MESSAGES FROM KIDS Students from different schools in Metro Manila reach out to soldiers in Marawi City through letters of hope and encouragement. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
More than 2,000 letters of gratitude have poured in from students in Metro Manila for soldiers fighting terrorists in Marawi City after a doctor started a donation drive for garments and thank-you notes to help keep their spirit up.
Dr. Tiger Garrido has gathered around 600 pairs of black socks and underwear after launching “Oplan Malasakit” drive on his Facebook account on June 12, Independence Day.
After delivering goods in Kampo Ranao in Marawi with his friend Joe Green, Garrido learned from the soldiers that they lacked socks and underwear.
A soldier, who is also his friend, told the doctor that receiving letters from their loved ones kept the soldiers’ spirit high.
“We just want our heroes to get the recognition and support of the very people they are protecting and giving their lives for,” Garrido told the Inquirer on Sunday.
Spreading the word
Rinz Araneta, an English teacher at PAREF Woodrose School in Muntinlupa City, learned about Garrido’s efforts and helped spread the word to her students and fellow teachers.
Students from Woodrose, De La Salle Santiago Zobel School in Muntinlupa City, Veritas Catholic School in Parañaque City, and Culiat Elementary School in Quezon City wrote letters of gratitude to the soldiers fighting in Marawi.
The teachers also accepted e-mails from other senders, which they wrote by hand to make the message more personal.
The garments and letters were supposed to be delivered to Marawi on Monday but the delivery was moved to later this week to accommodate more people who wanted to donate.
Writing not easy
In his Facebook account, Garrido posted the location of drop-off points in Alabang, Makati City, Pasig City, Quezon City, Cebu and Bacolod.
“I thought it would be easy to write a letter but it was actually quite difficult,” Araneta said.
“Other senders also told me it was very hard for them to start writing. What do you say to these people? How do we comfort them? We don’t know what it’s like to risk our lives for our country,” she said.
“We just want them to know that we honor them and we are grateful for their sacrifice. We admire them for their bravery. The kids were able to express it very well in their cards,” Araneta said.
One letter read, “We all pray for you. Take care. Thank you. Be brave.”