Pangasinan

Young man from Pangasinan starts online raffle game for ailing father

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Young man from Pangasinan starts online raffle game for ailing father

RAFFLE MAN. Jose Robert Inventor, a student from Dagupan, Pangasinan, launches an online raffle to help raise funds for his father's cancer treatment.

Jose Robert Inventor, Ahikam Pasion

By using grocery items such as frozen products and assorted biscuits as the prize, a young man from Pangasinan was able to raise funds for the treatment of his father

There is nothing a son would not do to save his sick father.

Motivated to raise funds for the treatment of his sick father living a thousand kilometers away from him, a young man from Dagupan, Pangasinan launched an online raffle and piqued the interest of Filipino netizens.

The young man is Jose Robert Inventor, currently a third-year AB Communication student from the University of Pangasinan–PHINMA. Usually, the prizes that one could win in a raffle are gadgets, appliances, and other interesting things that one could not easily buy. For Inventor, however, he used grocery items such as frozen foods and assorted biscuits.

The story behind the raffle

Inventor currently lives in Bolinao, Pangasinan, which is near the university where he is studying. The rest of his family, including his father Tatay Robert, lives in Iloilo.

Inventor got a word from his brother regarding the condition of their father. Apparently, Tatay Robert is diagnosed with bone cancer during the time of the pandemic.

The feeling of helplessness sank in for Inventor, since he lives more than a hundred kilometers away from the rest of his family. Aside from that, the situation in Iloilo where his father resides is far from good. They live in a neighborhood where the electricity is unstable.

That time po I felt numb and umiyak po ako upon hearing the news, pero sabi po ng isip ko ‘iiyak na lamang ba ako at walang gagawin?’,” he said in an interview.

(Upon hearing the news, I felt numb and I broke down in tears. Yet my mind tells me “should I just cry and do nothing about this?”)

Staying optimistic

Jose’s life has never been easy and full of struggles. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, he has lived a life of financial difficulty. The university where he was studying picked up his struggle and granted him a student loan. Things like this, as well as the help of his friends, push Inventor to continue moving forward.

Despite the struggles, Jose does not want to be pitied upon. He even urged fellow youths not to give up on life.

Huwag na huwag kayong susuko. Matarik man ang daang tatahakin ay patuloy kang lumaban. This, too, shall pass,” he said.

(Never give up. Even though the journey is hard, continue fighting! This, too, shall pass.)

Inventor anticipates the huge expenses for cancer treatment and decided to help raise funds for his father’s medications. While he was looking for great ideas to reach his goal, Inventor had tried a variety of ways, such as selling scrunchies online. For him, selling scrunchies is a bit personal as he links this to his mother who is now working in Manila.

As a member of their university’s debate organization, Inventor remains optimistic to make use of his silver tongue, and be able to sell more of his products and convince others to join his upcoming online raffles.

“Mahirap po lalo na’t naging limitado ang mga trabaho, kaya I will use my talent in speaking po para makapagbenta,” he said.

([Life’s] hard, especially now that employment is very limited these days. I will use my talent in speaking so that I will be able to sell my products.)

While browsing through his Facebook account, Inventor saw an online raffle shared by a friend. He got inspired by the post and launched his own online raffle, this time, by using groceries as the prize.

“Siya po talaga ang nakaisip dahil po may nakita po kaming post sa Facebook na raffle draw at marami pong sumasali. So sabi nya po, ‘why [not] we give it a try? Malaking tulong din ito at wala din namang mawawala,” Inventor said.

As soon as Jose began his concept, it spread like wildfire. Soon, his friends and classmates got hold of his situation and soon launched a separate activity to assist him in his battle.

Supporting a friend

Despite being able to save up money for his father’s medicines, Inventor still need much to cover his father’s expenses.

Ira Asuncion and Camille Mae Batallones, Inventor’s friends and classmates, decided to step in and helped him raise additional funds for his father’s treatment.

“Maliit lang kita niya sa raffle niya, around P4,500 lang,” Asuncion answered when asked about the reason why she is helping Inventor.

(His earnings from the raffle is still too small for his target, around P4,500 only.)

Asuncion and other concerned friends plan to take the fundraising to a higher level by organizing an online donation drive.

For those who wish to help Jose in raising funds for his father, you may course your donations directly to him via the following:

GCash
Account Name: Ruperto Mendez
Account Number: 0961 629 7281

Palawan Express
Name: Jose Robert R. Inventor
Address: Concordia, Bolinao, Pangasinan
Contact Number: 0961 629 7281

Cebuana Lhuiller
Name: Jose Robert R. Inventor
Address: Concordia, Bolinao, Pangasinan
Contact Number: 0961 629 7281

– with reports from Ahikam Pasion/Rappler.com

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