Recently known as a cunning gangster in Tayong Dalawa, Ping Medina possibly took the people by surprise when he turned out to be a certified do-gooder in real life. Aside from being the type of person who once had to walk all the way home after giving away his “change money” to a beggar he “deeply felt pity for”, the 26-year old actor also launched his very own relief operation when Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila last September.

Since Ping owns PenPen Restaurant (Comfort Food Araw-Araw) in Tomas Morato, he thought of distributing cooked meals which was what the typhoon victims really needed at that time. “Ang tawag namin sa project na yun Baranggay Soup Kitchen. Isa siyang feeding program wherein we serve them thick and filling arrozcaldo with pandesal. Siyempre sawa na rin sila sa canned goods at kamote so bibigyan mo sila ng something na nakakataba ng puso,” he explained in an interview with ABS-CBN.com.

Baranggay Soup Kitchen project is still ongoing with the help of non-government organizations like Oxfam GB and Dakila (A Collective for Modern Heroism). “Nung una ako lang talaga naglalabas ng pera. Nung eventually, wala na akong pera (laughs) nagpost ako sa internet calling for donations like malagkit rice and non-disposable bowls. Ngayon para matuloy yung project kasama ko na rin sina Lenny Velasco ng Dakila. Hindi naman kami yung feeding program na drop the goods and go. We try to talk to the people, entertain them, and uplift their spirits kasi grabe yung pinagdaanan nila.”

Apparently, it was an act that came naturally to Ping who was really struck by what happened to the nearby areas which was submerged in flood waters back then. “Actually hindi naman kami naapektuhan ng bagyo. Parang siguro kapag pinapatay na yung kapitbahay mo, wala ka bang gagawin? Siyempre within Metro Manila lang yun. For me it’s just something I had to do. In a way, kung hindi ko siya ginawa hindi ako makakatulog sa gabi,” he seriously pondered.

What made his story more interesting is the fact that he joined Tik Tok Tik Tok campaign against climate change prior Typhoon Ondoy. It is said to be a global alliance of non-government organizations who are calling for a pro-environment agreement in the upcoming United Nations convention in Denmark this December. “Ang maganda diyan, yung mga legislators natin na walang pakialam or hindi nila magrasp kung anong ibig sabihin ng climate change, ngayon nagegets na nila. Meron ng mas matinding awareness na kailangan talagang umaksyon ng gobyerno tungkol dito,” he stressed.

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