American backpacker stranded in remote village in the Philippines spends four months living like the locals

American backpacker stranded in remote village in the Philippines spends four months living like the locals

An American backpacker stranded in the Philippines during the coronavirus pandemic has spent four months living like a local, staying with a family and helping to renovate their house.

Dustin Borglin from Michigan was visiting a remote village in Toledo, Cebu province, when the government closed buses and trains to prevent the spread of the virus.

The nearest hotel was several miles away from the village and there was no public transport to take him to the city so a kind family let him to stay with them for free until the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted.

Dustin has been staying with Raymund Balundoy's family since March and become used to the rural way of life.

During his four-month stay at the family's house, he has learned how to gather firewood for cooking, gather honey, and look for food in the forests.

He said: "I was grateful when they offered me their home.

I thought it was only going to be for a week or two but it ended up being over four months." As a way to show gratitude, Dustin helped the family renovate their home so they can be more comfortable living there.

He said he noticed that most of the people in the village do not have proper toilets in their homes so he felt he had to do something.

Footage taken on June 21 shows Dustin, the family, and the workers, do the finishing touches to their upgraded house.

The backpacker has also been buying some groceries to give away to Raymund's neighbours.

He added: "My traveling is a little mix of immersing in with the locals and learning how they live while I get to give back to them as well.'' The Philippines has recorded 33,069 cases of Covid-19 and 1,212 deaths, leading to some of the most stringent lockdown, curfew and quarantine measures in the world.