Broken slippers trigger bizwoman’s memories, kindness, end in viral video

CEBU CITY, Philippines —A pair of torn slippers brought back childhood memories of a businesswoman from Consolacion, Cebu, after she encountered two children near a seawall at a restaurant in Danao City.

Emely Tejero initially noticed the children simply goofing around and peeping over the seawall. When she approached them and asked what they wanted, the children surprised her by asking if she could buy them a pair of slippers.

It was then that Tejero noticed one of the children’s slippers, which had been left on top of the seawall, was already torn.

The sight immediately reminded her of her own childhood, when she and her siblings also had to make do with worn-out footwear.

“Looy man pod kay kami sa una. Same man putol ug upos na’ng tsinelas sa kiting,” Tejero told CDN Digital.

(We were also pitiful then. We were the same our slippers were also torn at the heel.)

She recalled how, when their slippers broke, they would find ways to keep using them because buying a new pair was not always an option.

“Ingon ato pod mi sa una, way tsinelas,” she said.

(We were also like them before, no slippers.)

READ: Unprecedented kindness of strangers

She even fondly remembered how they would repair their broken slippers using pieces of wire.

“Kung mabitas among tsinelas, higtan rag alambre. Kaila ka’g alambre? Sakita lagi tumban, hait kaayo,” she jokingly recalled.

(When it would be torn, we would just tie a wire to fix it. Do you know what a wire is? It was really painful to step on, it felt rough.)

Remembering those days moved Tejero to help the children. Instead of simply giving them a new pair, she gave them money so they could buy slippers for themselves.

For Tejero, it was a small gesture rooted in something deeply personal, the memory of growing up without always having the things they needed.

What she did not expect was for the moment to resonate with thousands of people online.

The video was posted on Facebook on August 9, and as of 2 p.m. today, August 10, it has already 417,000 views with 2,900 reactions

Tejero said she only shared the video to inspire her friends and followers, as she often posts snippets of her everyday life on social media.

“Gi-post lang for inspiration and wala pod ko ga-expect nga daghan og views kay di man ko vlogger,” she said.

(I posted the video (of the encounter) for inspiration and I did not expect that it would translate to many views because I am not a vlogger.)

The unexpected attention has turned an ordinary encounter into a touching reminder that kindness does not always have to be grand.

Sometimes, it can simply be recognizing a struggle you once experienced yourself and choosing to help someone who is going through it right now.

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