The current pandemic has brought about the worst situations. For low-income communities, the lack of jobs and halting of daily activities have rendered their families jobless and hungry. Many are left to fend for themselves while waiting for the government to act. Medical frontliners have also been separated from their families in order to lessen the risks of infection.

Inspiring hope amid these difficult situations, a number of Filipino civilians have taken it upon themselves to help their fellow citizens. We’ve found a few of these acts of kindness shared online and hope that this can spark a chain reaction for others to follow suit and do what we can to alleviate the effects brought on by this pandemic.

Facebook user Cha Calubaquib ordered four meals from Baliwag Lechon through GrabFood. She then decided to give one of these meals to her Grab driver, Andrew. To her surprise, Andrew messaged her again on Facebook with a picture of him and his children eating the meal, adding that it was a huge help to him as a single father.

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In Valenzuela, a homeless man kneels as a sign of gratitude in front of social workers who brought him to his room at the local Pisces Resort Hotel. Through the local government’s Oplan Sagip, 11 homeless people are given shelter and food free of charge during the quarantine.

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Instagram user Nina Tay Lee donated 45 to 50 bags worth of vegetables from Benguet farmers to Brgy. Maysilo in Malabon, where her family’s helper for four generations currently resides.

Pizza Hut delivery man Raymond Papellero would use his tips to buy assorted breads from a Quezon City bakery and would give this out to people in need that he sees out in the streets during his rides. His story was posted by Facebook user Raina Ominga, owner of the bakery, who has said in an interview with a local radio station that Papellero buys around 200 to 400 pieces of bread each day.

Security guard Nicko Gloriana was seen giving rubbing alcohol to anyone passing by Shaw Boulevard around early March. This small act of kindness goes a long way especially during the time when the virus was only starting to emerge, with many not yet fully equipped with protective materials.

Facebook user Mond Abua has been making and donating homemade face shields for medical frontliners. He has also shared the process of doing so on his Facebook page to encourage others to make these DIY face shields using readily available materials.

Sari-sari store owner Nanay Benila closed down her store, packed and gave out its goods to her neighbors in Cainta, Rizal while waiting for the relief goods from their local government unit to arrive in their street.

Mang Boyong, a taho vendor of 27 years from Bignay, Valenzuela, gave out cups of taho at the checkpoint of the Valenzuela to Bulacan border to frontliners and first responders, refusing any payments offered to him.

At the start of the quarantine period, tricycle driver Gnuch Bacunin gave out free rides for healthcare workers and people who needed to buy food and medicine but couldn’t travel due to the suspension of public transportation. The driver offered his services before the banning of tricycle operations.

Header photo by Ty Lagalo on Unsplash