This is a remote distribution. Today’s post was written by Melvin from WOSDI.
Today’s distribution in Tarlac City and Angeles City went well. It was only marred by 10 latecomers who came from distant places. We were about to get substitutes when the 10 recipients arrived, 35 minutes late.
We had a special guest in the Tarlac City site in the person of Mr. Avelino Tanjuakio, Jr (pictured below) who lives 2 blocks away. He is the son of Avelino Tanjuakio Sr. who, together with Dr. Ito Torres, happens to be one of the original partners of SCAW, in the Philippines. Both of them are members of Kiwanis. I recall that the two of them went to Canada to talk to Murray Dryden in the mid-1980s and that is when the partnership of SCAW with Kiwanis started.
We had another special guest in Angeles City in the person of Michelle Garcia (pictured below) who is a teacher in EPZA Resettlement Elementary School where the Angeles City distribution took place. She is 29 years old. When she was 9 years old she received a SCAW bedkit in Magalang, Pampanga, our next distribution site. She no longer has any of the contents of the bedkit in her possession which either got worn out or got lost when they transferred to another house. She said that there are more contents in today’s bedkits and that they appear to be more durable.
There were a couple of children with disabilities who were given priority. One was in a wheelchair. A parent of one autistic child failed to notify us because she was not aware of the preference given to children who are in similar situations. One child vomitted on the premises but appeared to be okay after a few minutes.
In Tarlac City, we noticed that there were still small children who did not appear to be at least six years old. We talked to the guardians and local volunteers and found out that those aged 7 years and above were in school and were not allowed to go to the distribution site which was far from their school. As a result, they could only gather children who were below 6 years of age. These below-aged children were not on the list of recipients.
Distribution in Angeles and Tarlac took place in spacious covered courts, which were well lit and ventilated. The recipients in both sites gave thunderous applause when they were shown the contents of the bedkits. At both sites, there were dance performances from students, some of whom were also recipients.
Our local partners are members of Kiwanis from Tarlac and Pampanga.
Based on the interviews, a mosquito net is in demand, especially in areas where there is still no electricity. Many parents instructed their children not to remove their face masks for health reasons. We were able to convince some to remove their masks during picture-taking although some others did not want to do so.
Team Philippines, 2025
World of Sweet Dreams, Inc. Philippines 🇵🇭 + SCAW 🇨🇦 (remote)