Photos of Christine Maryjo Catacutan posing with the donations are from her files.
BAMBAN, TARLAC –– An 18-year-old girl helped gather 7,500 boxes of powdered milk for 1 to 3-year-old children, who have been quarantined with their parents in Capas town.
Each household with toddlers will get two milk boxes (each containing 30 milk packs) from Lingap-Batang Capasenos (Ayudang Gatas), a project organized by Christine Maryjo Catacutan, daughter of Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan.
Parents have been asked to sign up with their respective Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) chairpersons to be entitled to the donations. The distribution of the first batch of milk started on Wednesday (April 22).
“It saddens me that mothers, or some parents who do not have the means, could not provide this basic necessity to their children,” the young Catacutan said, citing messages she had been receiving concerning families who barely make ends meet.
“Ni pagkain nga sa araw-araw ay hindi na nila makayanan, gatas pa kaya? Hindi lang naman isa o dalawang araw ang lockdown, tumatagal ito ng linggo at buwan. Kakapusin at mawawalan talaga ng mga paraan at kakayahan ang mga tao sa ganitong sitwasyon,” she said in an interview.
(They can’t even have enough food each day, so how can they afford milk? The lockdown isn’t just for a day or two, it lasts for more than a month, and would tax the resources of many families.)
Catacutan said her group raised P600,000, when her family, her friends, and her teachers offered to help. Fundraising began on April 13.
“Milk is not included in the emergency relief packs that we are distributing during relief operations. It is given separately upon request,” the teen said.
“I believe that this the best way to help them… Tayo ang may kakayahang bumuo pa rin ng magandang mundo para sa mga bata sa kabila ng matinding krisis na ating kinakaharap,” Catacutan said.
(We have the means to make the lives of the children better as we endure this crisis)
Catacutan also initiated the Lingap-BAYANi project to aid medical frontliners, by providing them personal protective equipment (PPE) suits, meals, and germicidal cabinets that use ultraviolet rays to disinfect PPEs.