A 72-year-old man was left to look after himself during the onslaught of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines.
Mang Berning was found by a concerned citizen living in a dilapidated shack near a canal in Barangay, Lawa-an Roxas City, Capiz.
According to Ma. Elena Borres Canillas, the old man was depending on his pension and the allowance he receives from his daughter to survive.
Canillas told GMA News that Mang Berning’s neighbors usually helped him out, but he was mostly left alone due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“‘Yung tumutulong sa kanya na kapitbahay niya wala din work, sakto na lang sa family,” she narrated.
“Noong una ko siyang makita na may dalang Jollibee, sobrang saya niya at panay pasalamat sa akin,” she added.
Moved by their first meeting on Sunday, Canillas visited Mang Berning again to know how he was coping up with life amid the quarantine.
She hoped that her post will become an eye-opener to everyone and realize that the poor and the senior citizens are the most vulnerable in this time of crisis.
“I hope this will be an eye-opener to my friends in Facebook that will let us not neglect and leave our seniors alone as they deserve our love and care no matter how hard life may be,” she said.
“In times of crisis, some of us are lucky while others are not, so let us be a blessing to other people who are in need the most,” she added urging people to help others in this period of health crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the government to impose stringent measures to halt the spread of the disease.
Many Filipinos lost their source of income as companies and establishments were forced to shut temporarily during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that the national government has rolled out a Php 200 billion package for low-income families and other sectors affected by the quarantine.
