Mother in Cebu City gets help through barter group

Photo courtesy of Monica Mae Carpio

MOALBOAL, CEBU — Monica Mae Carpio and her family were running out of food and some essentials, so she finally decided to offer a barter at a Facebook page on June 9, 2020.

Her offer: 64 pieces of siomai (Chinese dumpling) in exchange of a caldron, groceries, or rice.

A day after her posting in the barter group, Monica was shocked to find out that netizens offered the things she needed for free.

Monica, a mother of a 2-year-old boy, said that she received a total of 25 kilos of rice, canned goods, instant noodles, and some other food essentials from six random netizens.

“Wala lang gyud ko mag expect naay mga maayong kasingkasing ni share sa ilang blessings namo,” she said.

(I didn’t expect that there are people with good hearts who are willing to share their blessings with us.)

The 22-year-old Monica from Barangay Guadalupe told CDN Digital that she was having a tough time  earning when she stopped working in a fast food restaurant due to the coronavirus threat.

Her husband, Cristobal, also had no income after he quit his previous work last January 2020.

Read: CBC to Members: Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions to avoid bogus barters

“Mauwaw raba unta gyud ko mo-post pag una kay dghan kayko kaila, pero ni-try lng gyud ko kaysa sad walay kan.on akong anak,” she said.

(I was shy at first to post the offer because I have a lot of friends [in the Cebu Barter Community] but I just tried it rather than seeing my son suffer from hunger.)

Aside from what she got, Monica was also offered by one of the netizens to engage in cellphone loading business for extra income.

“Dako kaayo kog pasalamat nila kay dghan kaayo silang nitabang nako, maskin dili ko nila kaila. Ni share jud sila sa ilang blessings nako,” she added.

(I am grateful to them because they helped me a lot even if they didn’t know me. They shared their blessings with me.)

In an interview with Noel Benjamin Fernandez, one of the netizens who helped Monica, he explained his reason to help the mother.

“It saddens me to see her trading her livelihood just so she can have groceries, kaldero or rice man lng. You know, basic needs,” he said.

The 30-year-old Fernandez, a food photographer from Barangay Sambag I, offered 5 kilos of rice, canned goods, and instant noodles to Monica’s family.

“I do believe that generosity will be always be contagious, much moreso during these times. And one small act, can multiply tenfolds,” he added. /bmjo