Education can bring you to places, but in this beggar’s case, education was able to fill an empty stomach.
According to a Facebook post of Faye Ares last May 7, a beggar named Jansen Locsin approached her not by forcefully asking for alms. To her surprise, the 70-year-old man spoke fluently in English.
“Miss, I’m sorry but I have to tell you something. Please don’t get mad. And sorry to bother you but I’m not gonna ask for money. I’ll be asking for food to eat because I’m hungry,” said Locsin, according to the Facebook post.
Ares said she was instantly convinced by Locsin’s “genuine heart”, which made her decide to treat the old man to a fastfood chain.
Ares said they talked about a lot of things, including Locsin’s educational background, which explained his communications skills.
Locsin graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University and held teaching posts in Ateneo and the University of the Philippines.
Jansen, he came to Cebu for his foreign exchange business but it went bankrupt. As of posting time, he is seeking ways to come home to his sister and mother in Bacolod City.
“I admire tatay’s wittiness and he told me many things about economics. I was amazed of tatay’s sharp memory and with his fluent English,” Ares said.
Netizens have expressed admiration to Ares’ post, which has been shared 3,358 times.
Photo Credit: Faye Ares’ Facebook account
