Being a fangirl is not just about supporting your idol; it’s also about helping people in times of need. This is what fans from different countries of Korean boy band JYJ aimed to show when they responded to a call to help victims of severe flooding in the Philippines, which left 109 people dead and affected 4.1 million people.
JYJ Philippines, the local fan club of boy band, launched and organized the “JYJ Reach: JYJ Philippines Flood Relief Charity Project” to help Filipinos.
“The project’s purpose is to help our brothers and sisters who were affected by the flood in the Philippines,” said JYJ Philippines.
The heavy rains in the Philippines started last August 6 brought about by the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”
As of August 16, the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 924,948 families in 36 cities in 17 provinces including the National Capital Region were affected by the flooding.
JYJ, composed of Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu, is one of the most popular Korean groups.
When JYJ Philippines called out for people to donate to the worthy project, fans from different countries responded.
As of August 17, the “JYJ Reach: JYJ Philippines Flood Relief Charity Project” has collected P55,198.58.
“The response of the fans to project is overwhelming. We didn’t expect that even the International fans would give their support. But then it’s not surprising anymore because JYJ Families around the world are always supportive of each other’s fan projects,” JYJ Philippines told Bulletin Entertainment.
The donations came from fans in the US, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Turkey, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
“Honestly, we didn’t set any target as far as the total amount of donations is concerned. When we launched the project, we thought, any amount would do just as long as we’re able to help our brothers and sisters in need. The turnout really surprised us because in three days time we were able to collect more or less P27,000. And the tentative total we have now is PhP 55,000. So, it was beyond our expectation,” JYJ Philippines added.
In the first phase of JYJ Reach, JYJ Philippines brought ready-to-eat food and medicine. Last August 12, the admins of JYJ Philippines went to the Philippine Red Cross to donate the goods.
Next week, JYJ Philippines will donate to ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya and World Vision for the second phase of JYJ Reach.
“We are inspired by our idols Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu and we will continue to do charity projects in the future,” JYJ Philippines said.
Source: Manilla Bulletin