A life-long illness and being physically challenged is the greatest suffering of humankind. In her years of charity work, Dharma Master Cheng Yen had fathomed that sickness causes impoverishment and reciprocally poverty often leads to one being sick.
Twenty years ago, 43-year-old Ronelo Coliano, a resident of Sagbayan town, figured in a motorcycle accident that injured his lower extremities rendering him to his current limping gait and further limited him to perform daily tasks of living. Ronelo’s wife Abbie has a heart problem preventing her from doing strenuous work and activities, thus, her movements were mostly restricted to simple house chores and taking care of their three children. Their eldest child, thirteen-year-old James Roniel, who was born with clubfoot was discovered to have inherited her mother’s heart condition when he had a sudden heart attack at six years old.
Every single day, Ronelo would wake up wearily facing life’s difficulties. Despite the living conditions and health issues, Ronelo perseveres for his family’s daily survival by working as a logger and delivering firewood when he gets orders from buyers. Occasionally, patrons would bring over raw materials to Ronelo’s place for him to weave amakan* where he gets paid 25 pesos for each panel he finishes — that is the size of a one-side wall use to put up traditional nipa huts . He also cultivates a small backyard to grow vegetables for food sustenance. The mother tearily spoke of how her three children would help their father collect firewood which took 3 months to earn for them to buy pairs of slippers.
“There were times when we only had one kilo of rice left. We let the children have the rice while my husband and I ate boiled bananas we harvested from the backyard for our meals. Even though we don’t have enough money (to get by every day), we made sure our children don’t go hungry.” Abbie Coliano, wife of Ronelo stated
To aggravate their already worsening situation, the family’s dwelling was one of the many that was destructed by Typhoon Odette when it battered the province of Bohol last December 16, 2021. Unable to repair the damaged roof of his home due to financial constraints, he patched it with a tarpaulin. However, especially during heavy rainfall, when the rainwater accumulates on the tarpaulin causing a bulge, the water overflows and goes inside their house. Family members would each squeeze in their tiny space for a dry spot and sometimes sleep in sitting positions to avoid getting wet.
Upon learning of the family’s plight, a Tzu Chi local volunteer in Sagbayan recommended them to Tzu Chi Bohol’s Happy Home Project. When Ronelo and his wife found out that they are going to be beneficiaries
of the project, they were in a bliss. During the construction of their Happy Home, Ronelo and his children would help unload and carry the delivery of
construction materials from the highway to the construction site.
On January 20, 2024, a simple housewarming ceremony was held and this day turned the Coliano family’s years of sorrow into smiles of joy as they now own a bigger, safer and comfortable home which includes a kitchen and a toilet and bath space. Tzu Chi Volunteers who mostly came from Manila did not want to miss the opportunity to be part of and witnessed this major turning point in Ronel and his family’s life. They blessed the family with housewarming gifts such as a sack of rice, groceries, and several home essential items.
“I am beyond grateful to be included in the Happy Home Project, especially to the Tzu Chi volunteers
who supported this initiative. This is a tremendous help for my family’s living conditions, we now have
our own home – the 81st (Happy Home)” said Ronelo Coliano.
During the turnover rites, the Tzu Chi volunteers observed that all members of the family looked disheveled and undernourished. The volunteers decided to take them into Tzu Chi’s long-term care assistance program starting off with supplying the family with Jing Si’s multi-grain powder nutritional drinks. These drinks contains meticulously formulated ingredients that helps boost health and immunity. Ronelo’s children excitedly drank and said that it tastes deliciously like peanuts.
Tzu Chi’s aim to alleviate people’s suffering is by giving willingly with a pure heart without desires for anything in return but seeing the genuine smiles emanating from the Colinao family’s faces is a priceless and a rewarding feeling for all those who have contributed to make this a start of a better life happen for them.
“Extend your love and care to those who are suffering, for in sheltering them, you offer not just a home but a sanctuary of hope and warmth. In the act of giving, you build not only houses but also bridges of compassion that connect hearts and heal the wounds of the world,” Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
*Amakan is a split-bamboo mat that are hand-woven into patterns and used as wall panels in building traditional houses called “bahay kubo” in the
Philippines. The material component of the Amakan is lightweight, and allows air circulation to help cool down the house especially during hot weather conditions. (Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amakan)
