Is Government Assistance On the Way Now ?

[Arizona Kid]

On 4/4/2020 at 11:22 PM, OnMyWay said:

My only view of it is from Facebook, but Olongapo seems to be getting out some goods to the poorer residents.  I have seen pictures and videos of large trucks of huge bags of rice being unloaded in the city hall area, and then volunteers hand out small bags in the barangays.  This seemed to be centralized at the city level, not barangay.  They give some other things with the rice too.

In our neighborhood, a close neighbor started a FB group, just today, to organize collecting goods and money to buy food and supplies for the Olongapo neighborhoods on our border.  These areas are on the poorer end of the spectrum.  Someone donated p20,000 to get it started and I think it was James Deakin, the car guy, because he seems to know the organizer, my neighbor.  The organizer's daughter calls James Deakin "uncle".  I will probably donate cash because it is hard for us to get out and get supplies.  They have some kind of coop that will buy and distribute.

There are also several efforts to help the indigenous Aeta indians, but those are always ongoing.  Actually they probably don't need any extra help at these times as they still hunt and fish and farm.  The past few days, there was a sponsored sale of fruits grown by the Indians, at a local store.

Isn't Facebook a little sketchy as far as real news goes? 

[OnMyWay]

35 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

Isn't Facebook a little sketchy as far as real news goes? 

Usually it is a link to a legitimate news source.  Or in this case, pictures from the official Olongapo Facebook page.

[manofthecoldland]

RE  Helping your local neighbors with some food relief packages, if able to and willing.

Our second disbursement went well yesterday. 

Each of the 50 neediest families from our list of last week, received an improved package that contained: 2 kg rice, 3 eggs, 10 dried fish and 2 twin packets (4 servings) of coffee.

The rice cost P1500 per 50 kg. sack. The 6 trays (30 @)  eggs were P  195/tray = P 1200,  the 500 dried fish only P500.  the coffee was P 1700 , but it was in wholesale 2-pack bundles....  so it was 17 bundles (P99@) of 24 pcs.  Regular individual price for 1 pc (maybe a twin pak) is P20 retail.

The wife's rice suki  delivered it to our place,  since our cuya family service trike is pretty old (in his 60s) and the younger rice vendor fellow didn't want him overloading the trike and having to lift the 110 lb. sacks.

I think the fish and rice were reduced in price because they knew it was going to be used for assistance, plus their sales are way down due to movement restrictions and lack or regular customers at present. 

Although we split the list of 50 into quarters, and asked the recipients to come at different 1/2 hour time schedules to keep more social distancing groupings, the wife says they still all came at the earliest time. I don't why except maybe they thought they'd miss out, although a check-off list is being used and everyone knows each other.  The wife, the ate and her 2 sisters and niece did all the repacking and distribution while I hid in the house and occasionally glimpsed at our bamboo bridge gate where it was being distributed, one at a time.

I suspect that few people here are used to individual appointment times for anything, so maybe it was to be expected that they all show up roughly at one time. As many of us know..... time is a very elastic concept here, and what matters most is when you get there to fall into a line to pay bills or see a doctor.

Since we now have an extended quarantine time, we will probably do this again a few more times, since I'm expecting little from government. Some barangays and cities are doing much better than others, but it is pretty non-uniform where ever you are (with a few lucky exceptions).

I told the Mrs. that we should eliminate the mahal coffee and give more mura dried fish, since it is needed protein, but she says that the people all need their coffee. After a little thought about how the middle and lower economic class consumers in my own country  often pay what I consider ridiculous prices  for their own coffee habits, I conceded her the point. People need a small bright spot in their daily lives, even if only a cup of coffee.  Maybe I should include a few cigs and a small phone load.... Ha-ha.  If I were a rich man, nothing would give me greater pleasure.

 

 

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, manofthecoldland said:

Maybe I should include a few cigs and a small phone load.... Ha-ha.  If I were a rich man, nothing would give me greater pleasure.

Nice job man!

Don't forget that a San Mig light or an airplane bottle of Tanduay would go well too...just kidding. You guys are doing a wonderful service. 

[manofthecoldland]

FYI   re  any food donation efforts you may be able or willing to make locally.....

My wife just got back from a trip out of the house.  She ran into a woman who saw a FB posting re yesterdays food assistance and told her that she wanted to advise her, since she works for the local Red Cross...... that she should go to our barangay hall and get a "Donation Certificate".   

With that in hand, she can buy bulk donation food items for charitable local use within the barangay from our local mall grocery stores at the wholesale price.

I don't know if this is available everywhere here in the PI. Your local barangay hall can tell you if available. Also you can check with your nearest Red Cross or maybe some of the local fraternal orders who do feeding programs.

 

[Clermont]

It is wonderful that they appreciate the amount that you give them Jim, and like you , we have not forgotten the wife's relations or her friends. We transferred Peso's over to her brother and sister to buy their bag of rice each and fish so they can share amongst their immediate family. Each fortnight we will continue to support them while this lockdown is on and her son on Luzon buys victuals for the compound flats he lives in. They were all my wife's friends when she lived there before I met her and they had some tough times. Yeah it doesn't hurt us westerners to help out a little seeing we have a fortnightly income and most of them nothing. I know we can't help everyone but I think we can be a little bit more like Jim, God Bless,

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

9 hours ago, manofthecoldland said:

the wife says they still all came at the earliest time.

That's a first. Wonder why as they usually show up an hour late for everything else 

[lonewolf69]

my wife is from consolacion cebu her sister said their baraguay was handing out food packs. we also sent her family extra money to give to family and neighbors it wasn t alot but it should help. her family is good at helping others anyway. her mother always did believe she should hep others. and they seldom ask us for money