34 Aban, Sapiandante, Amata-Justo, and Roldan The Kalingang QC program of the Quezon City government provided Php 1.2-billion financial aid to the city’s residents identified as belonging to vulnerable sectors and those badly affected by the ECQ. The program covers those in the informal economy and daily wage earners. But the coverage was later expanded to include solo parents, lactating mothers, persons with disability, senior citizens, scholars, and sellers of dry goods and cellular phone accessories (QC Local Government. n.d.a). However, ASAMBA saw a deficit in providing the special needs for older persons. Not everyone was fortunate to receive their social pension. Distribution of maintenance drugs (such as for hypertension and diabetes) and immunity-boosting vitamins was inadequate. Some of these distributed drugs had nearing expiry dates, while those of better quality are sourced from compassionate individuals. Ka Linda, also a leader among the senior citizens, said she has already lodged a complaint to the Office of the Mayor and has submitted a masterlist of all their names, on behalf of those older persons who have not yet received their social pension, which is deemed helpful for their medical and maintenance requirements and for those needing dialysis. Spirit of volunteerism and self-reliance To replenish the organizational funds that they steadily use for emergency purposes, ASAMBA has religiously collected monthly dues of Php 20 from its members and from households who are considered renters and sharers. Other sources include parking fees from those with motorized vehicles. The pandemic, however, provided more time for ASAMBA officers to manage their community. They were able to conduct an inventory of all the residents in their vicinity and update their records. They found out that there are 338 members (plus the extended families of their children who are considered as sharers) and around 700 renters. When the government reverted to the general community quarantine (GCQ), ASAMBA decided to provide allowances to volunteer gatekeepers who lost their jobs after the ECQ, but are still willing to guard the gates. The source for these is the homeowner’s association funds. There are now a total of seven guards: three guards in the morning shift receive Php 4,000 each, while four guards in the graveyard shift receive Php 2,000 each. Another innovative approach that ASAMBA spontaneously did to ease the burden of food subsidy for the gatekeepers is to include these guards in the number of guests of every family’s simple birthday celebration. Ka Linda said, “Kung sino ang may birthday, pinapakain rin ang mga frontliners.” (Whoever celebrates a birthday, the celebrant also feeds the frontliners.) This way, according to Ka Linda, the strong community spirit becomes alive. “Hindi nanghihina ang mga opisyal. Nag-iisip ng ano pa ang pangkabuhayan.” (The officers did not lose their initiative and optimism. They kept thinking how else to economically survive.)