When Anna Alonzo (not her real name) found out that the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) was granting the wishes of readers as part of its 36th anniversary, she decided to try her luck. Her wish wasn’t for herself, but for her 76-year-old father.
“Please send a Christmas gift to my old, invalid father, a PDI subscriber until now, who cannot walk anymore.”
What he wanted? “A Marks & Spencer belt, size 34, brown or black color, his favorite brand.”
Alonzo’s father has been a loyal Inquirer reader for decades, she said. “His day is not complete without reading the newspaper. He prefers a physical copy and he reads it front to back. He got sad at the start of the pandemic because he didn’t have access to any new newspaper.”
Her dad had lost a lot of weight and his old belts didn’t fit him anymore, thus Alonzo’s wish. It was one we knew we had to grant.
We quickly reached out to Visions & Expressions, the PR firm of Stores Specialists Inc., distributor of Marks & Spencer, to ask if they’d like to partner with us in granting Alonzo’s wish. Their answer was a resounding yes.
When we told Alonzo that her wish was being granted, she was thrilled. ”My first reaction was disbelief. I was so used to being unlucky with these sorts of things, so receiving the email was unexpected. When it sank in, I was really happy for my dad.”
We picked up the belt from Marks & Spencer’s Greenbelt branch and it came in the brand’s festive red holiday bag. We added a Guyito plushie, an Inquirer t-shirt and a handwritten note to the package, and made sure we delivered it to their home in San Juan City early enough so Alonzo could surprise her dad on Christmas.
She had a message for PDI: “Merry Christmas and thanks again. Congratulations on your 36th anniversary!”
And to Marks & Spencer, she had this to say, “Thank you very much! My dad is very happy with this gift.”
