care of her. She was able to send her two children through high school by doing laundry. Later, they practically drifted away from her when they found jobs. She has maintained patrons for her laundry service but earnings became meager when these patrons later paid her less than what she previously charged them. She had no choice, afraid that she might lose them. She thought her cousin in Tondo would be able to help her, so with a few pesos left after purchasing her boat fare for Manila, she packed up her meager possessions and took the risk.

 

Finally, she confided that she was apprehensive as to what would happen to her when she sets her feet again on the soil of Cebu. She did not regret coming to Manila, though. Philosophically she told me that life in Manila for people like her is no different from the one lived somewhere else. Her last statement lingers in my mind until now. She has no plan of contacting her children when she arrives in Cebu. She said that she would rather live alone than be hurt by their rejection. She has no regrets in working hard for her children so that they can go through even just high school. In doing this, she is practically left with no savings for her own future needs. Foremost in her mind that time was her being their mother and that she has an obligation to raise them up properly, the best way she could.

 

By the way, her name is Adela. She denied my request for her photo. To show my respect and appreciation for the opportunity she gave me, I did not attempt to take even a single stolen shot while she was doing her job or while she was taking the most needed rest in the pushcart. As an added show of appreciation, I treated her to a simple breakfast sold by ambulant sidewalk peddlers.

 

I wished her the best of luck when we parted ways after our breakfast. On my way to the corner of Ilaya and Recto streets for a jeepney ride, I thought of my mother who skipped meals while selling dried fish together with my father, until the business flopped. While my father offered his service as porter in the market, my mother tried her luck selling second hand clothes which flopped again. When my father died of cancer, my mother left us in town and lived in the farm of my cousin and opened a small store, aside from occasionally planting and harvesting rice and corn. She showed us the dignity in hard work. Just like Adela, my mother did not complain a bit. She persistently did her best to earn a living for our sake until she died of cancer.

 

 

Ang Pagtulong sa Kapwa

Ang Pagtulong sa Kapwa

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Hindi na kailangang lumayo pa upang makatulong sa kapwa, sa makatotohanang paraan. Sa mga tinitirhang subdivision, kung minsan may mga “nangangalakal” na mga bata, ang iba nakapaa dahil ang tanging isang pares ng tsinelas ay pinag-iingatan upag magamit sa pagpasok sa eskwela. Hindi na nila kailangan pang tanungin kung gusto nila ng damit, o sapatos na pampasok sa eskwela, o ng isa pang pares ng tsinelas, o kung nakakain na. Masaya na sila kung abutan ng lumang tinapay o binalot na kaning lamig o ilang pirasong piniritong isda o ilang dakot na bigas.

 

May pinuntahan akong party minsan, at habang nagkakainan na ay may kumatok sa gate na mga batang “nangangalakal” upang humingi ng plastik o kung anong pambenta sa junk shop. Tinawag ng kaibigan kong maybahay ang kasambahay at nagsabing, “oh, yong nakatabi na sa tabi ng lababo, balutin mo yong iba at ibigay mo sa mga bata, siguraduhin mong may matira para sa mga aso ni Mareng……..”, na-shock ako dahil ang ibibigay pala sa mga bata ay mga itinabing pagkain para sa aso. Palagay ko hindi naman siguro panis o mga buto-buto, pero ang ituring niya ang mga bata na animo mga aso ay hindi maganda. Ano ba naman yong papasukin ang mga bata at pakainin maski sa garahe, eh di, talagang bukal sa kalooban niya ang ginawang pagtulong, hindi yong parang naghagis siya ng buto sa aso.

 

Kung walang nakakadayong “nangangalakal” sa ibang subdivision dahil sa umiiral na istriktong patakaran, may makikitang ganito sa labasan, nagtutulak ng kariton. Yong ibang pwedeng tulungan ay nakatira sa mga bangketa, nadadaanan ng iba sa atin at hindi binibigyan ng pansin. Ang iba namang pwedeng abutan ng tulong ay mga batang nagbebenta sa palengke upang kumita ng babaunin sa eskwela, o pambili ng mga gamit sa eskwela, o di kaya ay makatulong sa magulang. Pwede silang gawing regular na beneficiaries ng tulong.

 

Ang mga nakikita sa TV na kalagayan ng mga iskwater ay pangbukas lamang ng ating mga mata at isip tungkol sa talamak na kagutuman sa ating bansa. Maraming gustong tumulong subali’t hindi kasanib sa anumang grupo o NGO na tumutulong sa mga taong ito. Hindi na kailangang sumali pa sa ganitong grupo ng isang tao na may balak na tumulong sa makatotohanang paraan. Kaya ko nabanggit ang tungkol sa mga “nangangalakal” sa mga subdivision ay upang ipaliwanag na pwede namang tumulong kahi’t mag-isa, at hindi na kailangang lumayo pa upang gawin ito. Yong mag-abot ng tulong ng diretso sa mga humihingi ay sapat na kung gagawing may katapatan at bukal sa kalooban.

 

May mga ahensiya o non-government organization (NGO) tulad ng Red Cross at mga Foundation ng malalaking kumpanya na epektibo sa malawakang pagtulong, yong abot ang libu-libong nangangailangan, bagay na hindi kayang gawin ng ilan kahi’t na nagsisigaw ang puso nilang gawin ito. Inuulit ko ang pagtukoy sa malawakang pagtulong na hindi pwedeng gawin ng ilan lamang lalo pa ng mga nag-iisa. Isang halimbawa ay ang maliit naming grupo (apat kami) na pumipili ng ilang pamilyang matutulungan sa abot ng aming makakaya, at ang mahalaga, hindi kami nagpapakilala. Ipinapakita namin sa kanila na hindi rin kami iba sa kanila, na may mga pangangailangan din, at ang ibinabahagi namin o sini-share ay “extra” lamang naming pera. At kaya ko ibinabahagi ang karanasan namin ay upang bigyan ng ideya ang mga makakabasa na kaya rin pala nilang gawin ang ginagawa namin…wala nang tanungan pa ng kung anu-ano.

 

Simple lamang ang makatotohanang pagtulong sa kapwa:

-huwag mong garapalang ipakita na nakakaangat ka sa mga tinutulungan mo

-kung ang pagtulong ay ginagawa sa mga lugar na hindi ka naman kilala, huwag kang

magpakilala at magsuot ng mga simpleng damit lamang

-huwag mag-selfie kasama ang mga tinulungan mo, maski pang- souvenir

-kung sa palagay mo ay sapat na ang ibinigay mong tulong sa isang tao o pamilya,

kalimutan mo ang ginawa mo sa kanila, at maghanap ka ulit ng ibang matutulungan

 

Huwag maging plastik kung tutulong sa kapwa. Dapat may katatagan ang adhikaing ito sa abot ng makakaya. Hindi maambisyong kinukunan pa ng litrato upang ipagyabang sa iba. Dapat kasing- tigas ng bato ang layunin upang hindi basta-basta madudurog ng mga pangugutya dahil sa “liit” ng tulong na inaabot. Alalahanin nating ang bato ay tumatagal kaya libong taon man ang nakalipas, may mga “dokumento” pa ring inukit dito noong kahi’t hindi pa ipinanganak si Hesus, na hanggang ngayon ay buhay pa…subali’t ang plastik ay nalulusaw ng init, at lumalambot sa tagal ng panahon.

 

Sa mga taong talagang walang panahon, o walang kayang iabot dahil sa matindi rin nilang pangangailangan, okey na rin ang ipagdasal nila na mabigyan pa ng lakas ang mga taong gumagawa nito at sana ay dumami pa ang mga donors ng mga charitable Foundations at NGO’s.