As soon as NVC embarked on the Mingo for Marawi drive, there was one lady who set herself on a relentless begging mission to harness funds, big and small for the Marawi children we need to feed with Mingo Meals. And how well Pia Camus did her job!
She started by bringing cans to a meeting in a Makati City village. Pia talked about Mingo for Marawi at Brgy Bel-Air’s Kabalikat sa Tahanan value formation project for the village’s helpers. These cans were taken home to be filled.
For days after that, Pia’s doorbell was busy ringing as filled cans were handed over. The clink-clink of coins poured from their depositories would be heard in her home, followed by silence as every piece is counted and totaled. Melody (below, right), part of Pia’s household, was in charge of counting the coins, and Pia would then run to the bank to send the money over to us. Day after day, NVC would receive multiple deposit slips representing donations of multiple digits.
“I have a very deep respect for coins now,” Pia shares. “I love being a beggar for these children.”
Love grows
The ability of private citizens to make a positive change doesn’t end with Pia’s coin collection.
Meet Azon Banta, who works at the Brgy Bel-Air office. When she found out about Pia’s drive, she offered a can of her own filled with coins. She explained that these were mainly from her school-age children who set aside part of their allowance after they learned about the fund drive for Marawi. We know that there was sacrifice attached to this can. The sacrifice came from young hearts truly full of concern and love for others. This is a can more precious and beautiful than jewels!
And now, meet Narcisa Guanco, whom Pia’s family fondly calls Yaya Mag. Born the seventh child of 10, she left the farm she called her home in Negros at a young age to seek greener pastures as a house helper in Manila—ending up in the Camus home in Bel-Air.
Showing herself capable and trustworthy, Mag was was offered more responsibility as yaya to Pia’s first child. She initially refused.
“I won’t make a good yaya. I won’t be able to read to your son,” she said. “I hardly understand English.”
But Pia and her husband Rico recognized her goodness and assured Mag that having their child grow up around someone with her humility and kindness was more important than an English-speaking yaya. And so she took care not only of Pia’s eldest but all four Camus children. They have since grown, but Mag has stayed on.
Now captain of the Camus household, she has even learned how to drive. And it was while Mag was driving that our story happened.
As Pia and Mag were sitting it out while traffic hardly moved, Mag pulled out a P1,000 peso bill and handed it to her employer.
“Take this,” she said. “Give it to NVC to purchase more Mingo Meals for the Marawi kids. I know how it feels to be needy. I am now better off that they are. I would like to give my share.”
And so Pia sent us a deposit slip for Mag’s contribution. To us, something seemed different. The slip was a bit crumpled, gave an impression of having been wet. We later found out why. Mag’s act of kindness touched Pia so much that it brought tears to her eyes. She cried all the way to the bank and back. Perhaps her tears landed on the deposit slip?
Thank you, Pia, Azon, and Mag for showing us what it means to love!