For Filipinos, the rainy season has become synonymous with calamities such as typhoons, severe flooding, and landslides. One super typhoon alone – like Odette in December 2021 – can lead to the deaths of dozens of people, the displacement of thousands, and the widespread destruction of buildings and vital infrastructure across cities and provinces in the Philippines. Located along the ring of fire, the country is also vulnerable to havoc-wreaking volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Thus, when disaster strikes, people must be able to quickly come together to help those in need. Addressing this concern, this September, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has made it easier for anyone to instantly provide assistance to those who need it the most at the time they need it. A new feature on BPI Online and the BPI Mobile app called eDonate now lets users donate digitally to charities and foundations that can support thousands of marginalized Filipinos.
“The goal of the donation facility is to make helping and caring for more people more convenient and accessible. We are helping empower our clients to support charities and advocacies they believe in by providing them a centralized online portal to send financial support safely, easily, and free of charge,” said BPI Chief Digital Officer Noel Santiago.
“With this new digital service, we hope to further spark the bayanihan spirit of our kababayans and inspire them to be socially conscious and to give back to communities, particularly those devasted by typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and other catastrophes. We are also launching this in time for the ‘ber months’ – the widely known start of the holiday season in the country, which is indeed a time for caring and sharing,” Santiago added.
As of now, clients can send money for donations to 10 charitable organizations via BPI’s eDonate service. These include the Asian World Center for Missions, Ayala Foundation, Inc., Caritas Manila, CBN Asia, Friends of Hope, Jesuit Communication Foundation, Operation Blessings Foundation, Save The Children, TV Maria Foundation, and WWF-Philippines.
More charities and foundations are in the pipeline, according to Santiago.
Send donations conveniently
All clients with BPI Online credentials can use the new digital service simply by going to the BPI Mobile app, swiping up, tapping “BPI eDonate,” and following the steps indicated in sending a donation. Likewise, the service can be accessed directly by visiting https://bpiedonate.com/.
Once a transaction is completed, eDonate gives donors the option to request an official receipt of donation. The user can simply send a request to the charity or foundation using the email address provided in the email confirmation.
“The donation facility provides our clients an easy and error-free option to send help without the need to enroll the beneficiary or key in an account number,” Santiago said.