One-day leave for love of countrymen

Seven “umbrella girls” skipped a day’s work at the Mactan Island Golf Club skip to help pack relief goods at a gymnasium in the Benito Ebuen Airbase in Mactan.

Marlyn Epe, 21, sat on the floor with six co-workers, packing six kilos of rice and cans of sardines and meat loaf in a plastic bag labeled “DSWD 7, RELIEF SUPPLIES, NOT FOR SALE”.

Epe said she convinced her friends to help out and got permission from their boss, which meant one day of foregoing service to golfers, who rely on the women to accompany them with umbrellas to ward off the sun’s glare.

As a minimum wage earner, Epe said she couldn’t afford to donate money or buy food for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda.

“Maong among lawas nalang among gamiton para makatabang nila,” she said.

(So we just use our bodies and contribute our labor to help them.)

Chimed in one friend, “Kung dili mi makatabang financially kay at least bisan kani maabag namo nila”. (If we can’t help financially, at least this way we can support them.)

Since Wednesday, repacking activities have gone non-stop.

A swell of volunteers showed up at the Mactan Airbase, which accommodates only 550.

Some had to be turned away like the three students from Cebu Doctors University.

They were asked by Rose Angcon of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 to come back later.

Most volunteers arrive at daytime to repack relief goods from DSWD and various donors.

Lt. Jim Aris Alagao, spokesman of the Central Command, said the country has received 1.7 million pounds of relief goods.

More relief goods from at least 10 countries arrived at the air base yesterday.