MANILA -- Viewers of the Kapamilya Daily Mass may now be able to contribute to the Caritas Philippines’ Alay Kapwa fundraising program of the Philippine Catholic Church starting on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17.

ABS-CBN Corporation and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) charity wing jointly launched the first online donation portal for Alay Kapwa that will support poverty alleviation programs for education, food security, jobs and livelihood, nutrition and mental health, conscience collective formation, and relief operations under the charity group and Building Networks of Compassion Movement.

ABS-CBN chaplain Fr. Tito Caluag said the corporation, in support of these initiatives, will promote the online donation portal for Alay Kapwa in the Kapamilya Daily Mass and future religious activities starting this Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season.

Caritas Philippines will provide dedicated accounts in banks and online wallet platforms, like GCash and PayMaya, and will render periodic reports to the public through the Kapamilya Daily Mass and other platforms.

A letter of cooperation was signed between representatives of CBCP and ABS-CBN in an online ceremonial signing event held via Zoom.

Caritas Philippines thanked ABS-CBN for supporting the programs aimed at benefiting the marginalized sectors of society.

Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, national director of National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines lauded the partnership.

“Napakalaking pasalamat namin sapagakat ang pagkakataon na ito ay ibinigay ninyo sa amin sa CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace. Asahan po ninyo our commitment always to be of service of our people, most of all, the poorest of the poor,” Bishop Bagaforo said.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos said the new platform enables the Church to reach more people amid the COVID-19 pandemic and help respond to calamities and support charity.

“With the pandemic we have to look for new platforms in which we can reach the hearts of our people especially in view of the plan of the CBCP to abolish the arancel system and emphasize more the spirituality of stewardship,” Bishop Alminaza said.

Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of the Diocese of Cubao thanked ABS-CBN as well for the initiative.

“Ang isa sa mga naging bunga ng pandemya ay ang kamulatan na tayo ay kailangan natin ng bawat isa. We need one another so that we can reach out to the poorest of the poor,” Bishop Ongtioco said.

ABS-CBN thanked Caritas Philippines for the opportunity to serve the Filipino through the program. The company's president and CEO Carlo Katigbak expressed full support for the partnership as he noted the similarity in the missions of Caritas Philippines and ABS-CBN Foundation.

He noted that the work of Caritas in responding to natural disasters is not different from the work of Sagip Kapamilya, as well as that of the CBCP’s goal to respond to the effects of climate change and the work of Bantay Kalikasan, and the goals of the two organizations’ in rebuilding livelihoods and communities and creating sustainable change.

“At the heart of both is a commitment to service. Caritas’ mission to serve the poor is completely aligned with ABS-CBN’s mission to be in the service of the Filipino. I believe we are two organizations who put service at the center of our work and so it is with the deep sense of commitment that we offer our full support for Alay Kapwa,” Katigbak said.

ABS-CBN chairman Mark Lopez also welcomed the partnership as an opportunity to serve Filipinos.

“Despite the many challenges that we face, we hope we can help in our own small way and as things improve also with ABS, we can even bring this to a new level, new heights later on and forge a much longer partnership with both Caritas and the Church,” Lopez said.

ABS-CBN chief operating officer for broadcast Cory Vidanes said the partnership is in line with the company’s mission of service

“We will always be here po to support, to work and to partner with you. It’s a privilege and an honor for us. Maraming salamat,” Vidanes said.

NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines

Its flagship program Alay Kapwa (Offering of Oneself) is the Lenten evangelization and fundraising program of the Philippine Catholic Church. Currently, it serves as emergency fund during calamities and other major social concerns.

Before the end of the program, the bishops also prayed for the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, which expired last year.

news.abs-cbn.com is the official news website of ABS-CBN Corp.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv