Artist from Cebu City offers tattoo service for groceries

Photo screen shot from Tom Cabañesas’s post at Cebu Barter Community Facebook page.

MOALBOAL, CEBU — A tattoo artist from Barangay Tisa, Cebu City is offering tattoo service in exchange for groceries.

The reason: To help his neighbors and friends affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tattoo artist Tom Cabañesas, 35, made this offer at the Facebook barter group, Cebu Barter Community, in the hopes of getting goods in return that he can share to those in need.

“RFB (reason for barter): All barter items will be given to those families/friends/relatives nga walang-wala gyud nga affected sa crisis nga ge atubang nato,” the post read.

(RFB: All barter items will be given to those families, friends, relatives who have nothing and those affected by the crisis we are all facing.)

Cabañesas, a father of two, shared with CDN Digital why he decided to help those in need.

“Malooy man gud ko sa uban nga mga kaila nko nga wala na gyud pangita.., dili ang kaila asta mga silingan wala na gyud sir tungod kay way trabaho,” he said.

(I pity my neighbors and friends who had nothing because they lost their jobs [due to the pandemic.])

Cabañesas said he was overwhelmed after receiving more than 200 inquiries about his tattoo service.

“Daghan unta ang mo avail kaso dili man gud maka sulod sa among sitio ang no-Tisa residence, maong akong ge priority ang taga Tisa lang,” he added.

(There were are a lot who wanted to avail  but they can’t enter our area because of the strict border control. So, I only prioritized those from Barangay Tisa.)

Four days after he posted his offer in the group, Cabañesas gathered 40 kilos of rice, a number of canned goods, and P1,500 cash.  He is set to deliver them to those in need on Monday, June 8, 2020.

Last June 1, a netizen also did almost the same when he bartered his 1993 Mitsubishi Lancer in exchange for relief goods to help people in need due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The barter was also done through CBC. /bmjo