Faith in humanity restored: Acts of kindness flood Facebook

MANILA, Philippines – Social media is a platform for people to share everything and anything under the sun, among them, acts of kindness.

On Facebook, there are 3 stories making big waves: one posted by Emmanuelle Villanueva about Tessie Bondoc, who gathers objects to be sold at junkshops; another from Tan CG about a youth organization helping an old woman living without electricity; and another from Hillary Lee Aguada about a Korean man helping out a stranger.

Tessie Bondoc

In March 2015, Emmanuelle Villanueva shared a Facebook post about an old woman, Tessie Bondoc, who was asking passersby for some water. By the time Lola Tessie approached him and his friends, the old woman was on the verge of tears. Emmanuelle then hurried to get her a drink. 

Lola Tessie is 69 years old. She collects and sells recyclable materials along Divisoria to support her 3 grandchildren. She does not live with any  relativother than her grandchildren. She has 5 children – two in the Visayas, two others  nowhere to be found, and one deceased.

Every day, Lola Tessie walks from Pier 4 to Divisoria with a heavy load of kalakal (junk), earning around P50 pesos for a whole day’s work.

To make ends meet, she only eats pandesal (bread roll) for the whole day.

Nanay Artemia

In August, Tan CG introduced us to Nanay Artemia and the Youth Organization San Ildefonso. The youth group visited her to personally deliver groceries and a new sleeping mat. 

Artemia Ortillo, 87, lives in a shanty made of wooden sticks, plastic sheets, and corrugated iron in San Miguel, Bulacan.

We first learned about Nanay Artemia through Joy Chiong’s blog post. According to Chiong, Nanay Artemia makes a living by collecting and selling tamarind leaves, and earns just enough to buy rice. She has 12 children; half of them dead, the other half not living with her.

She has been a widow for 30 years and lives alone with her two dogs.

The blog post later led to a campaign – #BalikanNatinSiNanay – which drew the attention of concerned citizens like the Youth Organization San Ildefonso.

Old woman in Baguio

In August, Hillary Lee Agueda shared a story about a Korean man paying for an old woman’s meal in Baguio City.

While paying for a meal at KFC along Session Road, Agueda noticed an old woman ordering food, but it seemed that she could not pay for it. The Korean man in front of her then pulled out P500 and paid for both his and the old woman’s meal. The two then ate together.

All 3 Facebook posts continue to circulate. What inspired you today? – Rappler.com

Bea Orante is Rappler intern