Kagay-anons join hands to fight coronavirus

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Kagay-anons showed their bayanihan spirit as local businesses and residents themselves led moves to help health workers and vulnerable sectors in this city amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The private sector initiatives complement the city government’s measures to stem the coronavirus disease.

Mayor Oscar Moreno placed the city under community quarantine starting March 20, following the death of two persons under investigation (PUI) at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). (READ: Northern Mindanao‘s largest public hospital saves lives against the odds)

He had also ordered the closure of malls and other major recreational and entertainment places, and suspended night markets, and imposed a curfew.

Here are private sector initiatives to help the city in its fight against the coronavirus disease, COVID-19.

Andreya

Chef Mich Uapal’s restaurant located in 17th-6th Street in Barangay Nazareth is handing out free breakfast meals to night shift (10 pm to 6 am) doctors and nurses working at the NMCC.

As a former operating room nurse at NMMC, Uapal decided to lead the initiative to help the people she now calls her family.

“I have been an OR nurse for 6 years. And so even if I am already in the food industry, my NMMC family will always remain in my heart. And what do families do? We help each other – especially in trying times like this,” Uapal said.

People may present their NMMC ID and a copy of their night shift schedule to avail of the meal. The redemption must take place on the same day, right after the employees’ night shift. 

“More than the yummy breakfast, it is really the thought of people thinking about them that made them grateful,” Uapal said. 

The free meal will be available until March 31.

Casa Marga

Casa Marga a hotel in 15th-26th Street in Barangay Nazareth, together with some volunteers, initiated a relief drive that accepts in-kind or cash donations to help vulnerable sectors during the community quarantine through the distribution of kits comprised of essential items.

In separate Facebook posts, Kaye Quiblat and Jireh Cuarto, among the key contacts of the outreach project, said they distributed the hygiene, sanitation, and food kits around the city last March 19.

“We will prioritize distribution to the homeless and elderly who do not have the resources and support to aid them,” they said.

To strengthen information awareness on the new virus and its effects, Chicco Libarnes, another volunteer, offered to lay out essential information coming from the Department of Health on COVID-19 for infographic flyers.

The flyers feature a background on the new coronavirus, causes, symptoms, and steps for prevention. The flyers were distributed together with the goods that they collected.

The infographic flyer also contains a list of hotlines for COVID-19 response in all barangays of Cagayan de Oro. Details and information on prevention are all gathered from @WHO, carefully translated in Bisaya.

Huge thanks to @FAKEFIORUCCI for the layout.  pic.twitter.com/Oh5ULUydp6

— jireh (@jirehcuarto) March 18, 2020

Local hotlines of all barangays in the city tasked to respond to COVID-19 concerns were added to the infographics. All texts were carefully translated to Bisaya for Kagay-anons to fully comprehend the details in their native language.

XU Development Communication Society and Department

The Development Communication Department of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan is  leading an information drive to help locals better understand the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s been posting several infographics featuring tips and reminders from various government, news, and health agencies in the Kagay-anons’ native language. These translations and visually attractive graphics were done by the students themselves.

Some students have written extensively about the coronavirus pandemic through their intro to multimedia writing class.

XU Development Communication Society is also bolstering efforts to make coronavirus-related topics easier to understand.

They made a graphic differentiating a person under monitoring (PUM) from a person under investigation (PUI) written in Bisaya  to inform the public on certain terminologies used when diagnosing someone suspected of having COVID-19.

Through its official Facebook page, Liceo de Cagayan University (Liceo U) announced its donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) consisting of alcohol, hand soaps, masks, and tissue to NMMC on March 16.

“This effort is an expression of Liceo U’s commitment to service and its appreciation and support to the healthcare frontliners who have worked tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19,” it said in its post.

The university’s National Service Training Program (NSTP) faculty and students, together with the College of Arts and Science Student Body Organization, spearheaded the collection of incoming donations.

Barangay Nazareth residents

The scarcity of medical supplies such as face masks has prompted Barangay Nazareth resident Maebelle Saldua Bernardino to make improvised reusable face masks to protect frontliners, volunteers, and those in the vulnerable sector. 

Bernardino and her husband have already sewn more than 150 washable face masks for use by frontliners. The cloth used to make the face masks came from Alma Mae Roa, a fashion designer and owner of local dress shops Fiona Clara and Cameron.

Misamis Oriental cluster TESDA, COBSAT 

The Misamis Oriental cluster TESDA Technical Institute (TTI) and Cagayan de Oro (Bugo) School of Arts & Trades (COBSAT) also produced face masks for frontliners, TESDA employees, and their families.

TESDA Director General Secretary Isidro S. Lapeña encouraged students registered under their dressmaking course to “immediately start producing and distributing the face masks.” (READ: TESDA produces 17k face masks for COVID-19 frontliners)

The TESDA COBSAT team distributed 100 pieces of hand-sewn washable face masks to NMMC medical staff.

Eats Good, Pares

Known for its beef pares and bone marrow, Eats Good, Pares will send meals to frontliners at NMMC and JR Borja General Hospital. Their aim is to provide lunch and dinner to these frontliners for the next 30 days.

With a team trained to handle food with safety and precaution, Eats Good, Pares will be cooking fresh meals with beef, chicken, fish and vegetables. No pork will be included in their meals.

For every donation of P85, they will be able to provide a packed meal for frontliners at NMMC and JR Borja General Hospital. 

Those interested to donate may refer to the post below for more details:

– Rappler.com

Dominic Joaquin Dublado is a Mover from Cagayan de Oro City, Managing Editor at The Squire Publication – the official student publication of Xavier University Senior High School, and is an incoming college freshman at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan