Former private school teacher turned to selling bread after losing job due to COVID-19 pandemic.
In a now viral post, uploader Karlo Ternora recalled his conversation with Eloisa Gicar, 65, who approached him to offer her goods while he was refueling on Holy Spirit Drive, Quezon City.
(Photo courtesy of Karlo Ternora)
"Going home from my friend's house I decided to refill muna (first), while waiting for my change, biglang lumapit sakin si ma'am (she approached me) and she even called me 'anak' (son)," Ternora said.
"As I heard the word anak, naalala ko bigla mga guro ko, mga pangalawang nanay natin sa eskwelahan. I asked what happed po sa inyo? Sabi nya 'wala na ako trabaho dahil sa pandemic (I suddenly remembered my teachers, our second mothers at school. I asked her what happened? She said she lost her job because of the pandemic)," he added.
Gicar owned a small private school in Caloocan City which was forced to permanently close down after the school struggled to adapt to the online setup and due to shortage of enrollees.
Ternora said he felt guilty that he was only able to give his spare change to the teacher.
"If only I have extra time gusto ko sya i-treat sa katabing Jollibee kaso kailangan makauwi. From happy moments bigla akong natulala while driving, I have what ifs sa utak ko. Ang tanda na nya paano kung may COVID mabentahan nya o umuulan o di naubos tinda nya paano na sya? (I wanted to treat her to a nearby Jollibee, but I really need to go home. From happy moments, I suddenly felt stunned while driving, thinking about a lot of what ifs. She's already old, what if he contracts COVID from one of her buyers? What if it rains or if she doesn't sell all her goods?)," he added.
On Monday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said teachers from private schools who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will be among priorities when it starts hiring para-teachers or tutors for blended distance learning.