The threat of Corona Virus pandemic continues to rise in the Philippines. Regardless, the province of Bohol starts to open the door for the Boholano who had been stranded in different places around the country and weren’t able to be with their families for almost two months, Bohol continue to imposed a community quarantine to contain the possible spread of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID -19).
With this, the government continues to provide aid and make sure that the assistance will reach the marginalized individuals and who was identified as poorest of the poor in the community.
To help the community, Tzu Chi volunteers visited different municipalities in Bohol in search for individuals who’s a non-beneficiary of the government aid but still considered as needy during the assessment of the current crisis.
As Tzu Chi remains to touch the lives of people by providing services to the poor, Tzu Chi extend help to persons with disabilities (PWD) in the municipality of San Miguel. Sharing love and care that would make them feel that they are not alone in this fight against CoViD-19.
Rice recipients Marilyn Quisto and her daughter who has a condition of dwarfism express gratitude of receiving assistance. “I am very thankful to Master Cheng Yen. I hope and pray that God will continue to bless her with good health to live long and continue to share love and be a blessing to people who are in need. I am very thankful that we, persons with disabilities (PWD) were able to receive this rice relief from your foundation” she happily stated.
Most of the beneficiaries could not go to the town proper because of their physical condition so Tzu Chi volunteers accompanied by the municipal mayor go to the beneficiary’s respective barangays instead. Despite of the heat of the sun and difficult roads the sincere heart of the volunteers towards the needy guides them to reach the different barangays. It took two days for the volunteers to transport the rice in 18 barangays that allocate 300 PWD rice beneficiaries in San Miguel.
Mariefe B. Poncol, a resident of Corazon, San Miguel who has polio and tries to live a normal life with the help of a wheelchair shows her appreciation of receiving the help. “I am one of the PWD who are very much grateful to this foundation. I know Tzu Chi since 2001 when I was still a student. This foundation is known to their humanitarian services that give hope to the poor. I am grateful that this time of crisis due to pandemic in which everyone is in need of help you never forgets to look after the needs of the persons with disabilities. To Master Cheng Yen, thank you for sharing love and care to persons with disabilities in barangay Corazon, again thank you so much” she stated.
During the process of looking into the most in need municipality in the province, San Miguel was one of the fourth class municipality in Bohol on income classification where the primary means of support of the people is farming. With the initiative of the municipal mayor of San Miguel, he recommended the Persons with Disabilities Association (PWD) who are less privilege families to be the rice beneficiary of Tzu Chi. This is to make those persons with impairment feel despite of their physical condition they are equally given attention and help. Witnessing the efforts of the Tzu Chi volunteers, Municipal Mayor Virgilio Mendez expressed how grateful he is that his people had received such grace.
“I am a retiree from one of the government agency and it is my first time being a politician. First of all, on behalf of the people of San Miguel, let me extend my gratefulness to Master Cheng Yen, to Tzu Chi Foundation-Bohol headed by Mr. Joven Uy for the 25-kilo sack of rice assistance. It is indeed a big help to my constituents most especially to the Persons with Disabilities (PWD). We are very thankful for what we received since our municipality belongs to 4th class in the province in terms of income thus we really classified as one of the poorest municipality. And as what I have heard, Tzu Chi has different missions that my constituents can avail to not just about relief operations. Again, thank you so much for coming in our municipality”, Mayor Mendez stated.
The rice distribution is not only to relieve the hunger of the poor Filipino families in time of difficulties but love is embedded in every grain of these rice and cultivates the goodness in the recipients’ hearts. Covid-19 has clearly shown us how uncertain life is but with a strong mind with faith, like any other storms or catastrophe that we have gone through in the past, this too shall pass.
These rice distributions did not only mark a memory on the mind of the aid recipients but also to the volunteers who had been inspire and will constantly find way to provide help to the needy.
