Cebuano firms’ unique way of helping Visayan calamity victims recover

In the aftermath of a major earthquake and a supertyphoon just months apart from one another, the resilience of Filipinos is nowhere more evident than in Cebu, the social and economic hub of the regions most devastated by these catastrophes.

Go to any of the city’s major malls and you will most likely spot someone wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Bangon” or a call to rise up. The “Bangon slogans” vary from “Bangon Visayas” to “Bangon Tacloban,” “Bangon Bohol” to “Bangon Bantayan”—the latter referring to the resort island in Northern Cebu province that likewise experienced Supertyphoon Yolanda’s wrath. As to be expected the Bangon shirts are de rigeur for performers and audiences at the numerous fundraisers that have been organized to aid Visayan calamity victims. Greatly adding to its visibility, a number of companies have likewise adopted the Bangon T-shirt as a uniform to be worn on Fridays when employees may opt for casual instead of business attire.

“We wear it to inspire one another. It gives us hope to see that we’re all focused on helping the Visayas get back on its feet,” observes Jay Aldeguer, president and CEO of the Islands Group.

The slogan is officially preceded with a hashtag sign as follows: #Bangon. To the uninitiated, a hashtag or “#” followed by a word or phrase is simply a way in social media to group posts with a similar theme.

Aldeguer, from whom the #Bangon slogan originated, recalls that on the fateful  August day the major earthquake rocked Bohol and Cebu, he was online. In a few minutes, he chanced upon photos documenting the destruction wrought by the temblor and reposted photos on his Facebook page.

The established Cebu personality started receiving an avalanche of messages from friends as well as social media contacts—most of whom he didn’t know by name—asking for updates. Up until then, the multi-awarded businessman who is frequently featured in entrepreneurship seminars had generated a sizable Facebook following of close to 5,000 composed mostly of budding entrepreneurs seeking advice from him.

He recalls: “The panic and dread were so evident in their messages. I couldn’t simply ignore them.” He began calling his contacts in Bohol and soon became an informal news hub. Thanks to the power of social media, even the established news organizations in Manila like ANC and Interaksyon 5 recognized his efforts and sought updates from him. He used the hashtag “#Bangon  Sugbohol”—a reference to Sugbo or Cebu and Bohol— on his posts.

In a few days, a reconstruction and volunteer movement covering a wide number of groups including the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and assisted by Facebook adopted the Bangon Sugbohol phrase as their banner cry.

In the Cebu newspapers that have helped catalyze the Bangon Sugbohol efforts (which has since evolved to a movement to also include relief projects for Yolanda victims), Aldeguer has been quick to point out that Cebu-based relief efforts goes way beyond his Islands Souvenirs chain of retail stores, flagship of the Islands Group which now also includes a hotel.

The Aboitiz Foundation, University of Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu, hosts of Cebu musicians and visual artists are among the many others that have pulled together to assist in rehabilitating areas badly hit by the earthquake and later by typhoon Yolanda.

He explains:  “It makes me proud that almost every major Cebu company is pitching in to help get devastated  Visayan communities back on their feet. The Bangon slogan merely articulated the general sentiment and desire to move forward and to overcome whatever challenges we now face in bayanihan fashion.”

Islands Souvenirs is contributing 100 per cent of its profits from the Bangon T-shirts to over 5,000 families in Northern Cebu province who lost their homes and have been roofless since Supertyphoon Yolanda. The joint venture among Islands, Gawad Kalinga and LH Foundation called Roof for Relief has raised at least P1 million from the T-shirts alone.

Aldeguer notes that the T-shirts and its many permutations including Bangon Samar, Bangon Bantayan and Bangon Malapascua have been seen at rehabilitation centers in these devastated areas. Volunteer groups purchase the T-shirts to communicate the message they want their donees to see—without the risk of sounding preachy.

On Facebook, Instagram and other social media, the Bangon message has apparently caught on.  Variations of the original hashtag has appeared as “Bangon Love Life,” “Bangon Katawan,” etc.  The Cebu entrepreneur with a healthy sense of humor is not bothered by the spoofs, he smiles.