Partially Blind Therapist is Now a Fruit Vendor

Nobody can stop this 36-year old father from finding ways to feed his family during the pandemic - even with his visual impairment.

Michael Alonzo contracted glaucoma since he was four years old. "Hindi naman ako nagamot. Ginamot lang ako ng albularyo sa probinsiya namin sa Leyte, kaya ako natuluyang nabulag. Pero awa naman ng Diyos, kahit papaano, nagkaroon pa rin ng paningin kahit konti. (I was not treated [for glaucoma]. I was just brought to a quack doctor in our province in Leyte, so I went blind. But by God's mercy, I still have some vision left.)"

Michael and Angela with their children

Their family became residents of in the vicinity of the Baclaran area of Pasay, and he eventually went to Philippine National School for the Blind (PNSB). That's where he would meet Angela Manrique, who would become his high school sweetheart and later his wife.

They both became massage therapists, and when the pandemic struck he worked at a massage clinic at Robinsons Galleria and at Robinsons Place Manila (free plug for them). Of course, the day after the lockdown in Metro Manila, Ayala Malls announced that they would be temporarily closing down and all the other malls followed suit as government was just going to ask mall owners to do so. 

Like other blind massage therapists, Michael and Angela has not had income from their trade since then. With four kids to feed (the eldest of which inherited his mom's eye congenital cataracts), how could they survive?

Michael worked at a massage clinic in a mall in Quezon City. 

"Dahil nagkaroon nga po ng pandemic, nagkaroon kami ng problema kung paano kami makakaraos sa araw-araw, sa aming pagkain at pangangailangan. (Because of the pandemic, we had a problem in how to survive each day, how to get food and other needs.)" At first they had to rely on what government can give, but they soon realized that was not enough even if they were among those who were given cash under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

What the couple did was use money from the government's financial assistance and buy fruits that they could sell. So nowadays they wake up while it's still dark, and before the sun rises Michael walks from their home in Taguig for an hour and a half, pushing an empty vendor's cart to Pasay, where he buys apples and lemons. He puts these in the cart and pushes it back to Taguig, walking for another two hours or so, where they sell the fruits.

Click to watch video of Michael selling fruits in Taguig: https://www.facebook.com/michael.alonzo.376695/videos/239854877119104

Michael is not new to working hard. Even as a teenager, he used to be a jeepney barker and kargador at the Baclaran market. When he became a therapist, he was also a hard worker and would also do home service and even massages at corporate events.

It is not surprising that today, the Alonzo family already uses two carts to sell fruits. "Yung isa, nakatambay dito sa eskinita namin," Michael narrates. "Yung isa naman, nilalako ko para mabilis umikot yung aming paninda at mga puhunan. (We place one cart outside along our street. I push the other cart around the area so we can sell the fruits faster.)"

Click to view video of Michael stopping to rest near Villamor Air Base: https://www.facebook.com/michael.alonzo.376695/videos/246828583088400

Like other massage therapists, Michael does not know when the spas and massage clinics will be allowed to open again, so he hopes: "Sana po matapos na itong pandemic na ito gawa ng lahat nagsa-suffer eh. (I hope this pandemic ends soon because it is causing all of us to suffer.)"

And like any father, he just wishes all the best for their children: "Ang pangarap ko sa mga anak ko ay gabayan sila ni Lord, lagi silang mag-iingat at ilayo sila sa kapahamakan tulad ng mga sakit, maging mabait, mapagmahal sa pamilya, may takot sa Diyos, at matapos sa pag-aaral. (My dream for my children is for the Lord to guide them, that they stay safe and He keeps them away from harm, like sickness, to be kind, loving to family, God-fearing, and to finish their studies.)"

We pray the same for you, Michael and family. 

Below is our phone interview with him with a photo slideshow, if you would like to hear him yourself:

Phone interview with Michael Alonzo, with photo slideshow 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE to buy fruits from Michael (if you are in the vicinity of the route from EDSA Pasay to the Bicutan area), he says you can contact him at 0923-9242614 and he'll deliver them right to you. And hey, nobody will stop you if you want to help him any other way.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE to help other blind massage therapists as well, leave a comment below or email us at upshop88@gmail.com and we'll get back to you soonest. You may help in the following ways:

1. Send cash via GCash, PayMaya, BDO or BPI. (We record all donations and now now have a DSWD permit - read out Blessed to Bless post.)
2. Use a new and more secure browser called Brave. We will earn a commission if you download and use it for 30 days straight, and we'll use the commission to help.
3. Buy from our partners with ads around this blog. We will also earn a commission via affiliate marketing, and will use the earnings to help.

Till next post... Look Up! Cheer Up! Build Up! Step Up!

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