Sports community comes out to provide for frontliners, poor

MANILA, Philippines — During this pandemic, people from all walks of life are helping out in handing over food for frontliners, security forces and providing for the poor.

For the volleyball community, Charo Soriano, Amy Ahomiro, Aby Maraño, Alyssa Valdez, Maddie Madayag, and Nicole Tiamzon recently held an auction for their personal effects such as awards from their time in the UAAP. The proceeds were earmarked for medical supplies for frontliners.

Meanwhile Coach Ariel Vanguardia, through his Hoops Coaches International webinar has been auctioning off items from fellow basketball tacticians like Louie Alas, Jamie Jarin, and Norman Black among others also for the frontliners and the poor. 

“I think providing some relief in the form of food or even some money for those affected by this pandemic will go a long way,” noted Vanguardia.

Joey Guillermo of Filoil Flying V Sports says that with the collegiate basketball season pushed back for now, the league is looking for ways to provide for displaced referees, table officials, and bouncers. 

Another athlete providing an assist is La Salle Green Archer Evan Nelle who donated his school allowances to the La Salle Brothers. De La Salle University has made its classrooms available to front liners as “half-way houses” for them to stay during this pandemic.

“As the pandemic got worse, I saw on the news how our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare specialists were unable to get rides home or find a place to stay,” said Nelle who recently transferred from San Beda to De La Salle University. 

“It was painful to watch their plight – here they are risking their lives to treat the infected, but they cannot go home or even get a ride.”

“Nelle said that he didn’t know any front liner, but when he informed the school that he would like to donate his allowances to help out, the La Salle Brothers were the viable option for him," the La Salle informed Philstar.com. 

“On the youth being socially conscious – they should be and forced to be socially conscious because we are all facing a worldwide pandemic. Does this awareness lead to solidarity and compassion? Our impression is in spite of the heroic efforts of the frontliners and others helping out in their own way is that we can still go beyond our own personal concerns. Is there a conversion of our identity to include the wider humanity? In the end, it is who and what we are. Our basic values and principles will play an essential role in seeing out this pandemic.”

“It’s not much, but everything helps, right?” said Nelle.