AS A year ends and a new year comes along, people usually reminisce on the year that was and look forward to the year that will be. 2020 is said to be a year of great trials and sufferings but amidst it all, we saw the rise of values and the desire from people to do more. One such is the revival of the barter system and the spirit of giving.

Due to the attack of the Covid-19 virus, the country was put in a state-of-emergency wherein the Philippine government came up with various states of community quarantine wherein people are mandated to stay at home. Due to that, the people look for ways to fill up their time while at home. One of which is decluttering where people remove unnecessary things from their home, offices or generally their surroundings.

Because of these cleaning up, a group of people came up with various barter group in Facebook where people post goods that they do not need in exchange for one that they need. One of the pioneers of these group is the Baguio Barter Community (OFFICIAL). It all started with a group of friends posting of plants for school supplies lying around which were then answered with inquiries if used textbooks can be accepted not as barters but simply as donations. As public school teachers themselves, these people knew the importance of such thus books in their profession thus the books were a greatly welcomed.

Numerous offers of donations of books then came in from private individuals and even from a private school in Baguio seeing posts in the said barter group then came in. Bookends, a shop selling second hand books even pitched in their collection of donated books. As of date, seven encyclopedias were collected, dictionaries, almanacs, hundreds of textbooks and storybooks were collected. These were distributed to a school in Mountain Province, a school in Kapangan, and almost all schools of Bakun. These books had they been priced, would be amounting to a ton of money, however due to the spirit of giving, people choose to donate these books. Books which will serve as reference materials to teachers as well as grace the shelves of various libraries and learning areas of schools.

Books for some may have lost their value or use to some, but to some it is a treasure trove of adventure, knowledge and of magic waiting to be opened up. Thanks to the Barter Group and to the innate values of sharing and of giving, school children may soon experience those upon opening the pages of the books come face to face. The next time people feel the urge of throwing up books, contact your nearest public school and give it to them.