As you scroll through TikTok, you might come across a video of a woman whose balloons for sale have flown away, a homeless man on the streets, or someone selling handmade bags on a street corner.
Then you open the comment section, expecting to see people’s reactions. It doesn’t disappoint as heartfelt comments fill the section. But what really catches your attention are the ones saying, “What’s your GCash number? I’ll send money”, “Is there a donation drive for this?”, or “Where is this? I want to help!”
Social media today has become a platform for “digital bayanihan.” People share videos of those in need, touching the hearts of online users who, in turn, donate—even in small amounts—to raise funds and offer help.
Online charity
Posted on October 7, 2025, a TikTok video by Blue Hernandez reached 287K views where it showed a blind man walking on streets with loads of scraps on his back.
“I just saw this elderly man carrying heavy scraps on his back. I noticed he was holding a stick to guide him. Imagine not being able to see but still needing to collect junk to earn a living, all by himself,” her caption read.
@xiaoxiaooooooooooo Nakita ko lang si Tatay with this heavy scraps on his back. Pansin ko may dala dala siyang stick as his guide. Imagine not able to see pero need mo makapag kalakal without anyone with him. Binilhan ko si Tatay ng tinapay palaman. Dali lang kasi pinaka malapit. Sana makita uli kita Tatay! Ingat po #kalakal #homeless #tatay #help #poor ♬ In a Beautiful Way (Opening Title Ver.) – Kim Kyung Hee
Hernandez shared that she bought a loaf of bread and some spread for the blind man, whom Hernandez came to know as tatay Ambo. She also asked if he could see even a little, but he said he could only make out faint outlines. The lines on the street were his only guide.
The comment section was filled with users asking how they can help and give donations to tatay Ambo.
On October 8, a day after it was posted, Hernandez shared that she found where tatay Ambo lives and she already received P5,000 from the donations of the people.
Every day, she would update her followers on how she helped the tatay Ambo using the donations she received. She took him to a grocery store to buy essentials and food, got him a new pair of shoes and some clothes, a new mattress and cabinet, and even treated him to a meal at a fast food chain—his first in a long time.
Through the donations, they were also able to bring him to a clinic for an eye check-up. However, it was later found that he has Retinitis Pigmentosa, an inborn disease.
Despite this, people continue to give donations to help him and in hope that his eyes will get treated.
This act of kindness shows how compassionate people can be. It also revives community spirit and gives ordinary people power to help others.
New justice
It’s hard to deny the beauty this new form of kindness has for people in need.
Those who help and donate reveal how pakikipagkapwa-tao, the Filipino value of shared humanity, survives even in a digital, often detached world. We might scroll past injustice daily, but every once in a while, a story breaks through the noise and reminds us that we still care.
In a country where stories can move hearts faster than systems can move paperwork, virality becomes a kind of justice for those in need.
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