Guards and breakfast have little in common, except that they both play an essential role in our mornings. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were not wearing masks and freely reported to the University for classes and work, our office security guards were the familiar faces we saw when we entered our office buildings. Similarly, we would have breakfast in the mornings. Our Ate and Kuya Guards are awake earlier than most to open facilities and ensure we are safe for the rest of the day. This time around, the library committee made sure that their morning was greeted with a bag of joy. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the University Library, the Library Extension Committee (LEC), Asosasyon ng Aklatan at Sinupan ng Diliman, Inc. (AASDI), and Emergency Management Committee (EMC) expressed their appreciation to our reliable security personnel by organizing a breakfast program for them.
Members of LEC, AASDI, and EMC preparing breakfast bags for distribution.
On March 9, 2022, breakfast bags prepared by the committee were delivered to on-duty guards throughout the university. Simple and filling, the bag contained the usual Filipino breakfast assortment of hot pandesal, boiled saba, eggs, and instant coffee. Martian Jinio, a member of LEC, was asked why they chose our beloved guards as recipients of the breakfast program. He answered, ”Our security guards have always been part of our daily lives as UP employees, with or without pandemic. As such, we wanted to pay honor and appreciation to their dedication to the university. They are our frontliners not just by providing basic security but for always being present and with us, 24/7, especially now during the pandemic. Thus, we chose them to be the recipients of the Agahang Handog program during daybreak to coincide with the start of their shift and the forthcoming centennial anniversary of the University Library.”
Members of LEC, AASDI, and EMC distributed breakfast bags to several college/ unit libraries.
The distribution started at early dawn and culminated in the morning. Although modest, the gesture was highly appreciated by our security guards at the university. When asked about LEC’s future plans to conduct similar programs to the other members of the UP community, Mr. Jinio mentioned ”The Agahang Handog program for our security guards is just the start of it. We already have plans laid out for other members of the UP community. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at UPDLibLEC (https://www.facebook.com/UPDLibLEC) so you won’t miss any of our programs!”.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said that ”If you cannot feed a hundred people, then feed just one”. This initiative has demonstrated that a small act of kindness can have a ripple effect. This breakfast event to celebrate a century of success for the University Library was made possible through the efforts of the Library Extension Committee (LEC), Asosasyon ng Aklatan at Sinupan ng Diliman, Inc. (AASDI), and Emergency Management Committee (EMC).