Repacking and actual distribution of relief packs to 165 households were conducted in the Barangay Hall of Silangan in the town of Mogpog, Marinduque last May 6. 

Involved in that collaborative effort were my family, relatives and some friends who are working overseas. In coordination with our Barangay Council, my mother and my sister-in-law, who is also a barangay nutrition scholar, took care of the logistics for the distribution phase. 

An initiative like this gives value to people as it helps them with their daily subsistence requirements for at least two weeks. The people in our barangay highly appreciated the food packs consisting of rice, groceries, eggs, and canned goods because their livelihood has been greatly affected by this pandemic. 

To cope, most of them had been dependent on LGU efforts. From March to May, the municipal local government unit of Mogpog distributed food packs three times – there were sacks of rice, groceries, liters of alcohol, and thermal scanner. 

But I think there is a need to reactivate or capacitate people’s organizations in our town especially for challenging times like what we are in now. It is different when people are organized and sustained. For example, the Aksyon sa Kahandaan sa Kalamidad at Klima (AKKMA), a national network of people’s organizations, could give P10,000 for rice, to which we added more for the relief packs we distributed. 

Other valuable things I witnessed during this initiative were people uniting towards a common aim to help alleviate hunger, and doing the logistical work in a systematic way. Even the identification and validation of affected families was well organized. 

Lastly, I saw an increase in the number of local donors and “good Samaritans” in the barangay who inspired others to also extend assistance.

By: Jessica Mendez