MANILA, Philippines — Two senior citizens were featured on broadcast journalist Noli de Castro's show "KBYN: Kaagapay ng Bayan" for the creative versions of their Christmas parol made out of recycled materials.
69-year-old Reynaldo Magcuilat, called Lolo Dong by others, and 78-year old Emiliana "Hule" Esguerra use old plastic bottles and straws respectively to create their beautiful parols.
The Quezon City-based Dong sells newspapers along the street for a living alongside his older brother Rico, but to get by even more, he picks up scattered plastic bottles for his makeshift Christmas decorations.
After thoroughly cleaning them, Dong and Rico cut the bottles up and shape them into stars. Dong had been taught how to do such by someone else, and has been making parols for around five years now.
"Sa ganitong mga ginagawa namin na parol, nakaraos din kami para may pambili," said Dong.
Meanwhile Hule, who hails from Marilao, Bulacan, makes parols of different colors and sizes in her own home, all of them made from plastic straws.
Hule even uses straws to create other decorations such flowers and chandeliers, having been making plastic parols for a long time now that even her children help her out and made it a family pastime.
"Kaysa maging boring ka, nalilbang ako sa paggawa ng parol, at ito nga ang naging bunga. Napakalaking aguinaldo sa akin binigay ni Lord, ganyan din ang pasasalamat ko sa Kanya," shared Hule. — Video from ABS-CBN News via YouTube
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