Friendster, Billabong launch relief page to benefit Red Cross

In the aftermath of the natural disaster that affected 300,000 Filipino residents, the brands launched a Friendster Cares page that contains information on relief efforts, support messages from Filipino and international audiences, and links where users can safely make donations.

Friendster, which claims the top SNS position in the Philippines, has enlisted more than 16,000 network supporters to its care page.

The push precedes Billabong’s international Cloud 9 surfing event in Siargao, Philippines, later this month. The event was to be promoted with live events at the SM Mall of Asia in Manila; these will now double as a benefit for the victims.

"It was hard for us to hear about what was happening up in Manila, as we work closely with all our Filipino crew," said Peter Thew, Billabong Asia brand manager, regarding the storm, which poured more than a month's worth of rain in a span of 12 hours. "We were hearing crazy stories about people we work with stuck on roofs for days at a time, which prompted us to find someway we could help, even a little."