Being at one with the government’s Republic Act 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One, The Philippine Normal University North Luzon, the National Center for Teacher Education and the Indigenous Peoples Education Hub, through its extension program framework Disaster Emergency Assistance and Relief (DEAR) extended its support to the less fortunate and marginalized groups of the community through its extension program dubbed as ‘Bags of Joy’ which is under the big umbrella extension service of the university, PNU SiKad (Sireb ken Kadawyan).

       PNUNL reached out to the infected community members of COVID – 19 pandemic. The municipality of Sto. Tomas, the recipients of the project, belongs to the lowest class municipality of Isabela. Majority of the population are Ibanags, one of the indigenous people group of Isabela. A number of COVID – 19 victims in the municipality are fewer compared to other municipalities of the province but due to some factors such as its remote location, the safety of extension workers, and its current status as a poor IP municipality, Sto. Tomas was selected.

       Other beneficiaries of the program were the victims of natural calamities who were given relief goods and medicines (with the guidance of the NCIP health personnel) as requested by the (IP) Agta community. An incidental beneficiary of the program also included a mentally disturbed person whom the group met along their way of delivering foods to Covid patients.

       Combining the help of good-hearted people who shared their blessings to PNUNL and the campus fund for extension, the extension workers successfully brought “Bags of Joy” to these less fortunate and marginalized group of the community.