“Kahit matanda na ako, kailangan kong magtrabaho at kumita para sa aking pamilya” [Even I am too old, I still need to work and earn for my family.] Mr. Rochel Alarcon, a senior citizen from Binangonan, Rizal, expressed how difficult it is for him to earn during this lockdown.
He and his 70-year-old wife farm their backyard where half of the harvested crops are being sold around their area. The remaining half is for their consumption. They live in a small house made of light materials and rely on their own harvested crops for their daily needs. On April 20, Ms. Simagala distributed rice packs to different groups in various barangays that include Sandata in barangay Lunsad with 10 families; SCMA in barangay
San Carlos with 20 families; Kapit-Kamay with 20 families and Rugs Maker with 12 families in barangay Bilibiran and Sikat in barangay Calumpang with 10 families. In barangay Tayuman, it was distributed to Elderly with 15 families, Nagtatanim with 20 families, Abcatoda with 20 families, and Salakab with 23 families in which their respective leaders were responsible for the house-to-house distribution to observe physical distancing. In total, 150 families received 5-kilo rice packs respectively. These families are mostly daily wage-earners consisting of street vendors, rug makers, small snack store owners, farmers, and tricycle drivers.
EcoWEB provided P30,000 for the purchase of the 15 50-kilogram sacks of rice. It took the funds from its Gawad Kalasag award it received last year.
“ECOWEB is happy to share some of the funds to those who are affected by the ECQ due to COVID-19,” explained Regina Antequisa, the Executive Director of ECOWEB. “Distance does not matter (from Mindanao to Luzon). The lockdown has not prevented us to help and extend assistance. That’s the beauty with localisation. You don’t spend that much to help a community in distant places. ”
EcoWEB advocates localisation using sclr (survivor and community-led response), a participatory approach where community-based organizations and self-help groups (SHGs) make decisions for themselves. One of the advantages of sclr is that it allows community-based groups to prepare and help themselves in times of emergencies. These groups initially lead the response process and decide on which intervention they would like to prioritize with the given support.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa EcoWEB at sa lahat ng donors nito, na kahit nasa Iligan kayo ay inabot nyo pa rin kami para matulungan. Malaking tulong po ito sa tulad naming mahihirap (We would like to thank EcoWEB and its donors, that though they are in Iligan, they still reach out to help us. This a big help to poor people like us),” Mr. Alarcon ended.
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Story by: As-Ad Manda
