DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: A Louis Vuitton monogram iPad cover for two small grocery bags of Filipino food. Sounds insane?
It gets quirkier – a pink guitar in perfect condition for five bags of 5kg rice; a pair of Birkenstock sandals for cold cuts and coffee that came with an extra bag of rice; and a quaint Juicy Couture summer dress for groceries.
The list goes on. Other items were for surgical masks and hand sanitizers. There was also a hairbrush straightener up for a 500ml bottle of isopropyl alcohol.
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in this expatriate city have become more creative in giving back to their less fortunate fellows, trading personal effects and other belongings for consumables to be given to those who have lost their jobs or are in a no-work-no-pay situation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
While there were those who barter to donate, others do so for personal reasons.
Challenging times
“We believe many people now find bartering as a good option in acquiring necessities without the need to spend their precious cash during this challenging times,” said Lou Olvido Parroco, herself an OFW who, with husband, Cesar, opened a Facebook page named Amicable Barter Community in Dubai (ABCD).
“Knowing how easy it is in Dubai to buy and accumulate things that are beyond people’s needs due to the minimal tax and frequent sale promotions, we are sure that residents here have many items that are not being used and are just taking space in their homes. They might as well post these items up for barter in ABCD for things that they now need,” she added.
ABCD kicked off just a few days back on May 22 to serve as a platform for people wanting to give away anything for something worthwhile. As of press time, the public group has over 2,000 members and counting.
Among those who have posted their personal effects “for the common good” was Dr. Rex Vernard Bacarra, Dean of General Education at The American College of Dubai.
“LV monogram iPad cover in exchange for 2 small baskets/grocery bags of Filipino food. Said grocery bags are for distribution to some Filipinos in need. Nakapag-donate na kayo, may LV pa,” he said in his post.
Interviewed, Bacarra said people will always have something with them that they don’t need but is actually a gem to others.
Moeover, he said that by bartering to donate, “we don’t further strip the dignity of our kabayans who are in need.”
“Kaya yung LV, it sits in my drawer. Expensive? Yes. Attached? Yes. But I did it anyway to do something worthwhile,” Bacarra said.
Pink guitar
And so, some of the deals you’d see on the ABCD page include a pink guitar traded for five bags of 5kg rice to be distributed to those who lost their jobs; indoor plants bartered for 2 kilos of glutinous rice; another indoor plant traded for a box of laundry detergent; a wall décor that was bartered for a basket of fruits; a bottle of pickled papaya traded for a canned good and a baby car seat given for free.
The mechanics are simple. Anyone may post an item up for barter with pictures of the item and a clear description. The barterer may specify reasonable items he/she prefers to receive in return, or may ask for other members to just post what they are willing to trade for for the item. All bartering discussions must be done transparently on the thread of the post until a done deal is achieved and we strongly discourage transactions on private messages.
Launching ABCD page on Facebook was more of a sequel to her Facebook Live bartering program back in April where Parroco offered to trade some of her personal favorite branded items like three Louis Vuitton bags, a limited edition Burberry bag and Van Cleef & Arpels accessories, among others.
“I traded about 20 of my personal items for sacks of rice which were sent to needy families back home who were severely affected by the sudden lockdown. That FB live bartering program has drawn support from friends and even from friends of friends in other countries and we’ve managed to send a good amount of rice that has helped more than 700 families in the Philippines,” she said.
“We then reflected upon putting up an on-line bartering community, hence ABCD was formed.” Parroco added.
The couple, who have their birthdays in May, regularly launch a project as part of the celebrations. This year, it’s the ABCD.
The Daily Bread 