Photo courtesy of Mark Lorenze Bas
MOALBOAL, CEBU — A man from Talisay City decided to help people in need due to the coronavirus pandemic by giving them relief goods he got in exchange for his car.
Mark Lorenze Bas, 35, used the Facebook barter group, Cebu Barter Community, to barter his 1993 Mitsubishi Lancer in exchange for goods. He got P125,000 worth of food essentials such as canned goods, noodles, and sacks of rice from the car.
He then distributed these goods to those in need around Cebu.
He then shared his story on his Facebook account.
The post read: “Para sa mga Orphanage, Poorest of the Poor (kana lang di mga badlungon) og uban pang mas nanginahanglan…og ayaw kamu pg duha2x og message kung gusto mo makadawat sa relief goods kay ako na ideliver sa tagsa2x ninyo nga balay (half ako idonate ang half ako irotate pra daghan pa matabangan).”
(For the orphanages, the poorest of the poor, and those who are in need. Don’t hesitate to message me if you want to receive relief goods. I will deliver them to your doorstep. Half I will donate and half I will put into a business so that more will benefit)
Bas told CDN Digital that he started to help others after he became a member of a brotherhood, the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity.
Twelve years after, he created his own foundation dubbed “MLB Foundation,” a non-government organization that aims to feed street children, children at the orphanage, elderlies at the home for the aged, and support children with major health problems like polio, mengitis, and cancer.
Bas, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW), shared with CDN Digital the reason behind his campaign for people in need.
“Grabe gyud ang amung kapobre nga niabot sa punto nga mangayo mig bahaw sa silingan og mantika sa baboy para makakaon. Pero kasagaran, saging ra gyud sa pamahaw og paniudto,” he said.
(We were really poor to the point that we would ask for leftover rice and pork lard from our neighbors so we could eat. But most of the times, we ate bananas for breakfast and lunch.)
Bas said he plans to continue with his good deeds to help the poor. For those who are willing to donate, Bas said that they can send him a message through his Facebook page. /bmjo