It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in July when Watty Delos Reyes and Richard David decided to eat outside the hotel where their event was being held. However, the rain was pouring on the streets of T.M. Kalaw, so they settled for a convenience store beside the hotel. While they were eating, a boy who was drenched by the rain entered the store.
Watty heard the cashier person saying that naked people are not allowed inside the establishment. It was then when Watty saw the boy wringing his shirt dry and putting it on again.
The boy tried to buy a big plastic bag but the crew told him that they were not selling those. Despite being driven away, he proceeded to the umbrella section and grabbed a yellow raincoat and asked the crew how much was it. The guy behind the cashier scanned the raincoat and told the boy it was Php99. Disappointed, the boy put down the raincoat and was about to leave when Watty asked the crew to give it to the kid and offered to pay for it.
Watty saw that the kid was shivering from the cold. He called the boy and told him to grab a cup of noodles. The kid was opting for the small cup, but Watty told him to choose what he wants. It seems that Watty and the boy were in the right place at the right time.
Watty shared to The Filipino Times how sad he felt that sometimes people forget to be concerned with the welfare of fellow human beings.
“Yes we understand na ginagawa nila yung trabaho nila as employee dahil me as well is a business owner at rules and regulation na binibigay ko sa employees ko, Pero wag sana nila makalimutan yung salitang malasakit sa kapwa, yes hindi naman lahat nanggugulo. Customer is customer kahit ano pa ang suot nila dapat pagsilbihan,” he said.
Watty said that the kid was still from Cubao and was clutching a squeegee he uses to wash cars and earn.
“Naghahanap-buhay yung bata at hindi siya nanglilimos. Nagbabanat siya ng buto para kumita, service yung ginagawa niya kapalit ng barya,” he told TFT.
He was also irked about the staff who were driving the kid out of the store even if he meant to buy something. Watty’s small act of kindness was rewarded by the sincere gratitude of the street kid.
“Salamat po, salamat po,” the boy in the yellow raincoat said.
Even as they were going out of the store, the kid continued to thank Watty.
Coming from humble roots himself, Watty believed that their encounter was not a mere coincidence.
“Alam ko po that God orchestrated things po na mapunta kame dun sa lugar na yun. Nanggaling din kasi ako sa hirap and may anak po ako na babae na hanggat kakayanin kong maibigay yung gusto niya ginagawa naming mag asawa,” he said.
“Hindi po to pagpapasikat, pagyayabang o pagmamalaki. Pagmamalasakit po to sa kapwa ko tao,” Watty added, disclaiming that what he did was merely an act of kindness and not a claim to fame.
