Encarnacion Solis, 73, met her brother Ceriaco, 87, after she lost contact with her family and relatives when she started living alone in the remote area of Barangay San Fernando, Talisay City.
Solis was the beneficiary of the Bahayanihan project of the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company (NOCPMFC)
after she was sighted by a group of hikers who reached out to various stakeholders to help her.
Her story was posted on Facebook early this month, paving the way for Solis’ family to reach her.
According to Police Staff Sgt. Bryle Tabacug, Police Community Relations, Non-Commissioned Officer of the 1st NOCPMFC, Solis’ relatives contacted them on Facebook and told them about her older brother.
Tabacug said they then escorted Solis to meet her brother in Barangay Tinampaan, Cadiz City on May 19.
Tabacug said that Solis told them that she has not visited her family since her other sibling died. She is living in a house made of light materials being lent to her by the barrio people.
In fact, the house was damaged by typhoon “Odette” last year. Solis thanked the police and the volunteers for providing her a house, where she could live comfortably.
The house which was built for two days was made possible through the help of Felix G. Yusay Foundation, Talisay City Police Station, 79th Infantry Batallion (IB), and Talisay City Social Welfare and Development.
Solis is the sixth out of eight children of the family while Ceriaco is the second child. She has a daughter but she had her adopted while she was working as a househelp in Manila as she could not provide for her education.
Despite her reunion with his brother, Solis still decided to live alone in Barangay San Fernando, where she sells her handmade products such as broom and barbecue sticks, through the help of the members of Kapehan sa lasang, Putro Falls, Binuldusan Falls (Kapusan) outreach.
The 1st NOCPMFC has provided homes to chosen beneficiaries in Victorias City in 2020 and San Carlos City in 2021.