Tarlac volunteers distribute goods riding horses | Inquirer News

‘No car? No problem’: Tarlac volunteers distribute relief goods riding horses

/ 08:23 PM April 20, 2020

A group of relief volunteers in Victoria, Tarlac has been riding horses as a mode of transportation while distributing goods to residents in need, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Breih Pascua, a 25-year-old relief volunteer and blogger, together with his friends, borrowed four Thoroughbred horses namely Ares, Athena, Victoria and Bella from a Vito Gutierrez of the Victoria Equestrian Center in Tarlac on April 19, Sunday, to help them with their relief operations.

“Dahil po ECQ at hindi kami pwede mag ride, napag-usapan namin na, bakit ‘di namin gamitin [ang] mga horses na mag hatid, lalo na sa mga lugar na malapit sa farm at sementeryo. So ayun po, ginamit namin yung mga horses para at least iwas pollution and at the same time para nakakapanibago sa mga mata ng mga kababayan namin kasi walang mga sasakyan na dumadaan,” Pascua told INQUIRER.net in an interview.

(Because of the [enhanced community quarantine] and we are not allowed to ride [a vehicle], we decided to use the horses instead to help us in transporting [the goods], especially in areas near the farm and cemetery. We used the horses to at least avoid pollution and at the same time to entertain the residents, since there were no vehicles passing by.)

In a Facebook post on Monday, April 20, Pascua wrote, “This time, balik tayo sa makalumang paraan. (This time, let’s go back to the old ways.) No car? No problem!”

Article continues after this advertisement

https://www.facebook.com/breih.pascua/posts/2739150542873729

FEATURED STORIES

Pascua and his friends have been doing a fundraising event through social media where donations can be pledged, like sacks of rice, noodles, canned food and cash donations. For their fourth wave of donations, the group has raised over P20,000.

“Naisip namin kasi na gulay ang ipamigay kasi po nagkakaubusan na ng mga stocks [sa supermarkets] pero ang main goal talaga namin is para maging healthy po [ang mga tao],” Pascua explained.

Article continues after this advertisement

(We thought of giving them vegetables since supermarkets’ stocks of goods are running out and our main goal is to keep people healthy.)

Article continues after this advertisement

According to Pascua, it was his friend Era Nunag, 20 years old, who started the advocacy to promote the distribution of healthy food to communities. They started organizing the relief operations when Taal Volcano erupted last Jan. 12, 2020.

Article continues after this advertisement

They are still planning to organize another fundraising event in the coming weeks, aiming to reach out and send food packs to garbage collectors, pedicab drivers and laundry women.

Pascua thanked their friends who donated to their fundraiser and who helped them make the initiative possible. As he appealed in his post, “We encourage everyone to help kahit sa papanong paraan lang (in any way possible).” JB

Article continues after this advertisement

RELATED STORIES:

Bocaue LGU buys fresh produce from Cordillera farmers, fish vendors for relief distribution

Volunteers help farmers sell mangoes amid COVID-19

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Cavite farmers’ coop lowers its prices, donates goods in response to ECQ

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.

TAGS: coronavirus Philippines, COVID-19, fundraising, Horses, lockdown, relief goods, Tarlac, Vegetables

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.