By Mary Umlas and Mheryll Alfore
Filipino BTS ARMY members flexed their muscles and raised over P45,000 for a grateful foodpanda delivery rider who saw an increased volume of orders with the BTS Meal launch in the country Friday.
“Lakas ng BTS meal ngayon. Umaarangkada na. Kaming mga foodpanda riders, masayang dedeliver sa inyo ang BTS meal. Kaya mga BTS fans dyan, go go go go na, order na kayo [BTS meals are selling like crazy. We foodpanda riders are very happy to deliver your BTS meal. So to all BTS fans, go, go, go, go. Keep on ordering],” foodpanda rider Benjamin Baetiong said in a now-viral Facebook post.
Baetiong’s appreciation post did not go unnoticed by the community of Filipino ARMY–BTS’ official fandom name that means Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.
Twitter user @therealkittenwp, who goes by the name Kit, started an online fund-raising initiative for Baetiong using the hashtag #ARMYMealProject.
“Sa mga BTS ARMY, maraming salamat po sa pag appreciate niyo po sa akin at sa tulong na nalikom nyo. Malaking tulong po ito para sa aking pamilya lalo na sa aking tatay na may sakit [To the BTS ARMY, thank you for appreciating what I do and for the help you have extended. This money will go a long way for my family, especially since my father is sick],” the foodpanda delivery rider said.
The fanbase managed to raise P45,230.77 in less than a day via hashtag #ARMYMealProject.
“We were inspired to give back because he showed respect for our love for BTS. Respect begets respect,” said 31-year-old Kit in an interview with Manila Standard.
“We wanted to have a recipient who is worthy of whatever we can give, especially since that person understands who we are as a fandom,” added the PH Army organizer.