BDO Remit: Starting Over Today with Funny OLVs by Piolo Pascual
Filipino actor and businessman Piolo Pascual makes funny online videos for BDO Remit. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, his funny OLVs help the people bear the mental burden during this crisis.
Filipino actor Piolo Pascual, or Papa P, makes funny OLVs for BDO Remit. He hopes to give happiness during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Filipino actor, investor, and businessman Piolo Pascual makes funny online videos for BDO Remit. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, entertainment through funny OLVs could help the people bear the mental burden during this crisis.
Mental Health Breakdown Due to Covid-19
Many wellness experts in the Philippines and other countries have been warning us all this time. Along with the wave of COVID-19 infections would be a wave of mental illness.
We cannot avoid mental problems because people are anxious, afraid, worried, and sorrowful for losing loved ones. And many have lost jobs and face an uncertain future. Add to all that would be our collective isolation, loneliness, and dread. Overseas Filipinos (OFs) are particularly vulnerable because they are far away from home.
Piolo Pascual Makes Funny OLVs for BDO Remit
Actor Piolo Pascual is among those calling for more support for OFs during the pandemic. He said that overseas Filipinos are already under a great amount of stress as they face tough emotional, physical, and financial challenges. From all the pressure, it would not be surprising if some of them would develop mental health issues.
“For decades, our economy benefited from billions of dollars in remittances. At this time, it’s our turn to give back and support Overseas Filipinos as they go through both a pandemic and an economic downturn,” Piolo lamented.
OF Roles in Movies and TVCs
Piolo has played several OF characters in various dramatic films. It’s also a role that he knows too well because he used to be a security guard in Los Angeles, California before he achieved stardom in the Philippines.
Recently, Piolo again essayed versions of these characters in three new videos that will be shown in BDO avenues. These will be aired in BDO branches, BDO’s YouTube channel, and on the BDO Kabayan Facebook page.
The commercials are light-hearted spin-offs or even slight spoofs of classic scenes from Piolo’s movies in the past. These are, namely, “Milan” (with Claudine Barretto) and “Starting Over Again” (with Toni Gonzaga). As the videos’ release coincides with OFs’ present situation, they take on more significance and meaning in Piolo’s view.
“Mahilig ang mga Pinoy sa drama. Pati comedy rin. Etong mga videos, parang pinagsama yan tapos may twist. Yung universal message ng video ay kailangan natin ngayon: yung kasiyahan at pag-asa.
“Ang drama natin ngayon, real life. Pandemic. Lost jobs. Quarantine. Sandaang araw na itong drama. Hindi kagaya ng drama sa pelikula, two hours lang. So we need relief and to feel lighter, to see that we can still smile. Ma-realize lang natin na, oo nga, okay pa rin tumawa, magsaya. Na meron pa ring pag-asa. May solusyon. We can always find ways,” Piolo added.
Reaching Out and Getting help
Piolo said that OFs need to remember that they should to reach out for help if they need it. “Marami kasi sa atin, may tendency to keep things to ourselves. Masyado tayong matiisin. Akala natin puntos para sa atin yung magdusa. No, it’s not. Kung malungkot ka, o masama ang loob, call a friend. Makipag-usap sa kapamilya. Wala namang award na ibibigay sa iyo kapag sinarili mo ang problema mo. Nagiging delikado lang lalo ang mental health mo,” he said.
He also reminded OFs not to hesitate getting professional help if needed. “There’s still a stigma over mental health. Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na dapat ikahiya ang mental illness. Tratuhin natin na tulad lang ng ibang sakit sa katawan.” He noted that there’s no shame in getting help in order to handle our minds and emotions better.
Additionally, Piolo added that people should be more empathetic and compassionate towards others. He encourages everyone to be there for each other.
Call for Bayanihan
Moreover, Piolo said that the new videos show precisely how to help. In all the videos, one message is clear: If a Pinoy needs help, a fellow Filipino helps him. We don’t have to be alone in our struggles because the strength of the Filipino is in bayanihan, he added.
In “Starting Over There”, a desperate man (named Marco, played by Piolo) chases after a taxicab in the rain. He is calling after “Ginny” (the character of Toni Gonzaga in the original film). It is implied that, similar to the film, Ginny is leaving Marco to work abroad.
Watch: Starting Over There
We then realize that Marco is doubly desperate as he kneels in the rain, because Ginny seems to have left with his ATM card. He says that he needs it to access a remittance. Then a twist happens when an old woman in hair curlers finds Marco fumbling in his pockets. Marco sees the ATM card was in his pocket all along.
The old woman points out that the things that Marco can do with his ATM card. He can have access to an ATM, a BDO branch, and even a BDO Cash Agad kiosk at a sari-sari store. All of these were located around the same block as they were.
Watch: Starting Over Today
Another video, “Starting Over Today,” shows the same character, Marco, passionately delivering the classic lines from the original film. We realize that Marco is inside a bank, somewhat mortified that he wasn’t able to get a BDO Kabayan Savings earlier. He thought it would be a complicated, arduous process but the friendly bank teller assures him otherwise.
Watch: Mula sa Abroad
The third video is based on the movie “Milan.” Here, Marco asks for help from a lovely fellow OF in sending money from Italy to a BDO Kabayan Savings account. The lady – whose features are noticeably familiar – is supposed to be a stand-in for actress Claudine Barretto.
All the new videos aren’t just fun and enjoyable to watch but also showcase how Filipinos are. Deep down, we are ready to help someone in need. In this health and economic crisis, all services–including banking and remittances–are crucial to our survival, sanity, and happiness.
The pandemic and economic crunch may last longer than expected. But as Piolo’s commercials show, in their own witty and hilarious way, we still have each other. And that’s worth the effort to keep on fighting and hoping so that we will heal as one.
About BDO Remit
BDO Remit – through the BDO Kabayan Savings – is a special savings and remittance account for the overseas Filipino market. Many people are reliant on this because this has become a lifeline for overseas Filipinos and their families during the pandemic. They have kept their services running to help Filipinos overseas and their families cope with the challenges of the pandemic.
Now, BDO Remit has gone beyond banking. They have taken a keen interest of the mental well-being of Filipino overseas workers.
Other Covid-19 Stories
Meanwhile, here are other stories about Covid-19 in this blog:
- Globe Gives P5M Help to Frontliners from Globe Rewards
- KonsultaMD Provides 30-day Free Medical Advice to the Public
- PPE for Negros Occidental Health Workers Against Covid-19
- Crowd Store Finder Locates Open Stores, Pharmacies During Covid-19 Quarantine
- Stay At Home – Plead Doctors and Nurses Amid Covid-19
- Identify Covid-19 Fake News and Scams
- Megaworld Allocates 1,000 Liters of Alcohol, 5,000 Face Masks for Bacolod
- Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade Disinfects Bacolod City Streets
- MCS Diagnostic Center Bacolod: Affordable and Modern Laboratory Testing Center
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