‘Damayan’ serenades indigents

Reluctance and puzzlement were clearly written on the face of 50-year-old Adelina Fernando when a group of carolers asked permission to serenade her family one late Wednesday afternoon.

Times are hard and money is difficult to part with these days, even in this season of giving. Why had these carolers selected her humble shack in the first place? They should be knocking on the gates of houses in subdivisions like Forbes Park, not in Tañong, Malabon.

Even before the carolers could finish their rendition of "Hark the Herald," Aling Adelina was already handing them a P10 bill.

To her surprise, she found herself being the beneficiary, not the donor. She was given P1,500 in cash and grocery items worth P2,000 by the carolers, who turned out to be volunteers of The STAR’s "Operation Damayan."

"I did not expect this. This will make our Christmas truly joyful. Thank you very much," said a teary-eyed Aling Adelina as two Damayan volunteers dressed as Santa Claus handed her the gifts.

The unique caroling arrangement was the brainchild of the socio-humanitarian program Damayan, which also recently held a Christmas party at a school for the deaf in Quezon City and made a gift-giving visit to an Aeta community in San Marcelino, Zambales.

Damayan, organized by The STAR’s late founding chairman Betty Go-Belmonte, has been sponsoring outreach projects to give relief to the sick and needy, especially the children.

This holiday season, five families in depressed communities in Malabon, Navotas and Caloocan City had been selected as beneficiaries of the caroling project.

Apart from Aling Adelina, the others chosen were Ludivina Salundagi of Mariano street, Maypajo Caloocan City; Isagani Dillosa of Azucena Circle, Longos, Malabon; Asuncion Javier of Ilang-ilang street, North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas; and Jovita Macaspac of Anthurium street also in North Bay.

On a last minute tip-off from a STAR employee, Damayan decided to make an extra stop and started looking for 53-year-old Celita Dogma on Pasig street in Maypajo, Caloocan City.

When the carolers finally found the address, Aling Celita was sitting on her doorstep staring blankly at the road. Her dwelling was an eight-by-two-meter former barangay hall which she shared with her daughter Teresita.

Aling Celita gave no response when told that Damayan would be singing Christmas carols. But she was obviously moved, weeping silently as the volunteers sang "Malamig ang Simoy ng Hangin."

When volunteers handed her grocery items and P500 in cash, more tears rolled down her face.

"I am so touched. I have nothing to give you for songs. But you give me all these things," she told the volunteers.

Aling Celita started living in the abandoned barangay hall when her husband died four years ago. She makes a living by washing clothes for her neighbors.

Despite her poverty and occasional asthma attacks, she still manages to provide for her 14-year-old daughter.

When the Damayan volunteers arrived, Teresita was not around. Aling Celita said she was in a neighbor’s house watching television.

"I wish my daughter was here so she could see Santa Claus. But she will be very happy to see all these gifts," she said.