A simple act of kindness breathed life to ‘bayanihan’ in Puerto Galera

DAYS before President Duterte signed Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, into a law“good Samaritans” in the Municipality of Puerto Galera in the Province of Oriental Mindoro have come together to help their needy kababayan. Acting on their own, a group of Filipino businessmen and some expats living on the island started to chip in for their small act of bayanihan as soon as President Duterte declared the entire country under a state of public health emergency and placed the entire island of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine.

Through the Puerto Galera Team For A Cause, a Facebook page put up for the purpose of reaching out to the needy, couple Renante Trinidad and Jereline Calderon, receive messages from Covid-19 affected individuals appealing for donation.

As the simple act of kindness gain the support of the communities, more and more individuals are chipping in—in cash or in-kind—and more people are receiving the much-needed help.

Trinidad, who owns and manages Finesse Residencia cocktail bar and restaurant, said it took a simple act of kindness to start the ball rolling.

“First day of the lockdown, in an FB page, a single mom asked for help for her baby. Instead of receiving help, she was bashed and humiliated. That night, I made some calls to some foreigner-friends of mine appealing for help, especially for those with no savings because the lockdown was announced without warning,” he narrated.

Trinidad said he started the ball rolling with P2,000.

“To my surprise, donation started it pour in,” he said.

So far, Trinidad said, he and his friends who have joined the bayanihan have distributed infant milk formula, food pack, or relief goods, depending on the request, benefiting at least 12,000 families.

Donations of any amount—whether big or small—are acknowledged through the FB page which is now also filled with photos of happy faces of the recipients of the donation.

These include some 300 packs of relief goods to senior citizens and persons with disability in different barangays.

Ask what drove him to kick-start his own version of bayanihan,

he said: I am reliving my fraternity’s oath: To promote brotherhood through service to fellowmen,” he said.

Trinidad is a member of the Kappa Epsilon Fraternity back in his college at the University of the East.

In starting the outreach program amid the pandemic in his hometown Puerto Galera, Trinidad personally leads the distribution of the relief goods, which is done on a daily basis.

His wife, Calderon, takes charge of receiving the donations whether in cash or in-kind.

So far, he estimated that P800,000 worth of relief goods and cash had been received and distributed by them.