Time Please winners John Mark Panares (2nd from left) and Jade Mabalos (middle) with Seshasaye Kanthamraju, Executive Director for Communications & Citizenship, The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia (left), Miguel Bermundo, Director of Globe Citizenship and Advocacy Marketing (2nd from right) and JB Tan, Founder and Executive Director of iVolunteer Philippines (right).
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Time Please, a collaboration between Globe Telecom and The Walt Disney Company Philippines, wrapped up its three-month volunteering program with a staggering 22.1 million volunteering hours, proving the Filipinos’ inherent desire to make a difference in other people’s lives and to help in nation building.
In fact, Black Orchid, a volunteer group based in Bukidnon composed of some 50 active members, was able to clock in 209 volunteer hours planting trees, helping out in various events, cleaning up rivers, and assisting persons with disability (PWD), among others.
Twenty-eight-year-old John Mark Panares, leader of Black Orchid, and an officer of the PWD Federation in Bukidnon, said: “We joined Time Please to inspire others and to render service to the people and the community. We didn’t do it for the prize. We just want to help.”
Panares, who has been doing full-time volunteer work for eight years, was awarded together with his group, for having the most number of hours contributed to Time Please. As a reward, members of the team were treated to an all-expense paid trip to Hong Kong which includes a tour of Hong Kong Disneyland.
Black Orchid is just one of over 50 non-government and government organizations that participated in Time Please from its launch in May until its culmination in August. Time Please partners include Gawad Kalinga, iVolunteer Philippines, Department of Education for Brigada Eskwela, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Boyscouts of the Philippines, Kris Library, Edicute Inc., Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid, Kythe Foundation Inc., Oikos Helping Hand, Philippine Toy Library, Special Olympics, Generation Hope, Yellow Warriors Society Philippines, Karinderia ni Mang Urot, Humanist Alliance Philippines International, and Mano Amiga Philippines.
Other partners are: All Together in Dignity Fourth World, Pusod Inc, Aral Pinoy, Citizens Disaster Response Center, Project Pearls, Visions of Hope, Progressive Assistance Canada, Dream Big Pilipinas, Haribon Foundation, Fostering Education & Environment for Development, as well as Make A Wish Philippines, Pink Women on Fire, Save the Children, Virlanie Foundation Inc., CAPABLE Foundation, Vessels of Humanity, Kidlikasan. Kabataan. Kalikasan., Bahay Tuluyan, The Storytelling Project, He Cares Foundation, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, MovEd, and Nature Awareness and Conservation Club Inc.
Of the 22.1 million volunteering hours accumulated for Time Please, 12.8 million volunteer hours were rendered by DepEd’s community of public school teachers and students, 8.2 million by volunteers under Gawad Kalinga, and 1.1 million from nationwide members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In addition, 22,100 volunteer hours were allotted for sustainability efforts under the Ayala Group of Companies (Ayala Foundation, Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Manila Water), 10,600 hours were rendered by employee volunteers of Globe Telecom, 8,800 hours from members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On the other hand, He Cares Foundation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development – National Response and Logistics Management Service, and the Citizens Disaster Response Center, topped the list of the number of events organized in the National Capital Region.
“We had a goal to extend Globe Telecom’s purpose-led culture to our customers through Time Please. With the help of technology, we want volunteering to be more accessible and to spread across all regions of the country in order to create positive societal impact. We are happy that we were not only able to meet that goal but also received overwhelming support from individuals and groups who clocked in millions in volunteering hours doing different acts of kindness which contributed to nation building,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.
Sesha Kanthamraju, executive director for Communications & Citizenship, The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia said: “We would like to congratulate Globe for everything that they have put into this project and for achieving 22.1 million in volunteering hours. We at Disney are proud that kids and families today are growing up with this basic value — that by giving their time, they can make a difference in the communities where they live.”
Even celebrities and online influencers lent their time for the program. Some cast members of the movie Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, led by award-winning actor John Arcilla, helped pack 3,900 boxes of goods for communities struck by recent calamities. Actress Yayo Martinez as well as online influencers Fifth Solomon and Marlann Flores joined Globe employees in helping Rise Against Hunger pack 224 meals for kids who are nutritionally at risk. Similarly, cast members from Disney Philippines teamed up with Rise Against Hunger to pack 21,600 meals for close to 500 kids of Taguig Daycare Center.
Bianca Gonzalez also conducted a workshop for Globe Telecom’s Digital Thumbprint Program in Taguig National Science High School to equip students with skills for responsible online behavior and cyber wellness. Other celebrity volunteers included Michael V, Marj Sia, Chuckie Dreyfus, Janella Salvador, Team Kramer, Janina Vela, Tracy Abad, DJ Cha Cha and daughter Saab, Rodel Flordeliz, Quark Henares, DJ Jhai Ho, Joj Agpangan, and Jai Agpangan.
As a national platform for volunteerism, Time Please encouraged and empowered Filipinos including companies, organizations, employees, families, and friends to participate in existing volunteer programs or come up with their own. The program appealed to the Filipinos strong culture of volunteerism rooted in the bayanihan spirit. /PR