There was an outpouring of support for the victims of fire last February 12, 2017.
Fire broke out in the residential area of Barangay Damayang Lagi, Quezon City. The fire consumed two hundred or more homes and affected over seven hundred (700) families (Philippine Star).
The Planning Services (PS) spearheaded by Director Haidee V. Ampatuan MNSA along with Monitoring and Evaluation Division Chief Engr. Sirad A. Abantas and Policy and Program Development Division Chief, Elizabeth L. Abdullah planned out a community outreach program for the victims of fire.
At ten o’clock in the morning, the PS team set out the trip to the barangay as planned.
Goods were systematically distributed to the identified one hundred (100) families. Everything went smoothly due to the assistance of Mr. Abdulgafur Tampugao together with the Muslim community leaders from the Quezon City Muslim Consultative Council.
Distributed goods consisted of five (5) kilos of rice, canned goods, noodles, and one whole raw chicken, enough to sustain them for at least two weeks.
The program ended with a prayer led by one of the community’s Muslim Leaders. And he thanked everyone that helped made the program possible. He even mentioned that they have been encountering a lot of difficulties lately but remains thankful that help from Allah SubhanahuWaTa’ala is always made available.
As a whole, the PS shall continue pursuing initiatives such as this is as part of the Ibadah ko, Trabaho ko principle being followed at the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos. Such effort, no matter how little can be an act of worship to the Almighty Allah.
Helping others is also considered a core principle in Islam. One hadith in particular underscores this message:
“Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgment. Whosoever alleviates [the lot of] a needy person, Allah will alleviate [his lot] in this world and the next. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the next. Allah will aid a slave [of His] so long as the slave aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, but tranquility and peace descends upon them, mercy envelopes them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are with Him. And whosoever is slowed down by his actions will not be hastened forward by his lineage.”An-Nawawi
A cause of fire remains under investigation, fire officers said last 13 February 2017.