A GROUP of public school teachers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental has sparked the "bayanihan" spirit in their community by setting up sharing stations that provided free food and home essentials for needy families.
For two weeks while the northern Negros City was under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-2019), the teachers organized school-based and mobile Bulig-HaTAG Stations, which benefited some 600 households from various villages.
Senior Education Program Specialist for Social Mobilization Josette Balandra, the project focal person, said the goal was to provide one viand a day for seven days to each beneficiary-household to supplement the food packs they received from the local government.
The "tiangge for free" initiative was realized through the generosity of private donors and other partners, and also through the kindness of some beneficiaries.
"We wanted to spread goodness and compassion. The 'bayanihan' spirit was truly alive in this project," Balandra told the Philippine News Agency on Saturday.
The project name was coined from two Hiligaynon words -- "bulig" (help) and "hatag" (give). HaTAG means Heal as One through Three Acts of Goodness (TAG) -- do good deed, speak good words, and think good thoughts.
With encouragement from Balandra, more than 20 teachers started the project, which they adopted from the "kindness station" concept of Rowan Celestra, principal of Buenavista Elementary School in Sorsogon City.
The teachers are the TAG school coordinators of the Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Sagay City headed by Schools Division Superintendent Arlene Bermejo.
The pilot Bulig-HaTAG Station, which ran from April 16 to 22, was set up at Sagay National High School-Old Sagay Extension in Barangay Old Sagay.
A total of 159 households were assisted, including 120 from Gawad Kalinga Sinigayan Village, eight from MDG Village, and also 31 from iHomes
For the first two days, Balandra said the sharing station catered only to the first two communities, but as more supplies arrived on the third day, they also adopted the third village.
Some of the beneficiaries in Barangay Old Sagay also donated vegetables from their gardens, and dried fish to be shared to other households.
From April 24 to 30, the second Bulig-HaTAG Station, located at Fabrica Elementary School in Barangay Fabrica, assisted 200 households, along with 50 others in Purok Santo Niño.
Each day for seven days, a household member got to visit the sharing station and do marketing of the available items for free.
Displayed were meat products such as chicken and pork, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, condiments, instant noodles, bread, coffee, and other food items, as well as detergent powder and shampoo.
"We have observed that the beneficiaries just took what they need so there will be enough for others. We also encouraged them to share what they have," Balandra said.
Meanwhile, the Mobile HaTAG Station traveled to Barangay Paraiso for four days.
At Josebio L. Gonzaga Memorial Elementary School Extension, some 140 households from Hacienda Paraiso and Sangay availed of free goods on April 26, 28, and 29.
Then on April 30, about 50 households in Purok Paglaum also benefited from the project.
Balandra thanked the donors, some of whom have remained anonymous, for sharing their blessings.
One of them is nine-year-old Sanzee Reych Baloco, a fourth grader at Old Sagay Elementary School, who donated his savings to the Bulig-HaTAG Station project.
On Friday, Balandra posted on her Facebook account videos of some beneficiaries thanking the teachers and the donors for their generosity.
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