MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The last few weeks have seen Filipinos easing into the new normal, with COVID-19 cases on a steady decline. Workers are back in their offices. Families are free to go out to weekend lunches. Friends are reuniting in sorely missed night outs. People are walking their dogs in parks.
Even with masks still on when they go out, there is no denying the smiles on Filipinos’ faces as they experience, for the first time in two years, a sense of normalcy after the challenging and limiting times of the pandemic.
As we mark International Happiness Day somehow free from the shroud of a prolonged pandemic, the Globe Group is here to help Filipinos spread cheer even better. How? Here are just a few ways.
Send a surprise cash gift or pasaload via GCash
Maybe you want to cheer up a friend or sibling with prepaid load or some cash for a milk tea treat or a special snack. You can do this without hassle via GCash. To send load, open your GCash app, click the “Buy Load” icon, select the network of your recipient, and in the space “Buy Load For,” type the number to whom you wish to send load.
To send cash, just tap “Send Money,” click on Express Send, and type in the recipient’s number. Make sure the person you wish to send cash to also has the GCash app on his phone. Otherwise, you may go another route and send money via bank transfer, which requires the recipient’s bank details.
Share happiness to the needy by donating your Globe Rewards points to Globe of Good
If you’ve been a Globe user for quite a while, chances are you have been accumulating rewards points, and some of them may be expiring by March 31. With those points, you can send help to those in need through Globe of Good, a platform that aims to harness technology to create social impact.
Through Globe of Good, you can support family feeding activities, micro-entrepreneurship training and vocational courses, microfinancing for startups, and job opportunities for skilled workers.
If you wish to use your rewards for this cause, just go to the Rewards section of the New GlobeOne app, click the “DONATE” icon, choose Globe of Good and the corresponding denomination, then press “REDEEM.” Every successful donation is confirmed through a message sent to your mobile number via 4438.
Send doctor consultations to loved ones via KonsultaMD
Did you know that you can purchase doctor consultation slots for loved ones through KonsultaMD? The telehealth platform, which saw stellar rise during the pandemic, provides an option for users to “Give the Gift of Health.”
To do this, download the KonsultaMD app, if you haven’t yet. Register as a user, and upon reaching your profile page, you’ll find the “Give the Gift of Health” banner with the button to “Buy Now.” Once you click, you’ll be led to a page that gives you options to purchase a Fast Pass video consult or a Mental Health Support video consult.
Spend the day in with family and enjoy a blockbuster film on UPSTREAM
Haven’t heard of UPSTREAM yet? You’re missing out on major blockbusters online. Save up on cinema tickets and access critically-acclaimed and top-grossing films via UPSTREAM at prices starting at P150. It’s an affordable and convenient way to share a happy day at home.
Make the planet happy by planting a tree via GForest or get a shirt made from recycled materials through 0917 Lifestyle
You can also share happiness to Mother Earth through planting a tree via GForest, the sustainability feature on GCash. If you’ve been using GCash, you may well have collected green energy on the GForest mini-app. With enough green energy credits, you can virtually buy a sapling or seedling, which is then planted in real life.
GCash recently marked the milestone of having planted over 1 million trees as of end-December 2021 via GForest. These trees were planted in various locations across the country. Learn more about GCash’s GForest here.
On top of this, you can also wear the environment cause— literally. Upgrade your new normal wardrobe while supporting the fight against single-use plastics through copping the sustainability shirt by Globe’s urban wear brand 0917Lifestyle.
The shirt, made in collaboration with Filipino social enterprise Revolve, was produced using material salvaged from recycled plastic bottles.
Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, highlighting the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development, and UN SDG No. 13, which seeks urgent action against climate change and its impacts. It is committed to upholding the UN Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.
