George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News“I really noticed that there is fear among them. Dati maraming nagu-usap, maraming activities, nagkakantahan.
Ngayon, very calm, but amid the calmness, there is anxiety within the community,” said Fr. Rodel Enriquez, executive director of Camillus Medhaven in Marikina City.
“March 9, wala nang visitors. Upon hearing the news na marami nang namamatay sa ibang bansa, nag lockdown na kami. No visitors allowed," said Fr. Enriquez. To adjust to the new normal, their daily Masses are now heard through their sound system. They limit the number of residents who can go inside the chapel, unlike before when residents filled up the place.
As the activity coordinator and the supervisor of Camillus Medhaven's private caregivers, Bantilan has to constantly come up with brand new ideas to replace their activities before. One of the things they came up with is for the residents to help in the repacking of relief goods for donation to neighboring communities and the making of face shields for frontliners.
Nuns and caregivers conduct routine health checks, and various activities to keep their residents lively at the House of Somang.In another home, around 27 kilometers south of Manila, less fortunate elders take refuge in the middle of a residential area in Parañaque. The House of Somang is a charitable institution run by the Kkottongnae Sisters of Jesus, a religious congregation founded in South Korea in 1976. It established a home for the elderly in the Philippines in 2006.
Unlike in Camillus Medhaven, the elderly residents of House of Somang no longer have families who visit them. Most of them used to be homeless and majority are considered abandoned and neglected. The only concept of family they have is when visitors come to feed them and spend time with them. “We sent an email to DSWD for the request. After a week, they responded with an endorsement to different NGOs like ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya and other foundations,” Silvano said.
“Kapag nagkakasakit kami, san ba kinukuha yun? Dyan din. . Katwiran namin, pinapakain kami dito. May merienda pa kami. Kumpleto. Pero kailangan parin namin yun [SAP] kasi tulong narin namin yun kila sister. Para sa amin din yun,” Yap reasoned.The staff at the House of Somang fill the void for the residents, making them feel at home the best they can.Since the lockdown in mid-March, the House of Somang's supplies have been running low.
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