Messages of gratitude and support overflow as netizens design motivational cards for frontliners and COVID-19 patients

Photo credit: Stephanie Nodado

If there’s one thing that keeps the frontliners going it’s the overflowing support of families, friends, and even strangers.

 

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe, the number of cases has also escalated in the Philippines placing Filipino healthcare workers at the forefront to fight against the virus. Doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, and hospital staff face the hazard of infection everyday, and extensive working hours at the hospital can be very exhausting. Virus-stricken patients, on the other hand, have limited contact with their families, and being away from loved ones can really be lonesome.

To show compassion for COVID-19 patients and gratitude for frontliners, online design platform Canva encouraged netizens to show their support by simply designing a motivational card using pre-made Canva templates. In response, different groups and individuals have shared their messages to our frontline heroes and COVID-19 patients. The Filipinos’ trait of bayanihan is indeed in action even online.



Photo Credit: Ivy Awayan Araullo

 

“At a time when the country is facing multiple restrictions, it’s more important than ever to reach out to those in isolation. It’s incredibly motivating to see so many people step up to demonstrate compassion, something I hope will continue once COVID-19 is eradicated. We’re putting people first, which in turn provides stability and psychological safety in the community - the key to all of us winning the war on an invisible, yet shared, enemy.” ~Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Manila, Country Manager

Photo Credit: Yasha Christina Alarcon



 Canva sent over 4,000 motivational cards and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) donations to hospitals around Metro Manila to applaud the sacrifice and dedication of the healthcare workers, and to show support to COVID-19 patients.

Check out more cards for frontliners HERE and for COVID-19 patients HERE.

For more information about Canva, visit https://www.canva.com/.

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT CANVA
Launched in 2013, Canva is an intuitive online design and publishing platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Featuring a simple drag-and-drop user interface and a vast library of templates ranging from presentations, social media posts, posters, invitations to resumes, a huge collection of stock photography, illustrations and fonts, anyone can take an idea and create something beautiful. Canva is available on web, iOS and Android.

 

 

 



UP Fighting Maroons cheer up frontliners with Zoomustahan

UP Fighting Maroons

With people around the world cheering, applauding and saying thank you to their frontliners from balconies and plazas, the University of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) expressed gratitude and appreciation for local frontliners in their own unique way.

UP Fighting Maroons Noah Webb, Kobe Paras, Ricci Rivero, James Spencer, David Murrell, Joe Gomez de Liaño, Jboy Gob, CJ Catapusan, Brix Ramos, Matt Santiago, Ethan Kirkness, Sam Dowd, Malik Diouf and head coach Bo Perasol hopped on a Zoom call with medical and healthcare workers from UP’s Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) and the UP National Institutes of Health (UP NIH) on Friday, May 8 for a virtual chat called Zoomustahan.

UP coaches Ricky Dandan, Rodney Santos, Moriah Gingrich, Chappy Callanta, Mark Dandan, and Kenneth Raval joined the call as well.

The cheer-up call was received by PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, Dr. Edgar Eufemio, Dr. Anthony Geronimo Cordero, Dr. Louricha Opina-Tan, former Fighting Maroon Dr. Czarlo Dela Victoria, and interns and nurses on the PGH side. NIH health workers and laboratory personnel led by UP Manila Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology science research specialist Stessi Geganzo also chatted with the team.

“While we are here sitting in our homes, comfortable, you are out there risking your lives for us so I want to say thank you.” ~Kobe Paras

Kobe Paras

“Really grateful for everything you are doing for our country and our fellow Filipinos. Sobrang saludo po kami sa inyo. We are doing this Zoomustahan with you para naman po makapagshare kami ng konting good vibes sa inyo kahit for a few minutes lang. We’re facing this really big challenge and nandito lang po kami to listen to you, extend our support and continue to pray for you. Hoping for your safety and for sure kakayanin natin ‘to, babangon tayong lahat.” ~Ricci Rivero

UPMBT Zoomustahan

“This virtual visit is the least the team could do to give back to you. UP-PGH has been part of our team from the start. Whatever small part we could play now - by saying thank you, by praying for you, or whatever help we could extend to you with our presence – just let us know so we could be part of it.” ~Coach Bo Perasol

The frontliners thanked the Fighting Maroons for taking time and effort to do the Zoomustahan.

 

Noah Webb

“This is really a treat for us - to see faces that are not sick. We are getting all the support that you’re giving us and you keep us inspired to move on. It’s really amazing how the whole UP community stood up to the challenge and are helping us get through this. We’re looking forward to your first game.” ~Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, PGH Director

“Maraming-maraming salamat, UP Men’s Basketball Team. Malaking-malaking bagay ‘to and salamat sa support sa mga nasa frontlines.” ~Dr. Carmencita David-Padilla, UP Manila Chancellor

UP NIH staff and scientists waiting for their shift in the testing center also thanked the Maroons for the video conferencing.

“Kami po yong mga off-duty ngayon and we’re waiting for our shift. Thank you so much for this connection. Salamat po sa good vibes.”

The Fighting Maroons hope to reach more frontliners in the days to come to show their support through the UPMBT Zoomustahan. The team looks forward to meeting more medical and healthcare workers, grocery attendants, and other groups that man the frontlines and continue to serve the country during this pandemic.

 

 

Century Tuna - Frontliners for frontliners

Frontliners from CPFI, Shakey’s, Peri Peri, and Frontline Feeders Philippines deliver meal packs to healthcare frontliners from (top to bottom) Manila Doctors, Las Pinas General Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, and St. Clare’s Medical Center staff.

Frontliners from the country’s foremost food brands, together with an NGO that mobilizes food distribution to different hospitals in the Metro and neighboring cities, have come together to provide support and nourishment to those who have been similarly working the frontlines.

 

Employees from the Century Pacific Group, Shakey’s Pizza (Shakey’s), Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken (Peri-Peri), and Century Pacific Food (Century), together with Frontline Feeders Philippines (FFP) have joined forces to provide more than 100,000 meal packs to Filipino healthcare workers in over 90 hospitals and facilities in Metro Manila and nearby cities.

 



Frontliners from CPFI, Shakey’s, Peri Peri, and Frontline Feeders Philippines deliver meal packs to healthcare frontliners from (top to bottom) Manila Doctors, Las Pinas General Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, and St. Clare’s Medical Center staff.



Showing a great example of teamwork, each team member makes a significant contribution in this initiative. Century provides processed meats, manages the hospital list, and coordinates with the hospitals on a daily basis. FFP provides the network of hospitals and collects regular information on which hospitals need help the most. Finally, Shakey's and Peri Peri provide meat products, bake bread daily, and does the actual delivery.

 

Each snack is freshly made, filling, and nutritious. The selection includes freshly baked marinated beef buns, hotdog rolls, ham and cheese flatbreads, pepperoni and cheese flatbreads, as well as ham buns.

 



Frontliners from CPFI, Shakey’s, Peri Peri, and Frontline Feeders Philippines deliver meal packs to healthcare frontliners from (top to bottom) Manila Doctors, Las Pinas General Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, and St. Clare’s Medical Center staff.



The partnership also ensures the right amount of food is delivered at the right time to avoid food waste and spoilage. The meals are meant for merienda or snack, and are individually wrapped so that medical frontliners may eat them when they need a mid-shift gap fill to power them through. 

 

Since the program’s start last April 7, it has thus far provided100,000 meal packs to 90 hospitals and health facilities around Metro Manila, and there are plans to do more.

 



Frontliners from CPFI, Shakey’s, Peri Peri, and Frontline Feeders Philippines deliver meal packs to healthcare frontliners from (top to bottom) Manila Doctors, Las Pinas General Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, and St. Clare’s Medical Center staff.



“Century, Shakeys, Peri, and Frontline Feeders have come together - each with its own unique resources, capacity, and skills - to extend help in the best way we know how. It’s the least we can do to take care of the people who regularly put their lives at risk as they work bravely and tirelessly to save those infected by the virus. For the Century Pacific Group in particular, composed primarily of food businesses, nourishing our medical frontliners through freshly prepared food is another meaningful way to live out our mission and vision as a company.” ~Nikki Dizon, Century Pacific

Century Pacific Food is one of the largest branded food companies in the Philippines, behind household names Century Tuna, Argentina, 555, Birch Tree, and Swift. Shakey’s Pizza is both the Philippines’ largest pizza chain and leading full-service restaurant. Peri-Peri is an emerging fast casual brand in the Philippines known for its grilled chicken and a variety of sauces.

 



“TsuperHeroes,” provides free transportation for COVID-19 frontliners in humanitarian initiative!

Rhyan Hitalia (right) Clinic Nurse Director and Wound Specialist, The Medical City, Stoma and Complex Wound Care Clinic coordinator for the Jeepney Kings fleet servicing the Medica City-Taguig-Pateros route

“TsuperHeroes” a collective effort by newly established Jeepney Kings and Elmer Francisco provides free transportation for COVID-19 frontliners in humanitarian initiative.

 

People from all walks of life have been direly affected by the ongoing Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic—from business owners and corporate executives to construction workers and street vendors.

 

One particular sector, however, is in critical condition with the constraints and limitations posed by the ECQ—public transportation. The suspension of general public utility vehicle operations has left frontliners with limited or no access to daily transportation.

 

Jeepney Kings is a recently established modernized jeepney fleet operator backed by investment from local entrepreneurs Enrique Gonzalez and Rajan Uttamchandani, and Hong Kong-based financier Francis “Bing” Zhou.  When Elmer Francisco, CEO and Chairman of 1111 Empire, Inc., maker of Francisco Passenger Jeepneys, asked for assistance in helping small fleet operators and frontliners combat the COVID-19 crisis, the company immediately responded to his call to arms.

 

Jeepney Kings rolled-out 10 units of PUVs manned by 17 jeepney drivers called “TsuperHeroes” in a humanitarian transportation project called “Elmer’s Run,” named after Francisco. These TsuperHeroes take shifts of eight hours each for a 24-hour operation to provide free transportation for frontliners and health workers in coordination with some Local Government Units (LGUs). Eventually, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) followed suit and asked other manufacturers to help as well. DOTr issued permits from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for the vehicles and IDs for the TsuperHero drivers in order to provide 24-hour free transportation unhampered by government checkpoints. This effort would not only help small jeepney operators, drivers and assemblers so they would not lose their livelihood in the midst of the pandemic, but also to ferry health workers and frontliners for free to their medical facilities and workplaces.

 

Among the routes being serviced by Elmer’s Run are PGH Manila-Kalayaan Avenue Route, The Medical City Ortigas Route, Parañaque-Las Piñas Route, Caloocan-Quezon City Route, Taguig-Pateros Route, Luzon-wide relief operations of MRRD-NECC and also the Oplan Hatid of UP Los Baños in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense.

COVID-19 frontliners. Doctors and nurses of The Medical City



This endeavor also aims to provide temporary employment and livelihood to PUV operators and drivers who all of a sudden found themselves unemployed and unable to even buy food for their families during the lockdown. Francisco initially engaged the Baclaran-Nichols Transport Service Cooperative represented by its leader Reynaldo Liwag with the support of Izupart Caloocan and they immediately started operations.

 

Since there are no fare collections, the salaries of drivers and fuel expenses will come from Francisco’s own pocket and from the company’s coffers, but such is certainly not enough to support everyone in the initiative.

 

To boost the initiative, Francisco would seek the help of his fellow members of Rotary Club of Makati West, which coined the project “Elmer’s Run.” Nine other Rotary Clubs followed suit, namely: Rotary Club of Makati San Antonio, Rotary Club of Makati East, Rotary Club of Makati Ayala Triangle, Rotary e-Club of Global City, Rotary Club of Parañaque Metro, Rotary Club of Parañaque Merville, Rotary Club of Muntinlupa East, Rotary Club of Las Pinas and Rotary Club of Las Piñas Camino Real through the efforts of Rotary District 3870 Governor Ador Tolentino.

Aside from providing free transportation to frontliners and health workers, Jeepney King’s and Elmer Francisco also provided free food for health workers at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), which is the Department of Health’s primary COVID19 testing facility.

 

The team, through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Makati West, also provided 25 rooms in a nearby facility to house 50 RITM health workers so that they need not travel very far just to sleep and go back to work on the following day.

Jeepney Kings also distributed relief goods to ‘TsuperHeroes’ jeepney drivers who were suddenly unemployed. The team also helps the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and MRRD NECC to fast track their distribution of relief goods to those who need them most.

 

The project snowballed and attracted other supporters, such as Ray Jarina of Isuzu Inteco who provided one Isuzu Class 2 PUV to the fleet and helped organize the donation of face shields, disposable bedsheets, robot ventilators, robot alcohol dispenser and personal protective equipment (PPEs), which were distributed to various hospitals within and around Metro Manila.

 

The Jeepney Kings fleet and TsuperHero drivers have made these fast deliveries of essential items and free transportation services possible, especially for our modern-day heroes, our frontliners and health workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Other individuals and companies who are willing to support this endeavor are welcome to contact +639173011199 via Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram.

 

 

 

Metro Manila Billboards Transform into Messages of Strength for Superhero Frontliners

Commander Doctor as seen along C5 Bagong Ilog

Havas Ortega leading media and creative agency transformed digital billboards all over Metro Manila otherwise idled by the lockdown into empowering messages of strength for Filipino frontliners. Turning billboards once filled with ads into digital comic books featuring frontliners as superheroes, the agency’s “Frontline Heroes” is a tribute to the Filipinos who brave the dangers of the outside world so the rest of the country can survive inside their homes.

“Every day our frontliners answer the call of duty, risking their health to take on extraordinary burdens brought about by these extraordinary times. But with the rest of the country in quarantine, they may feel left behind and alone outside. Frontline Heroes is our way of directly expressing our message of strength to the frontliners, cheering them on as they go to work and lifting their spirits as they go home. Hopefully, the empty roads become less a reminder of isolation, more a source of energy and inspiration.” ~Jos Ortega, CEO of Havas Ortega

 

Commander Doctor as seen along C5 Bagong Ilog



Characters from Frontline Heroes like Commander Doctor (doctors), Power Packners (cashier and supermarket baggers), Kidlat Rider (delivery drivers), Incredible Guard (security guards), Super Nurse (nurses) and Truth Twins (journalists and cameramen) are now being displayed along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares, raising the morale of our already tired and weary COVID-19 fighters in Alabang, Makati, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, and Quezon City.

 

Havas Ortega urges the public to join the campaign by using #TuloyAngLaban online and tagging frontliners in their personal messages of encouragement and gratitude. Through this, Frontline Heroes can reach frontliners all over the country.

“With the physical, emotional, and mental strength required to do what they do, our frontliners are not just heroes, they are superheroes. But they need our help to keep them going! #TuloyAngLaban is the reaffirmation of support needed to renew our Frontline Heroes’ strength as they continue to fight a long and tiring battle against the pandemic.” ~Griffey de Guzman, Associate Creative Director of Havas Creatives

Frontline Heroes also include Johnny Tor (janitors), Pharma Sis (pharmacists), Kalye Ranger (uniformed personnel), Kusina Titan (restaurant workers), COVID Hunter (lab technicians), Virus Blasters (disinfect crew), Pera Sentinel (bank clerks), Boom Bero (firefighters), and Metro Manong (garbage collectors).

 

This campaign was developed by Havas Ortega in partnership with billboard companies HDI Admix, Inc., United Neon Advertising, Inc., Summit Outdoor Media, Luneta Advertising, Inc., Full Linkage (FULITECH) Philippines, Inc., the Out Of Home Advertising Association Of the Philippines (OHAAP) and the Outdoor Media Advocacy Group (OMAG).

Follow the Frontline Heroes story on Havas Ortega’s Facebook Page. Join the campaign by using #TuloyAngLaban and #FrontlineHeroesPH on social media.

 

 

About Havas Ortega Group
A fully integrated media & communications group that is committed to create a meaningful difference for brands, businesses, and people. Established in 2012, Havas Ortega provides the most comprehensive marketing services and offerings across media, creative, digital, PR and healthcare & wellness disciplines. A village model housed under one roof, while boasting a unique and unparalleled entertainment offering through its partnership with Vivendi. (www.havasortega.com).