Koronadeloños, turn to good Samaritan
The Spirit of sharing still lives on in Koronadal!
Amid an atmosphere of ‘hopelessness, distress and panic’ brought about by COVID-19, some Koronadaleños are turning good Samaritan; they are providing voluntary services, giving relief and PPEs to help the government in its effort to combat the ill effects of the pandemic.
Just recently, the Llamera family of Barangay Saravia purchased a P20,000 worth of goods which they distributed to some identified less fortunate families and elderly in Barangay Saravia. Each eco bag containing 1 loaf cream bread, 1 can carne norte, 1 can beef loaf, 5 pcs noodles, 5 doble sachet coffee, 1 detergent bar and 1 bath soap was personally delivered by the young family members in each home. One (1) sack of Rice was also given to Paulkris group of peelers.
In an interview with Donnah Marie Llamera Lorenzo, one of the family members, she said that their uncle George Llamera and cousin Ma. Riza Ulanday who are both based in Canada were inspired by the testimony of Francis Leo Marcos, a facebook personality. Hence, they were convinced to do the same act of kindness in their own little ways.
“Pila kaadlaw nga naka standby lang kami, we find hard nga makaprovide sang daily needs namon to think nga sa family namon kalabanan may stable job na, how much more tong mga nagasalig lang gid sa ubra nila pero nag-untat tungod sang ECQ. We wanted to be an inspiration to others.We want to spread positivity”, Lorenzo said.
On the other hand, the Sablon Family came up with 400 improvised face shields to help protect the barangay frontliners and those assigned in city’s checkpoints. According to Tin-Tin Restauro-Sablon, one of the family members, that the idea of making the said DIY face shields started when she saw a shared post at facebook of a doctor in Manila who made a diagram of instructions on how to do it. Then she came across a facebook post later of a fellow cake artist in Luzon,Chef Amir Langbay, who came up with a simpler design that doesn’t require any longer the use of a garter.
Soon after, Sablon was asked to join the taskforce BULIG KONTRA COVID-19 Koronadal run by the city government of Koronadal. As a member of the private sector, the taskforce provided them a platform and access on how they could be of help to the city government’s ongoing efforts. The group sent her PVC’s donated from the same person who helped her procure their own stash of materialsto serve asmodel.
“We should all follow government protocols to please stay at home. Even our Doctors and the rest of the frontliners are asking us to do so. Yes,it’s a big sacrifice,i also have a business, i have a team who depends on me and a lot of bills to pay. But i realized,I cannot risk my team’s health,my health, I have 3 children to go home to. These trying times will just be temporary if we all do what we gotta do, stay at home. With as simple as staying at home for a few weeks,we can help our doctors contain the virus. Hats off to those who sacrifice their health,the sales people in the grocery stores,the pharmacist and the rest of the working teams who have no choice but to go out and do their work so the community can still function even with limitations”, Sablon said when asked to impart a meaningful message to the public.
Through the use of 1” flex foam, acetate (PVC covers) ,double-sided tape and .5”-1” lanyard ribbons or any cloth ribbons, the Sablon Family was able to produce400 pieces ofDIY face shields, an improvised visor-like mask that will protect the users from droplets and the potential risk of COVID-19 infection.
In this time of crisis where human can be in his best or in his worst, the Sablon and Llamera family are just two of the many families in Koronadal who chose to give their best and give back to the community. They are the good Samaritan spirits who shine through amidst coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, the government hopes that these acts of kindness will spark a wave of compassion causing other to do the same as well.
Photo credits: Tin-Tin Sablon and Donnah Marie Llamera Lorenzo