Empowering Financial Stability: Learning from Our Heroes' Journeys Towards a Secure Future

 

Looking for inspiration for your financial goals? Perhaps our country’s national heroes can provide us with relevant insight this National Heroes Day.

 

Celebrated in the month of August, National Heroes Day enshrines the heroes who fought for the country’s independence. It celebrates not just one or a few heroes—rather, it is meant to honor all heroes who worked hard and even faced death for the freedom and liberties we are enjoying today. 

 

There is much we can learn from our national heroes beyond what they have done for our country. Besides their bravery and love for the country, their personal beliefs and practices remain relevant today—and are worthy of emulation, especially for those of us working towards personal goals and financial security. 

A mind for money consciousness

 

Dr. Jose Rizal is easily among the most revered and respected. His writings—particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo—are considered to have inspired the Philippine Revolution that was waged against Spanish colonizers for the country’s independence. He is known as a polymath, someone with a wide range of knowledge; besides being a writer, he was also an ophthalmologist by profession and had skills in painting. 

 

But aside from his talents and contributions to the Philippine Revolution, Rizal is known for being money-conscious. Historians noted that Rizal kept a very detailed record of his daily expenses—listing down money he spent, down to the last centavo. A letter he sent to his sisters even revealed that he once did not take a bath for months while studying abroad because “a bath is expensive.” In his travels in Europe, records showed that he went out of his way to look for cheaper accommodations to save money and plan his meals meticulously so he can follow the daily budget he set for himself. 

 

Of course, it isn’t healthy to forego daily needs just to save money. Yet, we can also learn a thing or two from Rizal in terms of budgeting. Then and now, it helps to record our expenses and set a specific budget to avoid financial waste and achieve our financial goals sooner.

 

The value of self-improvement

 

Andres Bonifacio is known as one of the founders of the Katipunan, a Philippine revolutionary society with the goal of gaining independence from Spain. From history lessons we learned that Bonifacio did not complete his formal education. He is considered today as a self-taught man—reading books about United States presidents, the French Revolution, and French novels. He supported his family by working at a young age; Bonifacio even learned English while he worked as a clerk for a British company. He dealt with his financial hardships by working hard and held part-time jobs to augment his regular income. This also did not stop him from being a vicarious reader; he was immersed in literature and read novels such as Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and Rizal’s own novels, which inspired his desire to fight for Philippine independence.

 

From this we can learn that we are never too busy to improve ourselves—may it be through self-education, reading, or formal education and training, It is also important to have more than one source of income. Bonifacio exhibited that hard work and passion for education are values that remain relevant today. 

 

Couple these good habits and practices with tools that can help you achieve your financial goals from a reliable banking partner who understands your needs.

 

And just like Rizal and Bonifacio who have made a positive impact not only for the country but in our personal lives, you need another hero that will champion these habits and help you achieve your goals and aspirations in life.

 

Consider banking with a financial hero like RCBC, a bank that is committed to your financial success and well-being, and prioritizes your needs. RCBC offers banking solutions that cater to specific needs of each phase of life, from building your savings and maximizing your funds potential, to fulfilling lifelong dreams such as buying your first home and planning your retirement.

There are many other national heroes who have fought fearlessly for our freedom and can be considered as models for our modern lives. By being financially strong and independent, we can help ourselves as well as our family and loved ones—thus becoming your very own personal hero. 

foodpanda’s partner riders are giving ‘delivery heroes’ a whole new meaning as they give back to communities

Food delivery riders were the unsung heroes of the pandemic. They may not wear capes but delivering food and essentials to our homes made them worthy to be called our modern-day road heroes. 

For this year’s celebration of National Heroes Day, foodpanda’s partner riders are giving ‘delivery heroes’ a whole new meaning as they give back to communities in need. 

The Ka-panda volunteers went around Metro Manila to visit several charity homes and distributed food, groceries, health & safety kits, and supplies to hundreds of beneficiaries. Aside from the distribution of goods, the visits also included a party-themed program and special presentation from the riders themselves.

The beneficiaries – who comprise of elderly people and young children from Associacion de Damas de Filipinas, Inc. and Concordia Children’s Services both in Manila, Good Samaritan Nursing home for the elderly in Marikina, and SOS Children’s Village in Muntinlupa – all enjoyed participating in the activities and receiving the donations. 

Virgilio Requillas, Jr., one of the Ka-panda volunteers, was glad and excited about the news that they will have their own charity event at foodpanda. “Nung nalaman ko na may na-organize na outreach activity si foodpanda para sa mga riders, di na ko nag-atubili na mag-volunteer dahil di natin papalagpasin ang pagkakataon na makatulong sa kapwa.”

One of the foodpanda partner riders who also organized a charity project in their area with his fellow Ka-pandas a few months ago is John Rene Alcanzo. “Nung may nasunugan sa lugar namin, nag-ambagan kaming mga riders para makapagbahagi ng tulong,” he recalled. “Naging successful at madali naman po ang pag-aayos ng donation dahil bukod sa maganda ang samahan naming mga riders sa foodpanda, hawak naman namin ang schedule sa pag-byahe namin – may sapat na oras pa para tumulong sa mga nangangailangan. 

The child care homes were grateful to both foodpanda and its partner riders for choosing them to be their beneficiaries.``Instead of us celebrating them as heroes this National Heroes’ Day, they are the ones doing the deed for us. We are truly thankful to them for putting a smile on the faces of the children/lolos and lolas here,” Jenicka Tan, Development Program Supervisor from Concordia Children's Services, Inc.

“Time and time again, our partner riders proved to be helping hand by delivering our food and essentials. Even if they’re already busy doing their jobs, they still find time to give back to our community,” said Patricia Jacinto, foodpanda Philippines Operations Director. “They are not just our delivery heroes, they are heroes of the community.”

This is just the first of the many upcoming charity events that the online quick platform is organizing with its partner riders as volunteers. “It’s not a one-time thing. We plan to also do charities in other areas, particularly in VisMin. Our goal is to do it nationwide and have our partner riders in the provinces also participate,” Jacinto added.

Google launches #LovePhilippines campaign in time for National Heroes Day

Google Philippines launches today its year-long social media campaign called #LovePhilippines in time for National Heroes Day to inspire Filipinos to discover more about the country and our culture and fuel their love for the Philippines.

Google Philippines will post #LovePhilippines content on their social media channels to put a spotlight on the heritage of the Filipinos. The posts will include, but are not limited to, moments of triumph in history, interesting stories behind acclaimed Filipinos and their achievements, trivia on uniquely Filipino norms, and a quick tour of hidden gems in the country using different Google products like Search, Street View, YouTube, and materials from Google Cultural Institute.

The campaign kicks off with a post featuring a unique pinoy dessert that was Jose Rizal's favorite, minatamis na santol. Apart from learning something new about our national hero, Filipinos will also get to prepare the treat by watching a YouTube video tutorial.


The campaign aims to encourage Filipinos to share with pride the positive things about our country on social media and introduce the wonderful aspects of the Philippines and its people to non-Filipinos so they can appreciate the culture more.

As part of Google’s commitment to equip Filipinos with information that are relevant to their lives, Google put together the campaign to show netizens that there are easily accessible materials online that they can use to boost the morale of fellow Filipinos and inspire others to take pride on the many remarkable characteristics of the Philippines.

“We hear things said about the Philippines or the Filipinos, but there are plenty of beautiful facts about us that are easily searchable online. We want to bring out these information so that people will be inspired to show the world that the Philippines is a fast developing country with a rich history and colorful culture. Filipinos are innately inspiring, and we look forward to spreading more love for the Philippines in the days to come,” said Gail Tan, Google Philippines Head of Communications and Public Affairs. 

You can follow Google Philippines on Google+, Facebook and Twitter to +1 or Like, reshare or retweet #LovePhilippines posts.