From 15 March 2020 to 31 March 2021, we have deployed Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), including 28,780 N95 and KN95 masks and 17,465 hazmat body suits, among others, to 208 hospitals and health centers from as far up north as Sagada to as far down south to Sultan Kudarat through the assistance of the Philippine Air Force, Navy and Marines.

With the help of lay donors and volunteers, we’ve sent 141,995 packed meals to our frontliners serving in the Philippine General Hospital, Heart Center, Lung Center, National Bilibid in Muntinlupa, East Ave. Medical Center, Mandaluyong City Medical Center and Rizal Medical Center.

Moreover, we’ve deployed relief packs to 268,313 families affected by the Covid lockdowns and typhoons Rolly and Ulysses from Cagayan Valley up north to Catanduanes in Southern Luzon. In the process of distributing food packs to indigent communities, we have helped farmers in Central and Northern Luzon and fisherfolk in the Visayas market their rice, vegetables and dried fish. From March 2020 to March 2021, we’ve distributed 1,550 tons of rice, 454 tons of assorted vegetables and fruits and 65 tons of dried fish. By linking our food producers and consumers, we have helped augment the income of farmers in Benguet, Ilocos, Isabela, Quirino, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan and fisherfolk in Bantayan Island, Cebu, Masbate and Roxas City. At the same time, we have made available quality, essential foods to the urban poor all over the metropolis.

These days we are engaged in sustaining the community pantries that have sprouted all over. Over the past three weeks, we facilitated the donation of 115 tons of vegetables to more than 200 community pantries all over Metro Manila.

These numbers have faces and stories behind them. I have learned much from the people we have collaborated with the past year.

Noong simula ng ECQ, nagtext sa akin si Fr Alvin Balean ng Ephiphany Parish sa Caloocan, kung maaari raw makahingi ng relief packs para sa kanyang mga parokyano. Dagli kaming naghanda ng 500 family packs para sa kanila. Kinagabihan nagpasalamat siya sa ayuda. Itinanong ko kung ilan ba ang kanyang mga parokyano. Sambit niya, “walumpong libong katao”. Nanlumo at nalungkot ako. 80,000 parishioners. Katiting lang ng kanyang parokya ang naabot ng ipinadala naming relief packs. Kakarampot lang ang naipadala naming sa rami ng nangangailangan.

Kinabukasan nagulat ako sa mga text message ni Fr. Alvin. Binuklat raw ng parish volunteers niya ang 500 food packs na naipadala naming sa kanila. Sabi ko sa sarili, “Bakit naman isinambulat ang pinaghirapan naming buuin mga food pack?” Para bagang nabasa niya ang aking isipan. Nagpagkasunduan raw ng mga parish volunteers niya na hatiin ang laman ng bawat relief pack nang sa gayon, isang libong pamilya ang makikinabang sa 500 relief packs.”

Sa gitna ng kanilang pangangailangan, nakakayanan pa rin nilang isang-alang-alang ang kapwa nilang nagugutom at nangangailangan.

Heto naman ang natutunan ko sa mga frontliners. Si Dr. Edwin Villanueva, batchmate ko dito sa Ateneo ay naglilingkod sa ospital sa Laguna. Nag-SOS siya dahil paubos na raw ang kanilang mga K95 masks, hazmat suits at iba pang PPE. Nagbuo kami ng mga kahon-kahong PPE para sa mga ospital sa Laguna at pinakiusapan si Dr. Edwin na kunin ang mga PPE sa Ateneo at ihatid ang mga PPE sa ibat-ibang ospital ng Laguna. Kinabukasan dumating siya, sakay sa kanilang ambulansya na ginamit nila upang makatawid sa mga check point. Isinakay naming ang mga PPE at nagpasalamat si Dr. Edwin. Bago siya umalis hiniling niya na i-pray-over ko siya na siyang buong loob kong ginawa. Habang pinagdasal ko siya, sampu ng kanyang kapamilya at katrabaho sa ospital, umiyak si Dr Edwin sa harapan ko. Ibinahagi niya ang takot ang pangamba niya para sa kanyang pamilya, staff, at sarili. Kinailangan raw niya ang pagbabasbas na iginawad ko sa kanya.

Ano ang naituro sa akin ni Dr. Edwin. Sa kabila ng kanyang takot at pangamba patuloy siyang nagre-report sa ospital, patuloy niyang inaalagaan ang mga pasyente niya, kasama na rin ang mga nagka-Covid. Itinuro sa akin ni Dr. Edwin na ang tunay na tapang ay di ang kawalan ng takot, kundi ang kakayahang lampasan at labanan ang pangamba upang patuloy na makapaglingkod sa kapwa.

Ikatlo at huling kwento. Heto naman ang natutunan ko sa mga donors at benefactors ng Tanging Yaman Foundation. Hindi kinakailangang makapagambag ng malaking halaga upang maipamalas ang pagmamalasakit sa kapwa.

Yan ang naituro sa akin ng magkapatid na Cara at Anya, mga mag-aaral ng Ateneo. Mula sa text ni Cara:

“Last week, my sister Anya and I did an online fundraiser for the people affected by Typhoon Ulyesses. We sang song requests from our friends and family (around 50 songs) and we livestreamed our performances over four nights.

At P150 per song, we were hoping to raise P7,500 but ended up raising P59,620. From this we will be donating P20,000 to Ateneo Dream Team and Tanging Yaman.”

Anuman ang katayuan natin sa buhay, senior citizen o bata, corporate executive o mag-aaral, bawat isa sa atin ay may maiaambag upang maibsan ang paghihirap ng kapwa.

And so my dear graduates, from the urban poor of Epiphany Parish we learned that despite our poverty and hunger, the pandemic need not take away our humanity. We can become more truly and fully human by sharing the little we have with those in greater need. We are called to be big-hearted.

From our frontliners, such as Dr. Edwin Villanueva, we learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to transcend such. The pandemic can paralyze us into inaction. However, our human will is graced to love and serve more and more notwithstanding calamities and catastrophes, persecution and pandemics. We are called to be fearless.

From Cara and Anya, we learned that despite our youth and the restrictions to our mobility, we can creatively gather family and friends, avail of technology and social media, tap our talents and passions to raise funds in order to feed the hungry. We are called to be visionaries—to dream of ways of sharing the abundance of the earth with everyone.

And so dear graduates, despite the pandemic, we encourage you to be big-hearted, to be fearless and to dream great dreams. We are meant for more. And the poor and hungry today deserve more.

May the Lord bless and protect us all. ■