Top 12 YouScoop scoops of 2012

YouScoop, GMA News’ citizen journalism arm, gathers newsworthy content generated by our viewers like yourself. The concept gives you the chance to help us report news by sending us your own scoops.

In 2012, we received countless scoops – from fires to floods, to personalities, to random acts of kindness. YouScoop posted 25 of the most noteworthy contributions on the News To Go Facebook page and asked for votes to determine the Top 12 of the year. Here are the stories shared:

12. Kindness during a heavy downpour along EDSA



It was a random act of kindness that warmed hearts during the time of typhoons.

As heavy rain poured last August, a stranger gave her jacket to a little girl living along EDSA in Quezon City. The deed would have been left unseen if it wasn't for a YouScooper who was driving along EDSA. He captured the moment, shared it online, and it  instantly turned viral.

For a moment, even a typhoon could not mask one small act of kindness from a person with a good heart.

11. Waiting for rescue



The southwest monsoon last August was not accompanied by a storm, yet it brought floods reminiscent of September 2009's Ondoy.

Kasiglahan Village in Rodriguez, Rizal was ravaged by the flood, and residents were forced to climb up their houses’ roofs to avoid being swept by the strong current of the floodwater.

This image captured by YouScooper Vincent Manchus was, at that time, a seemingly common scene throughout the country.

10. Poor dog, bad owner?



Last March 12, YouScooper Dezzy Belle Quine was on her way to a mall in Baguio when she spotted a dog in a sack tied to the back of a sports utility vehicle. It became national news when she reported it to YouScoop.

This was the first of many animal cruelty stories we eventually received.

9. Rescuers save nun trapped in elevator



For an hour last October, an 81-year-old nun got trapped in the elevator of a building in Quezon City. Firefighters from the Quezon City Fire District-Special Rescue Unit and Engine 21 responded came to her rescue.

YouScooper Marion Rey Navarro captured the rescue operation and shared it with us.

8. Two taxis share the same plate number 



Last May 12, YouScooper Hilario Tamor Jr. was walking along Ortigas Avenue Extension in Pasig City when he spotted two taxis with identical license plates parked side by side.

The photo speaks for itself.

7. Free books, free reading in Makati



One would not normally find a library on the street but that was what YouScooper Emerald Ridao found while driving in Makati City last June. The caretaker called the place a "reading club" and encouraged people to donate and borrow books free-of-charge.

Ridao said she did not expect it to be in the area. Netizens were apparently surprised, too, as the photo eventually became viral.

6. MMDA traffic aide gets treatment because of social media



Last October, Sam Sevalla was crossing on a footbridge in EDSA when he spotted a Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) aide resting on the steps of an overpass. Sevalla noticed the wounds on the aide’s legs and asked him why he hasn't brought himself to the hospital for treatment.

The aide, Ernesto Chua, said his wounds couldn't be treated and that he was about to retire, so he would just let it be. Sevalla took a photo of Chua and shared it online, which immediately became viral. People started sharing the post until MMDA noticed Chua's story.

MMDA gave Chua a paid leave and shouldered his hospital expenses. His wounds were treated, and the power of social media lives on.

5. Tossed by strong waves



Last June, a storm surge from the Pacific Ocean elicited turbulent waves along the coastal areas of Luzon, including Basco, Batanes.

YouScooper Jhon Mark Cobico captured the stormy sea and took a photo of a cargo vessel tossing in the currents that kept it from maneuvering to safety. Cosico said the crew was forced to abandon ship.

4. Bahay Alberto



Houses, even those connected to a national hero, are not immune to decay.

After midnight on October 22, the ancestral house of Jose Rizal’s mother, Doña Teodora Alonso, located in Biñan, Laguna succumbed to decades of poor maintenance and started to collapse from the inside.

Built in the 1800s, the two-story house with a floor area of about 600 sqm was owned by the family of Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, the father of Rizal’s mother Teodora Alonso. The property was  passed down to his heir, Gerardo Alberto.

YouScooper Lovely Yamson took a photo of the damaged house and sent it to GMA News.

3. To the rescue: Woman suffers stroke during Habagat



Barangay Tumana in Marikina City was one of the places inundated by the Habagat floods last August. Rescuers braved the extreme weather conditions to save residents stranded on roofs and inside flooded houses.

This photo by YouScooper Misael Bacani shows a community doctor assisting an elderly woman after she reportedly had a stroke. Such photo reveals the heroism that people are capable of in times of trouble.

2. Boy2 Quizon puts Grandpa Dolphy on his skin



Last July, the Philippines mourned the passing of Dolphy, the country’s Comedy King.

In remembrance of his late grandfather, Boy2 Quizon had his right forearm tattooed with an image of the Comedy King in prayer. Tattoo artist Jaime Tud did the skinwork and shared this photo with YouScoop.

“Ginawa ito ni Boy2 dahil gusto niyang ipakita pagmamahal niya sa lolo niya. Ginawa niya ito bilang tribute," Tud said.

1. Spoliarium Family



Photographer Paul Tabaque shared this photo of the Queddeng family imitating details of Juan Luna’s The Spoliarium at the National Museum. Twelve Queddeng siblings and their relatives did the "re-enactment" on July 15.

Deng Queddeng, the mastermind behind this act, said they are a family of art enthusiasts and they really love the Spoliarium. “We thought, ‘Hey, we have just enough heads here to make a rendition of this masterpiece.’ And since the guards allowed us to take photos, we didn't let the chance pass," she added. (See related story here.)

For those curious of the camera setup, this photo was taken without flash but with lots of imagination.

YouScoop’s top 12 for 2012 is just the tip of the iceberg. The collection is just a fraction of the numerous contributions from ordinary citizens, and which received a fair share of circulation on-air and online. The number of citizen journalists who send us a plethora of scoops keeps on growing every day. They are in the right place, at the right time. You too can be one of our YouScoopers by sending us newsworthy happenings as they happen.

Send your scoops to GMA News through the YouScoop website at www. youscoop.tv or by using the YouScoop for Android app on your smartphones. — With  Danessa Rivera/EPE/VS, GMA News