Curbside Stories

Photo from here . The parable of the fish and loaves is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Its message is simple--sharing. I am from the Philippines and I am very much aware that ever since the government announced the stay-at-home order because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people have become poorer and that majority worry about their daily living. I currently live in the US and I can see the contrast between the effects of the order between a third world country and the US. I didn't worry for my family here in as much as I worried about my family and friends back in the  Philippines because we still have our jobs and we still can provide for our family. For that I am grateful. It hurts me to watch in the news that food and resources that are supposed to be for the people, land in the hands of corrupt government officials. I feel angry about a lot of people's deliberate disregard for authority and guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease. How...

I didn't let the Yuletide Season to pass without teaching my child the value of love and sharing. I have a busy schedule and I know it's the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with him.  Last December 18, we went to the relocation area of Yolanda survivors in Isla Bonita, Rosario, Cavite to give gifts to children and to give them soup to warm their stomachs. We were with other employees and their kids.  There were singing, dancing and games. Everyone was happy. Seeing smiles on their faces are so precious. I could tell from the look in my son's eyes that he learned some valuable life lessons from that experience. 

These kids are just a few of the 177 children together with their families who were relocated from Tacloban, Leyte to Rosario, Cavite after their homes were destroyed by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). I was lucky enough to be able to organize a feeding program for these kids for five days through the help of the company where I work and my co-workers. We began weighing the kids last February 28 and true to our suspicion, the kids were underweight. The actual feeding program started on March 3 and ended on March 7. On the 5th day, we weighed the kids again and they gained weight, thank goodness. I know what we did was not enough to help these kids live healthier lives and I promise to help them, whatever help I can give them as my way of paying it forward... my thanksgiving for keeping me and the rest of my family safe and healthy. This video pretty summed up what we did in the entire 5 days. I will never forget their smiles, their satisfied faces after each meal and their since...

Photo from here . What can you say about having extravagant Christmas parties before we hit the holidays? I know it only happens once in a year but ever since the typhoon Haiyan left Tacloban City in Leyte and other parts of Visayas literally flat, I feel like there is no sense having Christmas parties with tons of leftover foods and drinks when you see images of families who beg for food in the streets. I find no reason for spending parties in plush restaurants when there are still families who have no roofs to protect them from the weather. I applaud those companies and families as well who, instead of having parties this yuletide season, opt to donate or spend a day or two of charity works. I mean, at this point of economic hardships and calamities, we must be more sensitive to the feelings of others. Let us be more generous in giving to those who are most needy because I believe that if we are generous to others, God will also be generous to us.

It has been more than a week already since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) made two land falls in the Southern part of the Philippines, particularly in Samar and Leyte. Since then, the lives of many, not only in the Philippines but also from around the world, has changed. While the Visayas region was busy preparing for the typhoon, I was with my family, tucked safe and sound in the comforts of our homes in Luzon. Although the weather bureau warned us of storm signal number 1, it was relatively peaceful during the day. It was only at around 7 o'clock in the evening when the heavy rain poured with gusts of wind, but, it was not enough to cause me to be awake the entire evening. Nobody  really knew or has not anticipated how strong the typhoon was until the news broke in the morning that most of the provinces in the Visayas region, especially Leyte, was severely damaged. The super typhoon literally flattened the entire province, leaving more than 4 thousand people dead and mill...

Photo from interaksyon.com It has been raining for three weeks now and most part of Metro Manila and nearby areas are already flooded and death tolls are still rising. Many families are forced to leave their home to a safer place and evacuation areas. Earlier this day, the Palace declared no classes and no work to all government and private offices due to severe weather condition. As of this writing, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) has not yet declared any typhoon. The heavy rain is just due to Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Storm 'Haiku' in Taiwan. If you want to know the latest about the Philippine weather, click here . If you want to help, the Philippine National Red Cross is accepting donations thru PayPal, give@redcross.org.ph , or you can coordinate with your local Social Welfare and Development Office. Be safe everyone!

Photo of a father mourning for the loss of his child circulates the web. Typhoon Sendong is the "Ondoy" of Mindanao. It left the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday but it left more than 650 casualties, 800 still missing and more than 2,000 families affected from Cagayan De Oro and Iligan City. Donations in cash or in kind are needed to help the families affected by the typhoon. TV5 KAPATID FOUNDATION Donate in Cash Bank of the Philippine Islands  Savings Account No. 1443-05333-2 Donate in Kind News5 Aksyon Center, TV5 office  San Bartlolome, Novaliches, Quezon City News5 Aksyon Center Hotline - 938-6393 SAGIP KAPAMILYA Donate in Cash BDO Peso Account Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya Account Number: 39301-14199 Swift Code: BNORPHMM BDO Dollar Account Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya Account Number: 39300-81622 Swift Code: BNORPHMM PNB Peso A...

My heart smiled today. I did some charity works together with my office mates earlier today to the orphans of Mango House in Silang.  It is a small orphanage that houses 14 children of ages 6 to 11 under the supervision of Rev. Ada Jensen --the founder of Mango House who is from Pennsylvania, USA. That's me in the red. We packed the goodies at 8 in the morning and headed to the orphanage at 9.  I was excited going to the place.  It was not my first charity work but I always get excited when I get to help children.  We arrived at the place at 10 o'clock, just in time for the program.  When I entered the house, I saw little children lined up in the living room and they greeted me good morning with their sweetest smiles.  We immediately went on with the program we prepared for them.  We had games, they watched a movie and we had lunch together.   The staff are doing a really great job raising the children.  The children gave us a special ...