Prepared to get a tissue or two.
A man without hands and legs has warmed the hearts of netizens after a video post featuring him was posted on social media on Friday. In the video, he is shown selling rags on a busy street to earn a living.
The post has gone viral and has been shared more than 54,000 times.
Facebook user Diey Teodoro shared the video of a man whom he referred to as “Kuya Ragman.” He found him selling his wares to passing motorists along A. Bonifacio Ave. in Quezon City.
Sadly, Teodoro was unable to get the man’s name.
Kuya is a Filipino word that means older brother, or in this case, to show respect to the person being referred to.
“We don’t have the right to complain with our hardships in life if Kuya Ragman can fight in his condition, in spite of his lack of legs and hands,” Teodoro wrote in the video, which now has over 2.8million views.
He adds: “Bless you, brother, because you’re an inspiration!”
In a Facebook message sent to Coconuts Manila, Teodoro said that when he saw the man, he was astonished to see that he was working hard to earn a living.
“He doesn’t have legs, he doesn’t have hands, but he’s still trying to earn a living,” he said in Filipino.
Teodoro said he stopped and pulled down the window of his car to ask how much the rags were. In the 24-second video, Kuya responded that three pieces of rags were PHP5 ($0.09). It’s a small price to pay for something that can be used for a long time.
Teodoro gave him a PHP20 ($0.38) and told the man to keep the change.
“In this case, I didn’t actually help Kuya Ragman, he actually helped me and the millions of netizens reached by this viral video to fight fairly,” he told Coconuts Manila.
He said in Filipino: “Disability is not a hindrance to fight against poverty.”
Netizens only had good things to say about the street vendor.
Facebook user Analiza Tumbaga Cabrera echoed Teodoro’s sentiment and said in Filipino: “I salute this man. Disability can’t stop you from earning a living and making ways in life.”
Karen Dale Eclarinal wrote in Filipino: “The rags he’s selling are so cheap. I hope everyone can buy his rags everyday. God bless.”
Glicerio Mateo wrote: “May God bless you and guide you in your everyday life. You are a good example of someone who is making an honest living even with a disability in life.”
What do you think of this? Leave a comment below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
