With schools closed and face-to-face classes put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, learning has gone online—a change many Filipino students and teachers are still not prepared for. The lack of resources proves to be a huge hurdle, but some parents are doing everything they can to provide for their children.
Case in point: Rommel "Lemur" Enriquez, a father of four from Naga City, posted chickens for sale on Facebook. In exchange for three live chickens, he would accept a cellphone for his kids to use for online classes.
"Naisipan kong mag-barter, nag-try ako, kasi kailangan talaga ng mga bata 'yung gadget (I thought of bartering, to try it, because kids need the gadget)," he said.
A fruit vendor before the lockdown, Enriquez and his family had to close shop as business was slow due to the pandemic and they could no longer pay rent. He took to raising chickens and rabbits to make some money.
"Wala naman akong ibang mahanap dito sa amin na i-babarter ko kundi 'yung mga manok ko o 'yung rabbit (I couldn't find anything else here that I could barter except for my chickens or rabbits)," he said.
Enriquez was hoping at least one person would show interest, but he got more than that: His listing spread and garnered the attention of folks on the Internet, and help came his way immediately.
He met up with the buyer, who gave him a brand new phone without asking for anything in return.
Enriquez is now paying it forward by redirecting donors to families who still need gadgets for their kids attending online classes.
Watch the video here:
