Call center agent scares people as zombie to help poor children

A19-YEAR-OLD call center agent is one of the 60 zombies who will try to scare passersby inside their horror booths so that they can help make indigent children in the city happy.

Jason Bihag of barangay Mantuyong has been joining Mandaue City’s Horror Booth for a Cause since it started five years ago.

The fund-raising activity for indigent children is organized by the Kaabag Foundation, a foundation made up Mandauehanons.

Jason Bihag of barangay Mantuyong said he would play the zombie at the horror booth during his days  off from his call center work.

He started joining the foundation activity since he was 14 years old.

The horror booth at the Mandaue City Sports Complex had been open since Oct. 8 and will close on Nov. 2.

He said his friends convinced him to join and had since been the one of the zombies of the annual activity.

Bihag, the youngest of seven children, said people would be laughing at him and his friends but it was all for fun and it was his own little way of helping indigent children in the city.

Proceeds of the horror booth for a cause activity will be spent on Christmas parties for indigent children in the city as well as feeding programs.

“Atleast nakatabang pud mi bisan inani rami. Para raman pud ni sa mga bata among gibuhat,” he added.

With P20 ticket each, the Kaabag foundation a non-government organization could continue giving Christmas parties to indigent children from 27 barangays in the city. The foundation has also been conducting weekly feeding activities at the  Mandaue City Central School.

The foundation will also set aside a part of the Horror Booth proceeds to build a center for juvenile children.

The theme for this year’s event is, “Kahadlok Mo, Pinaskuhan Ko.”

Violeta Cavada, City Social Welfare Services head, together with the barangays leaders of the 27 Mandaue City barangays had already identified the indigent children that would benefit from the proceeds of the Horror Booth activity.

With almost 60 zombies, there will be innovations in the horror booth, the foundation assured that it would try to give the public a scary experience more than what they paid for.

Nannette Bowler, adviser of the Kaabag Foundation, said proceeds from last year’s horror booth went to fund a party for 650 indigent children as well as feeding programs. She said the horror booth earnings reached P400,000.

However, P160,000 were spent for the materials used to build the booths and food for performers.

The 60 percent of the remaining money went to the foundation which was spent on the indigent children while the 40 percent was given to the performers who made the horror booth a success.

Bowler said aside from the party for the children, the beneficiaries were also given rice and canned goods.

Organizers, however, advise those who are pregnant and suffering from heart ailment not to visit the horror booth because it will be dangerous to their health.

Knives, belts with metal, and other weapons won’t be allowed inside the booths. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter