8 Pinoy Citizen Heroes: Good Sh*T Happens Too
By 8List.ph

A lot of WTF stuff seem to go down these days; shootings, abusive cops, traffic mess, political trash.  Is there really a lot more of these happening now or we’re just seeing more of them online? Either way, we’re just about to tear our hair out and groan “what’s wrong with this country?”

The flipside is that there happens to be just as much of the right and good things going on around us. And surprisingly, they are as common as your average street person.  In fact, these wonderful things are done on the street and by everyday unknown faces. Anonymous citizen heroes, one might say. After taking your hats off to these people, be reminded that all these come down to own simple point: Ordinary people do extraordinary things. Read on and have your faith restored in humanity.

Via fansshare.com

8. The homeless woman slash artist

With only oil pastels as her device, Jhalanie Matuan, a homeless woman, has finally fulfilled her dream of becoming an artist. She started selling her colorful and unique artworks along Gil Puyat Avenue for P15 to P45 each. But this changed when a netizen found Jhalanie and decided to post her story on Facebook. This made Jhalanie’s story viral and one of the most inspiring ones from 2015.

Since her sudden fame, she got her own exhibit at A Space Manila where the money for her artworks went straight to her.

7. The Anti-Counterflow Montero

Bless you, Mr. Montero.

6. This VERY dedicated teacher

Elizabeth Miranda of Occidental Mindoro braves 5 rivers (no, that’s not a typo, it really is 5) just to reach the school where she teaches. Forget the long hike or stony path and carrying all your own stuff all the way – those are probably just warm-ups for this heroic teacher.  Again, that’s 5 rivers across her way, and not a single bridge. Ma’am Elizabeth conquers these water obstacles without a boat or even just a sturdy raft. She uses a simple floating device known locally as a timbulan, as flimsy and as makeshift as you can imagine. There’s no better workout right after breakfast than multiple risks of drowning, all for the sake of teaching children.

5. This taxi driver’s good deeds

When a taxi driver suddenly stops and gets out of the taxi without even informing you why, your first instinct is to really jump out and get the hell out of there. But for Gelica Manuel Tulauan, it’s a good thing she stayed inside the taxi because what happened next was something incredibly inspiring.

The taxi driver, Carlo Santiago Diaz, gave a homeless woman a home-cooked meal, something he and his friends always do. He said to Tulauan, ““Sabi ng marami, dapat yung mga ganun daw tinutulungan ng gobyerno. Naisip namin, bakit mo naman hihintayin pa ang gobyerno kung pwedeng ikaw mismo ang gumawa?”If that’s not a golden principle for upright, exemplary living, we don’t know what is.

4. The “Barefoot Bandito”

With just the sole of his feet, Eddie Vega is the Guinness world record-holder for the Most Barefoot Marathons. But what makes him more proudly Pinoy is how he uses his fame to raise awareness and buy shoes for the country’s poorest children. Oh, the awesome simple brilliance of it – race barefoot so that the poor may have shoes!

3. The entertainer masked as a jeepney driver

If the traffic is starting to bore you, this jeepney driver is the perfect travel buddy to ease away all the stress from the Carmageddon. With witty remarks like “Isang magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat! Mamaya ko na po kukunin ang inyong bayad ayon sa inyong seat number,” and his bible trivia games, this jeepney rides will surely make you forget that you have to go somewhere.  There’s a certain airline pilot out there who should be shamed out of his skin by this true road captain.

2. This netizen who just wanted justice

The netizen didn’t stop at just capturing the viral moment and decided to butt in where justice is due.

1. And of course, bike man

Apathy to the likes of of Jecenth Mateo, the famous “bike man”, who single-handedly and without hesitation, ran down a motorcycle driver who dragged a traffic enforcer in the middle of the road. Jecenth shared in an interview in Unang Balita that what he did was something natural to him. Jecenth eventually caught up with the motorcycle and held the driver’s hand until a police officer finally came to deal with the issue. What a guy, this guy!

He and the traffic enforcer were even awarded P10,000 and a house and lot each.

Got your faith in humans back? Sound off in the comments below!