BACOLOD CITY – The chief of police of Isabela, Negros Occidental took pity on a 71-year-old man, who was living in an old and run-down shack, and turned to his skills as a painter to raise funds for materials to be used in the construction of a new house for the old man.

Capt. Joseph Partidas said he saw the house of Raymundo Renilla during a police activity in Barangay 5 last month, and saw how his house was almost in ruins.

That was when Partidas came up with an idea on how to raise some funds to help in the repair of Renilla’s house.

He painted the Unknown Ruins of Isabela on canvas, and raffled it off.

Partidas was able to raise P4,000 from the raffle which were used to buy the house where Renilla has been living alone.  

 “We thought of providing him a simple and decent home,” he added.

Partidas even got Renilla’s children to help in the repairs undertaken on the house. The town’s other policemen also contributed by buying groceries for Renilla, and shouldering other expenses in the house repair.

Partidas said he was already into painting even before he was assigned in the town. But his job got in the way so he had to put his paint materials aside. 

But after the Renilla project, he saw that producing more paintings could raise funds that could help more people in the community.

One such beneficiary was Eddie Canatoy, 72, of Barangay 9.

Partidas said they were also concerned on the situation of Canatoy, who also lives alone.

Canatoy had suffered a stroke, and was just being attended to by a neighbor, who gives him food regularly, he added.

As such, police personnel of Isabela came together anew to build a house for Canatoy in just three days.