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Brgy in QC Gives Away SPAM, Vienna Sausage in Relief Goods to Celebrate Zero Cases

With over 1,000 positive patients, Quezon City has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines. Most barangays are affected. Because it remains COVID-free, the Brgy. Chairman Louie Munoz decided to reward his constituents in Barangay Doña Josefa with a ‘sosyal’ pack of relief goods!

Best Pack of Relief Goods?

Netizens were quick to comment “Sana All” to the pictures shared by the barangay chairman as they hoped they could also receive something as ‘sosyal’ as this pack of relief goods. Others felt more envious because they have not even received anything from their barangay, even a kilogram of rice and a pack of instant noodles!

Photo credit: Louie Munoz / Facebook

But Munoz shared that they had only wanted to celebrate the barangay’s zero cases with these relief goods. Thanking the residents for being disciplined and following government orders, Munoz said that they decided to buy these food items using barangay funds.

Inside each pack are the following: 2kg rice, 4 cans of SPAM luncheon meat, and 4 cans of Libby’s Vienna Sausage. Wow. This is certainly not your regular pack of relief goods, huh?

Munoz clarified, however, that not everyone in the barangay will receive the relief items. Since Mayor Joy Belmonte and Councilor Hero Bautista had previously given selected families with relief goods, Munoz said the priority for the barangay’s relief packs will be those who have not received from Belmonte and Bautista.

Photo credit: Louie Munoz / Facebook

Higher up on the priority rank are the PWDs who are registered residents of the barangay. However, if the PWD is no longer living in the barangay, the family will not receive the relief package.

Second priority are the poor folks and minimum wage earners who lost their jobs amid the ECQ. If there are still some extra packs, Munoz promised to give the middle class. However, since there are only a total of 338 relief packs, it is possible that these goods won’t reach the middle class families in the barangay.

Quality vs Quantity?

In giving relief goods, which is better – quality or quantity? This became a debate in Munoz’s post because a number of netizens were not impressed by the ‘sosyal’ pack that the barangay was giving to selected families.

Photo credit: Louie Munoz / Facebook

Many believe that if the barangay had only purchased cheaper goods, they could have given more families! After all, each can of SPAM costs around Php160 to Php200 while you can actually buy a can of beef loaf or meat loaf for Php20 to Php30 each! Meanwhile, a can of Libby’s Vienna Sausage costs around Php90 while a local brand is being sold for less than Php20 per can.

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Pinays Join in Breaking the Guinness World Record for Multilingual Reading

Two Pinays join in breaking the Guinness World Record for Multilingual Reading – and they received recognition for helping the international team achieve this feat.

Isn’t that wonderful?

Pinays Help in Breaking the Guinness World Record

We are all in awe of people who are able to break world records, particularly when the feat is recognized by the experts in the field – the Guinness World Records.

Filipinas Maria Corazon Cabrera and Janine Cabrera Mendoza (Maria’s daughter), participated in the multilingual reading aloud relay broke the Guinness World Record for Multilingual Reading last February 26, 2023 at the Bib Sophia library in Schaerbeek, Brussels.

Photo credit: Philippine Embassy in Belgium

The new world record was achieved by the international team by doing the relay with 65 languages, with the team comprised of children and parents from different schools in the community.

They broke the previous record held by the Museum of Islamic Culture in Qatar for reading in 55 languages.

Photo credit: Philippine Embassy in Belgium

To ensure that the new world record for “most languages used in a reading relay” is authentic and official, the event was judged by a jury of experts, including professional translators from the European institutions as well as professors and staff from the universities of Ghent, Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve, and Antwerp.

For this event, participants were tasked to read one sentence from “Mister René,” a book written by Leo Timmers about the Belgian painter Rene Magritte.

Photo credit: Philippine Embassy in Belgium

In the reading relay, the participants had to read in these different languages, with just a maximum of 10 seconds of waiting time in between.

Aside from Filipino, languages used to read the line from the book include Welsh, Hebrew, Swahili, Akkadian, and Urdu.

It was another Filipina, Ms. Maria Alicia Reyes Amarga, who attested to the correctness of the Filipino translation that the Cabreras read during the event.

Photo credit: Philippine Embassy in Belgium

We share this achievement with all Filipinos. We should be proud of our language and culture,” the elder Cabrera said.

How Many Languages are There in the Philippines

The Philippines is a very diverse country, with as many as 120 spoken languages.

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Russian Stuck in PH, Sells Bottled Water after Losing Valuables to a Pinay

A Russian stuck in PH had resorted to selling bottled water after losing valuables, including his passport, to a Pinay he met before his flight.

Russian Stuck in PH Sells Bottled Water

Millions of tourists visit the Philippines each year. Sadly, many of them lose valuables, including important documents like passports and ATMs, to locals who have bad intentions.

One of them is Igorevich Vladislav Saulev, a 43-year-old Russian national from St. Petersburg.

His situation went viral after a concerned citizen, John Carlo Villaruel, shared about on Facebook via Cebu Daily News Online last March 7, 2023.

According to Villaruel, he met Saulev in downtown Cebu. He was surprised to see the foreigner selling watered bottles in the streets with a placard around his neck, asking for help because he lost his passport.

Photo credit: John Carlo Villaruel / CDN Digital

It turned out that the Russian had met a woman before his flight. He had taken up residence in a town in southern Cebu and had arrived at the city at 2AM on February 25.

He met a woman on one of the city’s streets. They ended up spending a few hours together before returning to the spot at around 10PM.

While riding a taxi together, the woman asked the driver to stop – but she quickly grabbed Saulev’s backpack as she got out of the cab. It contained all his valuables.

With no money, phone, or anything, he ended up living on the streets. The vendors in the area took pity on him after noticing him wandering around.

Although though gave him money for food at first, they also have limited funds. That’s why they invited him to sell water for commission – and that’s how he met Villaruel.

Photo credit: Vhenna Mantilla / Cebu Daily News

Thanks to the kindhearted vendors, he was able to survive in the streets. And thanks to Villaruel, his plight went viral and he’s now receiving help from netizens and the authorities so he can go back home.

How to Avoid Losing All Valuables & Documents While Traveling

Everywhere you go, there’s a chance of losing your stuff because some people have made a living out of taking valuables from other people.

Here are some tips to avoid losing all your valuables:

  • Buy anti-theft bags or packs that prevent people from slashing your bag to get your valuables
  • Separate your documents and valuables so you can have a backup when you lose something
  • Don’t bring a lot of cash; online banking and other digital options are now readily available as your backup
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Elderly Man Sells Crocheted Bags for Son’s Dialysis and to Support Family

An elderly man sells crocheted bags for his son’s dialysis treatment and to support his family. What a loving and hardworking dad!

His story went viral after a student spotted him selling at high noon and asked netizens for help so he could have more sales.

Elderly Man Selling Crocheted Bags Goes Viral

As we age, our bodies become frail and we become tired more easily than when we were younger. That’s why there are usually age limits to many jobs – that can help keep the elderly safe while also protecting the companies from liabilities because older folks are more prone to getting sick or meeting an accident, especially in fast-paced work environments.

Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot

Sadly, there are many elderly people who still need to work. That’s because they don’t have family members who can support them or they have loved ones who still need to be supported.

That seems to be the situation of Tatay Emerberto Bongabong, also known as “Tatay Emer.”

Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot
Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot

Although he’s already 73 years old, Tatay Emer is still out in the streets to sell crocheted goods to raise funds for his son’s medical treatment.

His story went viral when he was spotted by Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot, a fourth-year college student from the University of the Immaculate Conception in Davao City.

According to Oliamot, Tatay Emer hails from San Vicente Ferrer Exodus Fr. Selga St. in Davao City, but often sells his goods at Bankerohan and Davao Doctors College, Inc.

Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot
Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot
Photo credit: Marvie Joy Vicente Oliamot

The cute crocheted items, including coin purses, cell phone holders, and water bottle carriers range from Php50 to Php250 each, depending on the style.

Oliamot praised the elderly man’s handiwork, saying that the crocheted goods look great and the buyers won’t be dismayed by what they’ll get.

She also shared that netizens can also reach Tatay Emer’s son Bert Bong to buy the goods.

What’s Crochet?

Crochet is a kind of handicraft that uses a hooked needle with looped, patterned yarn to create various stuff – as with Tatay Emer’s case, these include coin purses, cell phone holders, and water bottle carriers.

You can also make crocheted clothes and baby socks.

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