Libreng Hiram Project Lends Free Games & Consoles To Gamers In Need

If there’s a silver lining in this pandemic it’s that we can finally play more games in the comforts of our own homes. However, not everyone has had the luxury to afford such bliss. For those who lost their jobs or got their wages cut no thanks to the pandemic, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that many games now cost an arm and a leg to play.

And that’s when a good Samaritan came to the rescue. His name is Darryl Ong – whose project, Libreng Hiram, helps gamers in need to experience the joys of gaming once more. How? He lets them borrow his consoles and games.

Behind Libreng Hiram

Darryl Ong is a proud househusband who takes care of his daughter and his wife. Just like any other kid from his generation, he was introduced to video games through a Family Computer. He grew up playing classics such as Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Kage.

“Like any kid growing up in the Philippines, my first introduction to video games was through the Family Computer with games like Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Kage, etc.,” he revealed.

Darryl’s impressive collection would surely make any fan geek out.

Darryl is also an avid collector of all sorts of memorabilia from games, comic books, and all sorts of toys. His collection of PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch games are what he uses to lend to people for the Libreng Hiram Project.

“Nowadays, I play a lot of PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch games. I just finished Horizon Forbidden West (where we did 2 giveaways for this game) and Pokemon Arceus (which we just included in our Hiram Library),” Darryl stated.

How It Started

With just Darryl and his wife, they started Librang Hiram during the height of the pandemic back in August of 2020. They turned Darryl’s hobby of collecting consoles and games into a generous effort by lending it to gamers in need.

“We started in August 2020, at the height of the pandemic. We turned to my hobby, which is actually collecting video game consoles and games, and started lending video games for free,” Darryl mentioned.

However, Darryl discovered some rough patches from the start. The pandemic affected their business just like anyone else’s which proved to be initially detrimental to the cause.

“At that time, everyone is struggling and, like any other business, ours was also affected. So, as much as we want to help other people during that time, there was a financial limitation.”

They also discovered that there was also a considerable amount of people who do not own a PS4 which eventually led them to secure a unit for the project.

“The high demand and the realization that not a lot of people own a PlayStation unit drove us into getting a PS4.”

Darryl’s wife bought two PS5 units: one for personal use and one for the project.

These days, they operate with one PS5 console, two PS4 units, and a Nintendo Switch, with the Nintendo Switch only starting from November of last year.

“We want to be of service during the pandemic and the best thing we can do is share.”

Libreng Hiram: A Games & Console Library 

True to its namesake, Libreng Hiram (which literally translates to free borrowing) is a project where a library of PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch games, sometimes along with the consoles, are lent for free. The announcements for which games and consoles are available for borrowing are posted in the PlayStation Philippines Facebook group.

Despite starting back in 2020, they recently just resumed operations last month as they went on a temporary hiatus due to COVID concerns.

“We went on a temporary hiatus because of the rising COVID cases back in January but we started operating again last month.”

Libreng Hiram allows people to borrow the two PS4 units for 30 days, the PS5 unit for 7 days, and the Nintendo Switch unit for 15 days. The project accommodated over 150 people and gave away 15-20 giveaways that ranged from digital games to codes for in-game items.

In order to avail of the games and consoles featured in the project, Darryl had some requirements for those who want to take part in it. The following list below are the requirements:

• A legitimate Facebook account created before 2017 (previously 2015)
• An image of an ID (with an option to omit other important details besides their name, address and picture); They also encourage them to put a watermark on it so that they know their IDs won’t be shared to anyone else
• Must be willing to get the item personally or book a courier to get it in Cubao, Quezon City and is willing to return it the same way after

Darryl also revealed that they had a former borrower who turned out to be a lawyer that offered to make a waiver for Libreng Hiram. However, they ultimately turned it down as they put their faith in humanity.

“We had a borrower in the past who turned out to be a public attorney. He made us a waiver document for the project but we decided not to use it. It beats the faith in humanity we are trying to promote with the project.”

Fortunately, they never had someone steal their consoles and games ever since the start of their project. However, they were recently put in a pickle as both of their PS4 units were accidentally damaged by a recent borrower.

“I am currently dealing with a borrower who may have broken our PS4 units. I sent him another one [after the first one had troubles] but then the same issues happened again. Either he plugged it into a poor power source or had it overheat due to poor ventilation (such as putting it in a carpet).”

Libreng Hiram All Throughout The Philippines

Libreng Hiram: the gift that keeps on giving

As they continue to serve the gamer community, Darryl hopes his actions would pave the way to more similar endeavors.

“Our goal right now is to expand the project by having more people do the same thing. We have people inspired by the project in Puerto Princesa, Sta Maria Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija doing the same thing. We have inquiries as far as Mindanao.”

He admits that logistics would be one of the hindrances for projects like Libreng Hiram. However, he also thinks doing it on a smaller scale would also be good.

“One of the limitations of the project is logistics. If we encourage more people to do the same thing, [perhaps doing it] even on a smaller scale will be good. I mean, we all know someone complaining that their PS4/PS5 is collecting dust in their house. Those same type of people won’t have to spend to do their own  Libeng Hiram project.”

With that said, Darryl will offer advice to anyone who wishes to do the same projects as he did.

“We can help them set it up at an advisory level. [Like give tips on] how we choose our borrowers, etc.”

For those interested in borrowing from Libreng Hiram, you can check the posts at the PlayStation Philippines Facebook group. For those interested in helping with the project, you can contact Darryl Ong directly from the same Facebook group.

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