While everybody else was hoarding face masks and alcohol, Ji Chang-wook Philippines (JCWPH) distributed them to LRT 1 commuters and medical front-liners at the Philippine General Hospital.
The fan club first gave away a total of 2,000 cloth face masks to LRT 1 commuters and security personnel on Feb. 16 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Members of the group waited at every station from Roosevelt to Baclaran and simultaneously distributed cloth masks to commuters from 9 a.m. until their stock ran out. They also gave away masks around the Manila City Hall area.
They brought with them a photo of the actor wearing a black mask with the words “a simple act of kindness goes a long way.”
The group raised P20,000 for the campaign. Anne dela Cruz, admin of the JCWPH page, said that the money came from donations and profit from merchandise that they were able to sell.
“We’ve been doing outreach regularly the past year,” Dela Cruz said. “Besides following the example of Ji, this is something our members do voluntarily. They really step up when we ask them to help other people. Our group feels happy when we help out.”
Ji donated 100 million won to Red Cross to purchase medical supplies for the front-liners battling COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea.
The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) called out the bayanihan spirit in their Facebook account and asked for donations of personal protective equipment and ethyl alcohol. The hospital needs surgical masks, N95 masks, face shields and surgical gowns. Following Ji’s footsteps in supporting the front-liners, JCWPH heeded the PGH’s call.
They donated tissue rolls, surgical face masks, N95 masks and alcohol to the PGH on March 16. Dela Cruz said that they queued in warehouses to purchase boxes of alcohol and face masks for their donation.
They also donated alcohol, tissue, baby wipes and cloth face masks to the The Cancer Institute in the PGH on the same day. The same items, along with vitamin C, were donated to the Lung Center of the Philippines on Thursday.
They were also able to provide supplies for a child with leukemia who lives in Antipolo. Alcohol shortage led them to ask help from the group.
JCWPH was able to send their donations through Lalamove.
“I think this is one of the secrets behind why our group continuously grows. It’s very different when people see that we sincerely help out,” Dela Cruz said. “Yes, we got to know each other because we idolize Ji. But we treat each other like family without asking for anything in return.”
JCWPH also sent $500 to Daegu, the epicenter of COVID-19 in South Korea. They did it through the actor’s Korean fan club, Dayrock. Their donation with other international fan clubs Ji Chang-wook’s Kitchen and Ji Chang-wook Fanclub Russ reached a total of 7.1 million won (P301,000) to benefit South Korea’s Red Cross.
Email ph.jichangwook @gmail.com for donations.
