By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – As almost everyone struggled amid the pandemic, police in Negros Occidental thought of a way to help Negrenses, especially the homeless.
The Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)-6 and Kabankalan City Police Station initiated a project to provide comfort to a family who cannot have a decent home to live in amid the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID).
Lieutenant Colonel Mary Rose Pico, city police chief, said they were in the middle of their visitation in some nearby villages, when they came across a family at Barangay Tagukon last week.
Pico said they met Sherly Villarin, a widow with five children, whose only source of living was farming.
Pico said Villarin’s eldest child was a special child and her youngest aged 7. They live in a house made of light materials in a hill.
“Pag sulod namun sa ila balay, need gid mag kamang. Kag wala sila kwarto, kusina, kag banyo,” she said.
The Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 has a Bayanihan project dubbed “Kapwa Ko, Sagot Ko.”
In line with this, Pico said they decided to put up a house for Villarin and her children as part of their initiative dubbed “Balay Mo, Handom Ko.”
personnel of the police station, and other private stakeholders voluntarily contributed construction materials, while the RMFB-6 did the carpentry and provided security during the construction of the house since the area was identified to be rebel-infested.
“It took us more than a week to build the house,” she said, adding that the house was turned over to Villarin’s family last Wednesday.
It was partially made of cement and light materials, with a bedroom, comfort room, dining area, and kitchen,” she said.
She said it was the first house they built for their chosen beneficiary. She is looking forward that they can also provide the same project to other beneficiaries.
Aside from the house project, children were also taught about the significant role of policemen in the community to remove their fears.
“Aloof sila pag kadto namun una because of our firearms,” she said.
She said Villarin was emotional when she saw their new house. “She was very happy that she even cried,” Pico said. “Wala daw siya nag expect na bisan sa damgo lang makabalay siya sang amo ni,” the police chief added.
