The Bayanihan Spirit
With just a few Facebook posts, #AyalaCitizens Gigi Rapadas and Cathy Ang brought together private citizens, entrepreneurs and big businesses in a community effort to protect the frontliners
Words by MARGA CONSTANTINO
Gigi Rapadas, 61, breathed out a satisfied sigh as she watched the delivery vehicle back out of her driveway to deliver the last of 80,000 PPE donations to frontliners at the forty eighth recipient hospital. “Okay na,” she messaged Cathy Ang, 49, her good friend and partner for Project #HelpCovid19Warriors. They knew the battle against COVID-19 had just begun, but they were grateful to work together again.
Gigi Rapadas
A flood of donations
In March 2020, Gigi anxiously monitored the news, wondering what she could do to help while she was stuck at home. She didn’t know where to start, but deep down, she felt that donating wasn’t enough.
Then Cathy Ang, Chief Audit Executive of Ayala Corporation (AC), suddenly reached out to her.
They had worked together for many years while she was Chief Information Officer, and remained close even after Gigi retired in 2019.
Cathy Ang
Cathy had already been working on her own donation drive, but ran into some logistical issues during the lockdown. She suggested working together so they could pool their resources and reach a wider network of friends.
Cathy and Gigi soon embarked on a joint fundraising project to buy surgical masks for Philippine General Hospital. Together, they reached out to friends on social media and other messaging platforms. They needed P250,000 to buy 200 boxes of masks; to their surprise, they exceeded their target in just a few hours.
“It didn’t really take much. It was really just a Viber message here, a Facebook post there, and the donations started pouring in. Some even [continue to donate] every payday. People just want an opportunity to help,” said Gigi, who coordinated all donations and transactions online. “There’s really so much you can do now with technology. It is not just a productivity tool, but it can really help society in situations like this.”
““It didn’t really take much. It was really just a Viber message here, a Facebook post there... People just want an opportunity to help.””
Tapping suppliers and entrepreneurs
When hospitals started calling for PPE suits, Gigi and Cathy searched their Ayala network for suppliers who could locally manufacture these. Luckily, they were referred to Frederick Blancas, another Ayala citizen retiree from IMI with a garment business. They got in touch, raised the funds he needed for fabric, and quickly got to work.
“We all wanted to feel useful; we all wanted to be productive even within the confines of our homes,” said Cathy. “We all had friends and relatives who were working as doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff in hospitals and medical centers. We knew how ill-prepared they were to fight the war against the pandemic. They needed our help, and it was our responsibility to do whatever we can to equip them with protective equipment as they fight the biggest battle of their lives—for their lives and ours.”
#AyalaCitizen Diary. In just a few hours and a single social media post, Cathy and Gigi raised ₱250,000 to buy 200 boxes of face masks. Soon, through referrals and word-of-mouth, entrepreneurs and companies joined the effort—and today, the donations reach hospitals in La Union, Cabanatuan, Tuguegarao, Dagupan, and Iloilo.
The bayanihan spirit
By May 2020, Gigi and Cathy raised more than P2.2 million from over 320 donors, and received in-kind donations including face shields, bleach, and disposable gown sets, and even cans of sardines from Mega Foundation and meal packs from Goldilocks. Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, what started out as a small donation drive grew into a sizable project that helped hospitals beyond Metro Manila. The donations reached as far as La Union, Cabanatuan, Tuguegarao, Dagupan, and Iloilo.
““What this pandemic has shown is that the bayanihan spirit is alive and well.””
“What this pandemic has shown is that the bayanihan spirit is alive and well. Our project has accomplished so much more than we ever imagined. Each one of us can make a difference,” said Cathy, who, despite her family woes at the time, channelled her energies towards helping her community. “I was inspired by the Ayala values that we see in action every day. As an Ayala citizen, I really feel that we are looked after, and I wanted to extend that to other people that needed help.”
Ready for battle. Gigi loads a new batch of donations for hospital frontliners. “It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to equip them with protective equipment as they fight the biggest battle of their lives—for their lives and ours.”
Gigi, too, carries that same spirit of nationhood in her heart, even as a retiree.
“What I learned from being in Ayala was to reach out to the community to look for a way to help. I really wanted to make a bigger contribution because that’s what Ayala teaches us and encourages us to do. That’s the Ayala spirit, diba? That’s the heart of it.” #
Published on July 31, 2020
