Balinados raise funds abroad to help Cherrymae’s family

By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor

THE family of the late former councilor Mending Balinado has started an online fundaising campaign in order to help the parents and siblings of their murdered house caretaker, Cherrymae Dayo.

Created by Roberto Balinado on March 11 at the online fundaising website www.gofundme, the “Justice for Cherry Mae Dayo” fundraiser has gathered $2,200 as of presstime. The target amount of the fundrasing has been set at $20,000.

In two days, at least 55 people, mostly Filipinos overseas, have contributed in dollars to the fundraiser to help the family dependent of the 30-year old education student.

“She had worked hard for it balancing her work, family obligations and schoolwork. She had worked as a caregiver for an old lady who was bedridden for over five years and whom she loved like her own mother. When my mom died in 2013, she chose to stay and live in the house alone. We wanted to invite her to come to Canada to stay with us but her calling was strong to stay in the Philippines and teach young children in the rural areas,” Balinado wrote in the explanatory part of the online fundraising.

As of presstime, the fundraiser site https://www.gofundme.com/justice-for-cherry-mae-dayo has been shared on Facebook some 6,900 times.

“This is a cry for help so that we may continue to send her small siblings to school and give hope to the family that have struggled in poverty over the years. This is a cry for justice. This is a cry for compassion. This is a cry for survival of those whose lives depended on her,” part of Balinado’s note reads.

Dayo, who hailed from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, was reportedly a graduating student at the Southern Philippines College (SPC). She was allegedly raped, then repeatedly stabbed inside the Balinado house on JR Borja St. near Burgos St. past 10 pm on Friday, and she died past midnight Saturday.

Police have arrested five suspects hours later.