MANILA, PHILIPPINES – As health workers continue to fight at the frontlines to contain COVID-19, Filipinos are finding ways to connect and come together on social media to support their efforts and help those adversely affected by the quarantine.
On Facebook, netizens have come up with ways to work as a collective and do their part in battling the pandemic’s fallout. Here are different ways that the spirit of digital bayanihan lives on:
Fundraising Live Concert Series
Organized and led by none other than the Maestro himself, Mr. Ryan Cayabyab, Bayanihan Musikahan brings together Filipino musicians to perform nightly online concerts on Facebook Live.
They launched this initiative on March 20 and have since raised P42 million and counting—the proceeds of which go to providing food and health support for urban poor communities across Metro Manila.
With the participation of big names in the local music industry including Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Ebe Dancel, Morissette, Sponge Cola, Johnoy Danao, Bullet Dumas, Noel Cabangon, and Jim Paredes, Bayanihan Musikahan is changing the way we experience live performances even while at home.
“Through Bayanihan Musikahan we want to uplift the spirits of Filipinos everywhere with music and critical support. Seeing artists and people pitching in has been overwhelming and inspiring, so we will continue to raise funds for a community-based COVID-19 care center,” says Mr. Cayabyab.
Visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bayanihanmusikahan for more info on how you can make a donation.
Gamers’ Charity Stream
Creators on Facebook Gaming from across the world have been hosting charity streams for the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Fundraiser for WHO. The fundraiser’s goal is to reach $10 million in donations, which Facebook will match to support the work to prevent, detect, and respond to the outbreak around the world.
Over-all, 23 Pinoy Creators participated in the #GamersVsCOVID and United as One campaigns for a cause with top local game streamers Alodia Gosienfiao and ChooxTv’s livestreams reaching 1.5 million and 1.1 million views, respectively. Continued efforts under the Work From Home Charity Cup are giving gamers a chance to show how they can do their share in the fight against COVID-19 both online and offline.
“I am grateful to be part of an online gaming community that sees the importance of ‘coming together’ online to do all we can to help our frontline heroes in these tough times,” shares Alodia.
Gamers on Facebook can also select causes for their viewers to support, set donation goals, enable a donation progress bar and share donation alerts overlaid on stream and in chat.
You can catch the latest match schedules and make your donations while watching your favorite gamers square off at https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wfhcc/.
Meal Drops for Healthworkers
Members of the LEP Association of Food Vendors & Restaurant Owners (LEPA) 🇵🇭 are stepping up to aid our frontliners. Operating under their motto, #TulunganPare🤙🏼, they have been able to provide full-day meals for 9 hospitals including The Medical City, Makati Medical Center, UERM Memorial Medical Center, and VRP Medical Center.
Facebook group Let’s Eat Pare started as a hub for food-lovers to share food memes, restaurant and recipe recos, and generally, share food-related posts. They have since expanded their community to support local food businesses through an official Let’s Eat Pare vendors accreditation system or the LEPA.
“We’ve discovered that some hospitals already have enough meal sponsors but are seriously lacking in medical supplies,” shares Mark del Rosario, founder of Let’s Eat Pare. “This is a gap that we are trying to bridge and we were able to secure a batch of 3D-printed masks already. However, we are more than open to anyone who is willing and able to help us donate a steady supply of these medical resources.”
If you are in the food industry or if you have any leads in line with Let’s Eat Pare’s efforts, coordinate with them via lepassoc@gmail.com.
Web Workshops for Mompreneurs
Facebook Group Filipina Homebased Moms (FHMOMS) continues to take strides to help its community of moms keep up with parenting, freelancing, and entrepreneurship in the time of COVID by providing home-based work resources and learning materials.
They’ve set up webinars featuring guest speakers and volunteer hosts who discuss topics ranging from mental health to virtual learning, homeschooling, e-commerce, and even a design thinking workshop to solve lockdown problems.
They have also been promoting and connecting members to virtual assistant work opportunities which has been gaining traction since before the quarantine began. “Virtual assistant work is a great source of steady income especially for our kababayans who badly need jobs in light of this COVID-19 situation,” says FHMOMS founder MK Bertulfo. “To help ease this transition and in time for World Autism Month, we are launching the FHMOMS Ausome Project, a scholarship program for 100 moms with kids in the spectrum. A handful of these moms will also be selected to join as a full scholar for our General Virtual Assistance Training.”
Additionally, they are also starting a paid workshop on Facebook Group Growth Hacking which will be on a pay-what-you-can scheme—all proceeds of which will go to supporting frontliners and people who need it the most. This opens up another unique way for people stuck at home to be more productive and learn new skills.
Check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fhmomscommunity/ or join their Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/fhmoms to know more.
