Siblings use food to show solidarity with frontliners

Editor's Note: This news column showcases stories from around the world that bring a touch of positivity to the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

MANILA－Four Chinese-Filipino siblings have been delivering free packs of home-cooked meals to nurses and other health workers on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 in the Philippine capital.

The siblings, aged from 13 to 19, said they decided to donate the meal packs to express their gratitude to the doctors and nurses who cared for their 70-year-old grandmother, Teresita. She was diagnosed with the coronavirus on March 28.

The siblings' mother, Stella, said her children cooked meals for their sick grandmother while she was confined at the Metropolitan Medical Center in Manila City for 15 days. The family delivered home-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner to her every day.

"My mother prefers home-cooked meals, so we regularly sent her food. But it had to be in plastic containers because you cannot bring home things from the hospital," Stella said.

While delivering the food to Teresita, she said the family also made sure to share bread and coffee with the nursing staff in the coronavirus ward.

Simone Alexa Sy, 13, said her family are grateful to the healthcare workers, especially the team that took care of her grandmother. To Simone and her three siblings, the healthcare workers are heroes.

"We want to give back to the people who helped our amah because during those times we had a hard time," her sister Sofia said.

The Metropolitan Medical Center and its staff are special to the Sy family, as it was the only hospital that admitted the coronavirus-positive grandmother after seven other hospitals turned them away due to a lack of beds.

After Teresita was discharged from the hospital on April 13, Simone and her siblings decided to convert the family kitchen into a production line for packed home-cooked meals for the front line medical workers.

To show their appreciation for them, Simone and her siblings decided to cook more meals for other healthcare workers, not only in the Metropolitan Medical Center but also in other hospitals and coronavirus treatment facilities in Metro Manila.

Sophia cooks while the other half of the siblings foursome, Joff and Josh, help prepare the ingredients and pack the ready-to-eat meals for distribution to the health workers in different hospitals.

Embassy's support

Since April, the Sys have distributed nearly 8,000 food packs to around 15 hospitals and coronavirus facilities.

Their good deeds have also garnered support from the Chinese embassy in the Philippines.

Two weeks ago, the Chinese embassy handed over 10 bags of rice, 100,000 pesos ($2,000) in cash, 400 face masks and Ambassador Huang Xilian's personal letter to the Sys to show his appreciation for their volunteering.

In his letter to the Sy siblings, Huang "expressed his appreciation for their spontaneous and warmhearted actions to provide meals for the medical frontliners".

Stella said the family will continue their work for the benefit of the front line medical workers.

Xinhua