AT THE height of the Undas travel rush on October 30, a mother and her young son were among the many passengers waiting for a bus at the Ecoland Terminal in Davao City. But what unfolded that night — a quiet moment of compassion amid exhaustion and uncertainty — would later move thousands online.
Ria Charmaine shared in a now-viral Facebook post her “wonderful and unforgettable experience” as she and her three-year-old son, Calix, waited for their 8 p.m. trip to Cotabato. It was their first time traveling together after Calix’s chemotherapy session at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), a tertiary hospital in Davao City that caters to Mindanao patients, where he is undergoing treatment for leukemia.
“Right after his chemo, we went back home just to pack his necessities, potluck food that we got from a sponsor at OPD that day, and a few prepared ulam for our dinner,” she wrote. With barely enough money for fare, they headed to the terminal, tired and hungry. “Mas lalo na si Calix dahil sa oral chemo (dexa) that he's currently taking. I'm really scared of infections.”
As the crowd thickened, Ria tried to keep her son at a safe distance from others, constantly spraying alcohol around him. When their food spoiled before they could eat, she chose to endure her hunger. “Priority ko si Calix maka-kain,” she said. “But it's too risky to remove his mask while eating surrounded by crowded people.”
Fortunately, they managed to feed Calix with what was left — some fried fish from their packed meal — before returning to the waiting area. As boarding time neared, Ria worried they might not make it onto the bus due to the rush of passengers. “I told the conductor to help us because my son is a PWD,” she said. “May mag-ama na passenger beside us told me, ‘Reserve ka lang namin seat pag maka-pasok kami.’”
Then, a man in formal attire approached them—a terminal officer wearing an ID. After learning that Calix was a leukemia patient, he expressed genuine concern. “He said it out loud, ‘Oh sh*t! Too young. Asa mo naga pa-chemo sa SPMC? Ga-stay mo sa House of Hope karon?’”
The House of Hope is a halfway house located within SPMC compound, providing temporary lodging for cancer patients residing outside Davao City or living far from SPMC and their caregivers who are receiving treatment at the SPMC Cancer Institute, so that the patients may continue their chemotherapy schedule without failure for reasons of unable to go to the institute because of transportation costs.
Ria recalled. “He helped us board the bus first so Calix could lie down comfortably.”
Moments later, the officer introduced himself as Nonito Llanos, the Regional Director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Davao (LTFRB-Davao). He told Ria, “Naga-support pud mi sa House of Hope at sa mga children with cancer. Naa koy ihatag gamay na tabang sa inyoha. Laban lang, Ma’am. Pakatatag lang,” while gently tapping her shoulder.
“My heart softened, napaluha nalang ako while saying, ‘Hala! Thank you kaayo, Sir. Thank you po talaga,’” Ria wrote. “My voice was shaking. I wanted to hug him, but I was too shy.”
As the bus prepared to leave, another LTFRB officer boarded and asked, “Sino yung cancer patient dito?” When Ria raised her hand, he told the conductor, “Ayaw na sila taga-i ticket, ok na ang pamasahe nila.” Their fare had been covered. “I was shocked and overwhelmed,” she said. “In my mind, I kept repeating countless times, ‘Thank you, Lord!’”
Even other passengers extended small gestures of kindness. “The father who would reserve my son a seat thoughtfully asked me if we already had water. We were surrounded by good people back there, TYL,” Ria added.
Before departure, Llanos came back to check on them. “He tried to talk to Calix, but my son was a bit irritated and tired. I explained, ‘Pasensya na po, Sir, katatapos lang po ng chemo niya kanina.’ He said, ‘Ok lang, rest ka na lang muna jan. Ingat kayo sa byahe.’”
When the bus finally left, Ria couldn’t hold back her tears. “Grabe Lord, You really are watching over us,” she wrote. “Who would have thought You’d send someone to be a blessing in such an unexpected moment?”
In her post, Ria expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Llanos and his team. “Out of the many, and in a very least expected time, naging blessing po kayo sa amin ng anak ko. Hindi man kami taga Davao, pero ramdam namin ang sobra-sobrang pagmamalasakit at pagmamahal ninyo sa mga batang may malubhang sakit,” she said.
Meanwhile, in an online interview, RD Llanos shared this message: “Live a life full of kindness, coz it costs nothing but means everything.”
Ria’s story has since gone viral, garnering thousands of reactions and shares from netizens who praised the LTFRB regional director’s compassion and the mother’s quiet strength.
For Ria and Calix, the bus ride that began with worry ended as a journey of faith and gratitude. “Even those with stone hearts will melt in that situation,” she wrote. “May God bless you more, Sir Nonito. Daghang salamat kanimo.”LTFRB-Davao official, passengers’ kindness for child cancer patient touches hearts. KBP