“Feeding” the Economy
Margery Bumagat of Globe myBusiness recounts how the Heroes for Heroes program allowed SMEs to feed hospital frontliners, while keeping their own operations going
Words by ALYA B. HONASAN
By her own admission, Margery Bumagat, customer relationship management head for Globe myBusiness, Globe Telecom’s arm for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), wasn’t quite ready to accept that the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing life to grind to a halt. “During the first week of lockdown, I was still trying to cling to business as usual, trying to salvage the project we were supposed to run,” says Margery, who describes her job as “growing and protecting existing customers.”
“Then, in the middle of the chaos, it was announced that businesses were closed. It made me think, ‘Wait, guys, we have to stop, we have to look at what’s happening and react to it.’ We were supposed to mount VIP dinners and we had sales targets, but we really had to think about it.”
““It had to be genuine, yung totoong nakakatulong kami.””
Zoom discussions started between Margery and loyalty head member Tristan Raymundo, whose task is “to engage and delight the customers.” “We were actually about to fly to the Visayas to wine and dine them, and to screen special movies, but COVID-19 happened.”
The plan to treat customers suddenly seemed so much less important in the context of the pandemic. Margery sent a Viber message to her boss to ask if they could repurpose the budget to help the sector that needed it most: the healthcare industry. “It had to be genuine, yung totoong nakakatulong kami (we can truly help). Sending food to a large hospital may give us good public relations, but so many were already doing that.”
Zoom-ing in on the problem. Margery coordinates with the regional marketing teams, who tapped their own networks and nominated their own SMEs for the Heroes for Heroes program.
Helping two communities
Since Globe myBusiness already targets SMEs, Bumagat saw a way to support these struggling enterprises as “partners for food provision and logistics.”
Thus, the Heroes for Heroes program was launched in the last week of March. Initially, 11 restaurants and businesses provided meal packages to frontliners in chosen partner hospitals and small groceries and drugstores all over the country. The goal was to keep hospitals running, and simultaneously sustain operations for local businesses. Margery and her team targeted hospitals which were below the radar but still handled COVID-19 cases, and footed the bill for the food from restaurants like 121 Restaurant, North Park, Bigg’s Diner, Burger Project, and Tuesday Kitchen.
Heroes for Heroes in Visayas. VeggieByte sends food to the frontliners in Bacolod Medical VCenter.
The effort required lightning-fast work on the ground by teams in each region. “Gaile Guevarra, director of Regional Marketing Services at Globe myBusiness, instructed her people to roll out a ‘heroes’ pilot within the weekend,” Margery recounts. “It took a lot of coordination, but we got good feedback, with the hospitals telling us what they needed.”
That included more than food, as well. Luckily, one of Globe myBusiness’ brand ambassadors, HTP Clothing, had already pivoted to making personal protective equipment (PPE) that the company was able to purchase.
Heroes for Heroes in Mindanao. Mindanao Medical Center enjoys the lunch from the Chilled, BigBen Steaks and Grills, Roland's Steak House, and Farm Boy Grill.
The different regional marketing teams tapped their own networks and nominated their own SMEs. “They were the execution, we were just the brain,” Bumagat says. “Iba-iba ang style”. Sometimes our partner restaurants would add notes for the frontliners, like ‘Enjoy your food’ or ‘Hope this will make your day.’”
The directive was to cover the whole hospital staff, even if it meant shelling out more money, because “ayaw naman namin magpadala ng food na kulang” Margery says. The restaurants were very easy to coordinate with, she notes; one client who had attended an early VIP dinner, North Park, ended up being a partner in the project.
Heroes for Heroes in Manila. North Park delivery teams send piping-hot lunches to NGMA Metro Antipolo Hospital and Medical Center.
122 SMEs
When Globe’s PR and communications head Yoly Crisanto reviewed the project, she suggested that they deepen the impact further by adopting the hospitals for a week. Thus, Heroes for Heroes went on its second phase, reaching over 10 additional hospitals for five days, among them De La Salle Dasmariñas City Medical Center in Cavite, Las Piñas Doctors Hospital, Loving Mother General Hospital in Pampanga, and Bacolod Adventist Medical Center.
Some establishments like Let’s Eat Pare Vendors Association, Professional Academy for Culinary Education (PACE) Manila, and Mrs. Cheffy Catering also sent food last April to eight designated testing and quarantine areas. To date, some 122 SMEs—hospitals, restaurants, and other businesses—have participated in and benefited from the win-win arrangement.
Loyalty ties. With quarantine restrictions now more relaxed, Margery and her fiancé meet up at North Park, one of Globe myBusiness’ loyal restaurant partners that took part in the Heroes for Heroes program.
““Maybe if ECQ didn’t happen, we would have been halfway done with our wedding preparations by now!””
On a personal note, this future bride didn’t see her fiancé all through the lockdown. “Maybe if ECQ didn’t happen, we would have been halfway done with our wedding preparations by now!” Still, the experience of doing something meaningful for others in the face of Covid-19 has been most rewarding, Margery says.
“This has set a really a good standard for how we should be operating as a business,” she notes. “It’s a beautiful collaboration with SMEs, a testament to how we can all come together in a crisis. We’re very thankful that we came to our senses and took the time to think about it.”
Warm food, warm words. The program delivered not just food, but good vibes. Thank you notes—like this one received by the SGMA Las Pinas Doctors Hospital from 121 Restaurant, or sent from Lucena United Doctors—were food for the soul.
““As we fight the virus, we cannot let fear go viral… Together we can still change the course of this pandemic.” ”
As expected, the feedback was heartwarming. “One hospital sent a thank-you note validating that what we did was appreciated and relevant,” says Margery. “Lucena United Doctors sent us a letter that said, ‘We will continue to give and provide quality healthcare service during the crisis in all the ways we can…Let’s move forward and fight this battle together.’ The restaurants also sent Viber messages that they were very happy to be part of this, a higher purpose than usual for them.”
Margery, who marked her fifth year with the company just last June, is thankful for corporate support. “My God, food is a small thing, but I’m grateful that Globe gave me and my team the resources to do this.” #
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
