‘Bayanihan’ spirit is alive in Quezon town

LUCENA CITY –– The true spirit of “Bayanihan” (helping each other) to cope with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis is in high gear in the bucolic coastal town of General Luna in Quezon province.

On Tuesday, the local government distributed P1,000 each to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles in the locality to tide them over during the period of enhanced community quarantine where public transportation was suspended.

Mayor Matt Erwin Florido revealed on his Facebook page, that of the P291,000 budget for the assistance fund, two townmate couples donated P100,000 and P20,000. Another townmate working in Doha, Qatar also sent P5,000 to Florido to help the indigent natives.

The money was handed over to the five ambulant fish vendors in the town to help them during this crisis.

Florido said some well-off town mates, residing in the locality or other places, have been reaching out to him on how to help the poor natives and donated cash, grocery items, and marine resources, and lent their vehicles to transport relief goods for distribution, and many more.

The local government has provided P2,000 assistance to public school teachers and non-teaching personnel in their town; P1,000 aid to mother with children up to two years old; P1,000 cash assistance to every displaced worker; and a pack of relief goods to 8,000 households in the municipality.

At the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the Sangguniang Kabataan adopted at least 10 impoverished families in their respective villages through their “Adopt-a-Family” project.

Each of the recipients was given P1,000 worth of food packs as assistance.

The local government also advanced the salary for April of 196 local government workers, and gave the honorarium of barangay officials ahead of the payment schedule.

LZB