MANILA -- Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto on Wednesday said he would continue to auction his shoes to raise his town's funds for its COVID-19 response despite receiving P100,000 cash from a generous donor.
"Masama daw pangitain. Salamat po pero nakapagbitiw na kasi ako ng salita. Hanggang sa huling araw ng quarantine, 3 pares isang araw," he said in a Facebook post.
"Siguro naman, 'yung intensyon na lang na gamitin ito sa inaakala kong mabuti ang magiging dahilan kung bakit walang pwedeng masama na magbunga sa sinserong hangarin."
Nieto said he would use the donation to buy milk for children.
"Salamat po ulit. Ibibili ko 'yung perang pinadala mo ng mga gatas ng bata dahil paubos na ang supply sa opisina at hindi maubos ang mga humihingi," he said.
The mayor said he launched an auction for his sneaker collection to augment funds after the social welfare development allotted cash aid for 38,000 out of some 370,000 residents of Cainta.
"The local government has to do something to bridge this gap at mabuhay sila para sa next chapter after the quarantine and that’s where we come in," he told radio DZMM.
"Para sa 'kin dapat maramdaman ko muna ang personal sacrifice bago ko hanapan ng resources elsewhere na marami naman nagbibigay sa 'kin. I also have to feel the pinch at nagsimula ako sa isang bagay na malapit sa 'kin which is 'yung aking sneaker collection."
Nieto said it took him 3 days to convince himself to part with his collection.
"Pero nung nagsimula ako nung day 1 dire-diretso na siya. Maubos man lahat nung laman nung aking boxes, I know after this I will start collecting again kung pagbibigyan pa ako ng tiyansa. At least merong napuntahang maayos 'yung sinimulang koleksiyon ko 6 years ago," he said.
The town has so far given P2,000 each and 10-days worth of relief goods to 250 residents who are not part of government's social amelioration program, Nieto said.
Carlo Ople, vice president of PLDT, bought a pair of Travis Scott Jordan 1 Low, for P70,000 and re-auctioned it for P60,000, according to the mayor.
Ople is set to donate the P60,000 to the Cainta government, Nieto added.
DZMM, Cainta, Rizal, Kit Nieto, Cainta mayor, COVID-19, coronavirus, donation, Cainta donation, Greenland, shoe auction