Kids left by mom in Asturias get help from netizens

These are five of the seven kids who were allegedly left by their mother in Asturias, Cebu. | photo courtesy of The Voice of Asturias FB page

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Seven children in Asturias, Cebu, who were allegedly left by their mother amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, got the help they needed from netizens.

The story of these kids was shared in the Facebook page “The Voice of Asturias” and it has since caught the attention of  netizens.

Jose Ariel Adolfo, the person behind the page, told CDN Digital that he knew about the situation of the kids through their aunt, who messaged the page for help.

The kids are aged 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12, and 14. CDN Digital is withholding their names since they are minors.

“Ni message ang auntie sa mga bata nako mam, kay nangayo og tabang kay sa pag ka karon siya pud nag lisod mao nang nangayo siyag tabang,” he said.

(It was their aunt who messaged the page asking for help in providing for her nieces and nephew.)

The kids, according to their aunt, were left by their mother a few weeks ago in their home in Barangay Guinabasan in Asturias town, northwestern Cebu.

This is where the kids were living for days after their mother left them. | photo from The Voice of Asturias FB page

According to Jackielyn Bejano, the aunt of the kids and sister of their father, their mother allegedly left the children to elope with her boyfriend. This after the father of kids was sent to jail for being involved in illegal drugs.

Bejano message Adolfo’s page asking for help since she also has children of her own and is only relying on her small online business for income.

“What the kids remember is their mother left to work and never came back. Mao tong gi kuha nalang sila sa ilang auntie pag ka baw niya nga gi biyaan na ang mga bata og pila ka adlaw,” added Adolfo.

(What the kids remember is their mother left to work and never came back. That’s why their aunt took them in when she knew about the kids’ situation.)

Bejano messaged Adolfo’s page on Saturday, May 30, 2020, and when Adolfo posted the story on his page, help came immediately for the kids.

This post quickly became viral with 4,300 shares and 1,800 reactions as of Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

“Naay ni donate og bugas, groceries, vitamins and cash which naa sa auntie para ma budget, naa say ni pledge nga mo hatag og 2k per month from Palawan,” he said.

(There were those who donated rice, grocery items, vitamins, cash which is not with their auntie so she can budget it for the family and one netizen from Palawan pledged to give P2,000 a month for the kids.)

All the donations coming from different individuals were given by Adolfo to the family on Monday, June 1, 2020.

He also added that if people would still want to help the kids, they can message him on his page so he can assist in the giving of donations. /bmjo