STANDING true to its commitment of not only coming up with accurate news but also providing help to those in need, OpinYon Media Advocacies, Inc. (OMAI) has stepped up its community involvement, taking to the streets in its second wave of ayuda distribution in San Pedro City, Laguna.
OMAI is the publisher of several magazines, online news, as well as national and community papers that include OpinYon Laguna, one of the longest-running and most trusted local papers that hits the streets every Monday of the week.
In this period of the pandemic, OpinYon reaches out to the community, beyond sharing information, by distributing food packs in its home city, San Pedro.
Food packages
For the months of May and June, OpinYon Laguna has organized a series of relief distribution for several sectors in the city that were hardest-hit by the continuing pandemic.
Among the beneficiaries include residents of Sitio Maligaya in Barangay Pacita I; jeepney operators and drivers from the Upper Villages; and most recently, residents of Sitio Paradise near the Bayan-Bayanan homesite in Barangay San Vicente.
Many of the beneficiaries who talked with OpinYon said they were thankful that the local government, as well as the private sector, have been providing them with assistance as they continue to face uncertainty amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Partners
OpinYon was assisted in this latest project by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and Laguna First District Board Member Ann Matibag, who generously gave rice and grocery items for the relief packages.
OpinYon publisher Ray Junia, in particular, thanked SMC for being a long-time partner in its programs to give aid to San Pedronians since the Covid-19 pandemic first hit last year.
It was SMC who helped OpinYon during its first wave of “ayuda” last year, when it started giving out relief packages to San Pedronians who were affected by the first lockdowns that were instituted last March.
SMC also provided free alcohol for distribution to residents of Barangay Pacita I during the first wave of the pandemic.
Interaction with San Pedronians
The series of aid distribution of the “ayuda” campaign has proved to be beneficial for both sides, Junia said.
Aside from giving help to those who need it the most, it also offered a chance for OpinYon to know residents better, and learn about their daily lives, as well as the issues affecting them.
For instance, in Sitio Paradise, residents requested to OpinYon to assist them in the series of land disputes affecting their area.
A group of residents said they have already written to President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the documents and award them the land where their houses are located before his term ends.
Meanwhile, a group of jeepney drivers operating in the Upper Villages who were delivered assistance also asked OpinYon for aid in solving the issue of the alleged non-payment of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) of their subsidies.
The drivers, who were contracted by the LTFRB under the national government’s service contracting program for PUV drivers, said they haven’t received payments for shuttling passengers for free nearly two months after their contracts ended.
Eye-opener
“This series of distribution of relief packages for our residents in San Pedro City has proved to be an eye-opener for us at OpinYon,” Junia said.
“We have come through this experience resolved to do better and use our leverage as an advocacy paper to fulfill our goal of being the true voice of our fellow citizens.”