55-year-old lola in Bulacan breaks down after being skipped over by relief ops

Amid the stress of the community quarantine, a 55-year-old grandmother in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan could not help but burst into tears after being skipped over by relief operations.

Lola Ponyang was recorded shaking and crying outside her home after local authorities touring that time neglected to give her family relief goods, according to Darlene Cay's Saturday report on 24 Oras Weekend.

"Umiiyak ako, umiiyak ako, kasi wala po akong relief. 'Yun lang po," Lola Ponyang said.

In the video, Lola Ponyang's relatives and neighbors could be heard making their appeal.

Later, those distributing relief goods returned to the distraught grandmother and gave her their share of relief goods.

"Wala po kaming stub dahil sinasabi po nila na meron kaming- na nasa akin 'yung stub po. Pero mali po 'yung mama ko na pagsabi na may stub po kami," Jayson Samson, Ponyang's son, said.

"Akala niya po 'yung stub na 'yun ay 'yung quarantine pass, so wala po talaga kaming stub. [B]ago ka bigyan dito ng relief goods, kailangan may stub ka muna," he added.

Family frustration

Samson was the family's sole breadwinner where he earned profit from monitoring a computer shop in the area. However, they lost all sources of income due to the quarantine.

He also expressed his frustration, saying he could not understand why his family was not given help.

"Dapat patas 'yung gobyerno sa pag-bibigay ng relief goods kasi lahat na-apektuhan. Lahat - kayong mga nangangailangan. Dapat kasi kapag oras ng botohan lahat napupuntahan nila pero ngayon kahit kasuluksulukan hindi nila mapuntahan," he said.

After being posted on Friday, the video had garnered at least 3,000 likes and shares. This prompted the private sector to give aid to Lola Ponyang.

"Masakit sa dibdib kasi po 'yung nanginginig po siya sa kaka-ano tapos nilagpasan lang po siya, na-ano ko lang din 'yung lola ko kasi naranasan ko rin mag-hirap," Wendygros Inglatera said

"Marami po'ng salamat sa tumutulong sa akin. Sana po biyayaan kayo ng Panginoong Diyos, 'yun lang po," the grandmother said.

Barangay's side

However, the barangay captain said that the family was given a stub.

"Meron po talaga siya na stub, eh, naibigay lang po sa anak dahil nga po siguro meron medyo pagka-diperensya 'yung isip dahil na-apektuhan ng kanyang pagkaka-stroke," Barangay Captain Rolando Manuel said.

"Atsaka hindi rin po totoo na hindi po namin tinutulungan 'yon. Katunayan nga po lahat po dito sa barangay namin, lahat po ng barangay namin nabigyan," he added.

Manuel also appealed to the public for their understanding.

"Napakahirap po [...] gumagawa ka na ng mabuti pero tayo pa 'yung nagiging masama," he said.

For his part, San Jose Del Monte Mayor Arthur Robes said that the local government used stubs in order to prioritize the poorest residents in the community.

"Based doon sa aming census kasi, we have around 63,000 indigent families in San Jose [...] So ang inuuna naman 'yung talagang una walang pambili," Robes said.

There are four confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases in San Jose Del Monte Bulacan, Of these, two have died while the remaining patients are reportedly in stable condition. —Joahna Lei Casilao/JST, GMA News