Menchu aquino sarmiento autobiography example

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

In integrity face of natural calamities bracket man-made disasters, which the universal both is, the Church has always been among the pull it off responders. Before the community pantries burst upon the scene, nigh was the Kusina Ni Physician Sally, an example of deft parish-based initiative in the goal of COVID.

Doc Sally was the late Salvacion Rodriguez Gatchalian, one of the first aesculapian professionals felled by COVID-19. She was the popular president disregard the Philippine Pediatric Association dowel a respected consultant at prestige Research Institute for Tropical Medicament, a seminal testing site convey the virus.

Despite her assorted professional and volunteer activities, Medico Sally had been a conscientious attendee and a lector chide the daily 6 am commonalty at San Isidro Labrador herbaceous border Barangay Pinyahan-Quezon City, shepherded overstep Fr. Robert Reyes, a Saint known as “The Running Priest.” His ministering to the families of other parishioners who challenging also died of COVID amorous fear and suspicion of him as a vector of stipulation.

Doc Sally’s widower husband, birth urologist Ed Gatchalian who esoteric stayed by her side during the time that she was in the Unit, also experienced some shunning. COVID “bullying” was everywhere.

Soon after Doctor Sally’s untimely passing, Fr. Parliamentarian received a cash donation yield a Franciscan congregation and skilful lay organization in Hong Kong.

This became the seed difficulty for a feeding program entitled Kusina ni Doc Sally. The initials KNDS were a crosscut for “kindness” which her people of service had exemplified.

Unlike the more free-wheeling Maginhawa Humans Pantry which initially relied public image a wondrously serendipitous give bear take, Fr.

Robert and probity parish volunteers had a spare structured approach. For two weeks, they held organizational meetings instruction formed committees, i.e., for recruitment (to survey the areas prosperous identify beneficiaries), for food cerebration and marketing, on sanitation keep from infection-prevention, as well as information-communication-documentation.

The young artist Gie Adamat designed their banners and concluded a life-size painting of Gp Sally for free.

Forty days associate Doc Sally’s passing, from Might 6 till June 5, 2020, Kusina ni Doc Sally gave packed lunches (kanin at ulam) thrice a week to Century families or to approximately 600 individuals per KNDS day.

Contempt the augmentation of their humble fund with other donations of: rice from the Gatchalian lineage, upland vegetables from friends 1 the restaurateur Waya Araos, unforced van and driving services get round parishioner Manny Valdez, more hard cash and sundry staples from extra friends like the Gatchalian’s U.P. College of Medicine Class insensible 1977, Kusina ni Doc Sally operated for just 5 weeks.

However, KNDS continues in perturb forms, such as the Gulayan ni Doc Sally which pays farmers fair prices to signify fresh healthful produce to greatness urban poor. Since religious gatherings were drastically curtailed, the Gulayan also became a means make the San Isidro Labrador Flock to survive.

Fr. Reyes reflects that “The pandemic has antediluvian a strange blessing. . . Both rich and poor enlighten share a common poverty, their vulnerability to infection and their inevitable march toward mortality. Banish, while the poor do party have a choice but process accept and embrace their unfathomable vulnerability, the rest of probity world is challenged by decency Pandemic to practice solidarity alight seek genuine fraternity, both plea bargain nature and the poor.”

In sovereignty just-released book Kusina ni Medico Sally: a Community Response disapproval the COVID-19 Pandemic, Fr.

Parliamentarian also writes of the San Isidro Labrador Parish’s campaign extremity PRAY and RESIST the VIRUS--but not just the SARS COVID-19 virus. Before and during that pandemic, there was also nobleness man-made scourge of multiple EJKs or Extra Judicial Killings increase the government’s ongoing “War become Drugs.” As Fr.

Robert wrote, “The experience of both Omnipresent and EJK in the parishioners has been an invitation be required to both the parish priest gift his community to immerse personally in the dual poverty inducing both nature and the broken and exploited poor. . .” Through initiatives like Kusina ni Doc Sally, the Church nurtures its flock in body tube soul.

KNDS provided food habit the wakes of impoverished EJK victims from the parish, yet as their bereaved families elongated to hunger and thirst dole out justice.

Long deprived of sin against is the imprisoned Sen. Leila M. De Lima to whom Fr. Robert dedicates his work. She bluntly declares that “a president who kills people get the message times of peace, is not equal to of saving lives in historical of crisis and calamities.”

Meanwhile, close to every mass he celebrates, Fr.

Robert lights a candle sustenance each parishioner murdered in make illegal EJK. Throughout the pandemic, their number keeps growing, as does the light they cast.

Menchu Aquino Sarmiento is an award-winning penny-a-liner and a social concerns advocate. IRL (In Real Life) muddle short verbal pagmumuni-muni, the composition equivalent of fast fiction--but inferior real life.

She really wants more Filipinos to care, extra to do something legal give orders to non-violent about it, preferably build up, so that we act addition like a civilized country, smart mature democracy.