Silent heroes of Tondo in I-Witness

MANILA, Philippines - Someone once said every action in our lives vibrates in eternity. It is in giving that we become immortal — changing one person and one place at a time. When it is passed on, it is kindness that knows no end.

In Baseco compound, a place where different faces of poverty converge, a poor widow stands out.

Elida Alvarez, mother of eight, is fondly called Nanay Eli in her barangay. She holds no position, title, degree nor wealth. Yet her random acts of kindness have created ripples far beyond the walls of her makeshift home which has no doors. In the community, she believes no one is too poor to help.

Like her, six out of her eight children did not have the privilege of having an education. Her only source of income is a monthly pension from her deceased husband. Yet, this did not stop her from dedicating her life in the service of her neighbors.

From drug addicts, mentally ill patients, battered wives to the homeless, she has provided refuge, channeling them to the right people, helping them with things they cannot do by themselves. All of these, she says, she does out of love.

One of the countless people she has helped is Josie. When her husband died in 2007, Nanay Eli stepped in. She herself had nothing to give but she organized a group to make a simple coffin from scratch out of wooden materials.

Inspired by Nanay Eli’s sincerity, Josie, a former gambler, shed off her old skin and now pays it forward by voluntarily helping other neighbors during child birth.

Her children, Jonafe and Beth, inspired by her dedication and hard work, promised that they too would help whoever is in need creating their own ripples of kindness.

 For the unknown heroes in the community, they don’t keep the light to themselves, they pass it on.

Tonight after GMA 7’s Saksi, I-Witness host Sandra Aguinaldo meets the silent heroes of a desolate area in Tondo.