Changing Lives in Mactan, Philippines: A Journey of Community and Compassion

In the heart of Mactan, Philippines, a heartwarming story unfolds. A tale of community, compassion, and the power of human connection. The video titled “Changing Lives Mactan Philippines” captures the essence of this narrative, showcasing the profound impact that a single act of kindness can have on the lives of many.

The Power of Community

The video begins with a vivid description of the Philippines, painting a picture of children playing basketball on a dirt road, their feet adorned with flip-flops. This simple yet evocative imagery sets the tone for the narrative, highlighting the simplicity and joy of life in the Philippines.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to two individuals visiting the country. Their journey is marked by interactions with the local community, from ordering food from the iconic Filipino fast-food chain, Jollibee, to navigating the challenges of daily life, such as doing laundry and taking showers. These seemingly mundane activities are elevated by the genuine connections they form with the locals.

A Surprise for L.J. and Jericho

The visitors have a special surprise in store for two individuals named L.J. and Jericho. As they walk through the neighborhood, they encounter water puddles, indicative of the recent rains. Along the way, they greet Sheila, the owner of a local store, and apologize for a previous oversight in forgetting her name. Their journey is also marked by a brief interaction with Jericho, a guard dog that stands vigilant, protecting the community.

The heart of the video revolves around a conversation between the visitors and Jericho (the individual, not the dog). They have some exciting news to share with him. As they sit on a chair resembling a throne, they await their Jollibee order, introducing their friend Todd to Jericho. The visitors reveal that they have received overwhelmingly positive feedback on a video they had previously posted. This feedback has led to a generous donation from Eric, a kind-hearted individual from Hawaii, who has contributed 15,000 Pesos to help Jericho obtain his driver’s license. However, they clarify that only 5,000 Pesos will be allocated for his student permit, ensuring that the funds are used judiciously.

A Helping Hand

The visitors’ generosity doesn’t end there. They discuss their business in Lapu-Lapu, Maribago, where they rent out over ten motorbikes. Recognizing the transportation challenges faced by many in the community, they offer to lend one of their motorbikes to assist with daily commutes. Their interest in the well-being of the community is further highlighted as they express their eagerness to monitor and support the educational and professional growth of the locals.

Another touching moment in the video revolves around L.J., a diligent student who had borrowed his aunt’s cell phone for research. Recognizing his dedication to education, the visitors gift him a SIM card loaded with 80 gigs of data, ensuring he has the resources needed for his studies. They also offer financial assistance for school supplies or a backpack, emphasizing the importance of education.

A Message of Authenticity and Gratitude

The video also touches upon the challenges of dishonesty and deceit, acknowledging that such issues are not limited to any particular region but are prevalent worldwide. However, amidst these challenges, the visitors express their admiration for genuine interactions, praising those who engage in authentic conversations without any ulterior motives.

The narrative concludes with a heartfelt message of gratitude to the viewers for their unwavering support. The visitors express their plans to obtain a driver’s license and promise to keep their audience updated on their journey.

Conclusion

“Changing Lives Mactan Philippines” is more than just a video; it’s a testament to the power of community and compassion. Through simple acts of kindness, the visitors were able to touch the lives of many in a short period. Their story serves as a reminder that even in a world filled with challenges, there is always room for hope, love, and genuine human connection.

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140 comments

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  • Nice Q! I hope everything works out for these two young people. I will be in the Philippines soon for my retirement. Keep giving Brother!

    • LJ still has a long journey. I am optimistic but Jericho has all my attention being 3rd yr in and field of study leads to a government job

  • as a father of 6. your video always makes me so happy. you are a good man and proud that you are showing that all us in the U.S. are not bad. i wish i could do what you do. you must sleep well. thank you for making my day every time i watch your videos. maybe some time i will have extra money for you to help someone with.

    • Being a father to 6, I really don’t want your money. You can make better use of it. It’s more important if you can share my channel and contents within your community. The more viewership I get, the more youtube pays me. That is the most simple and reliable way a person in your position can help.

      Thank you for enjoying my contents

  • It was a heartmelting scene for a Filipino who needs something in their life to be better.
    Thank you so much sir Todd, Eric, and Derek as well. God Bless You more!

  • HiU2👋Sorry I missed livestream BUDHA Q😞Was on a Date!! Doing a great job giving back brother 👍🙏. Todd 👍.Blessings 🙏🌸🌼🌺

    • @Q Adventures Much love ❤️ and appreciation brother👍🙏. We share similar beliefs and enjoy giving what we can to the less unfortunate people. In return a thank you & smile 😊 or tears of joy 🥲 make our heart ❤️ & souls complete 🙏Amen BUDHA D🙏Blessings 🙏🌼🌺🌸

    • @Q Adventures BUDHA D🙏👍❤️. Made me laugh 😂 brother👍. Glad you like 👍 this nickname I gave you. My 3 best friends all have there’s. Blessings🙏🌺🌸🌼

    • I will NEVER be so jaded that I don’t make an effort to meet my supporters, whether i have 10k or 1 mil subscribers. See you when you get here

  • Great video as always and a shoutout to Todd, man I wash I was there to do more hands one stuff like that. the little one was like a fish in that water, no concerns at all.

  • Absolutely beautiful video! This shows that we CAN have a better life if only 1 or 2 people can help. Thank you for such an uplifting vid. God bless 🙏

    • If you put things in perspective, $ 10 USDis someone’s entire day of salary. Yes… it takes very little to make a difference here

  • Your welcome Jericho! Thanks Derek for helping him out with the motor bike part. Cant wait to come over and meet everyone. Thanks Todd for catching LJ. Aloha from Hawaii everyone

    • Hi sir eric im jericho thank you so much for the money sir.. i will use this to get a driver license sir. I hope i can meet you in person to say thank you❤️

    • @Jericho Estardo Hi Jericho, your very welcome. Yes I hope to meet you and everyone else when I come to visit. Sturdy hard and get that drivers license. Hope kuya Derek makes more videos with you and your community. Take care

    • @Jericho Estardo welcome Jericho nice to see you. I think I may have been spelling your name wrong I thought you said it started with a G so I apologize. You seem like a fine young man with a very good upbringing, so tell your parents their doing a great job.

  • Why am I smiling so much ?? I didn’t give you permission to make me smile .. You are the man brother, I really enjoyed this video today .. Very emotional…

  • Where does the p go when you go to the bathroom… into the water where people swim. Oh… how lucky the kids are in Western countries.

    • i grew up in malaysia for a bit, we have no toilets and no bathroom for many years. the only source of water for bathing is also where we pee. we poop by digging up the soil at the back of the house 🙂 ah such fun times. but pee is the least of our worries. we saw snakes and centipedes in the body of water.

    • @edic2619 In the grand scheme of things I think it is very little pee in alot of water. Here’s a fun fact I grew up at the Jersey Shore and many times the beaches were closed for swimming during the week due to high levels of “fecal bacteria” but nomatter what they were opened on the Weekends when they were flooded with paying visitors from New York and Philadelphia. Just goes to show you never really know lol.

  • Another great video Q One good heart inspiring others to help people in the Philippines. ONE LOVE.🇯🇲🇯🇲🇺🇸💯♥️

  • Those lovely people are like my family now ❤ I was able to spend all day / evening with them and did a few quality of life upgrades off camera.
    LJ, Lola, Reggie, Shella, Jericho, Graceze are all beautiful people.

    • @toddofthejungle did you fall off or did the chair go through? I assumed a chair leg popped through a plank. I am 6’6″ and weight about 230lbs. so falling through would definitely be a concern of mine in a place like that

    • The floor where we were sitting was a patchwork of bamboo and scrap wood and the plastic foot stool i was sitting on had a leg flex and slip off the board dumping me face down on the deck. it was a good ice breaker and im a clutz.@𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

    • Im a Mechanical / Medical / Aerospace Engineer so everything looked super sketchy. I spent a lot more time with them than whats on the video and Im planning on spending a lot of time there sorting some things out there for them. They have a really cool freestanding bamboo treehouse out over the water and we spent a lot of time out there hanging out@𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

  • I think that was a good thing that you did. But, maybe it should have been done in private away from the prying eyes of the neighbors.

    • @a.c. king I watched the videos of the community and of the people in the community such as Gericho and LJ and they don’t come off as people who “need money” Derek went as far as to say nobody in the community asked him for anything and it seems he has been there several times now. I agree holding large sums of money under your pillow is not a good idea but I just don’t want to paint a picture of an entire community based on western culture. I think what would likely happen here and what would likely happen their are two very different things, especially in a tight knit community like that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but I am sure members of that community watch these videos and read the comments and I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea about how most subscribers view them.

    • Most Filipinos today will go to any atm or grocery store and deposit the cash in their GCash account on their phone. Then they can pay with their GCash account, or transfer person to person , or cash out at anytime.

    • @𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔All that you say might be true. But, my point was why make a public show of helping the kid? The help would have been just as useful to him if it was done quietly. Why put a target on him. As you say, many people in the community will watch the video but, so will people outside of the neighborhood too. Maybe some of those people won’t be as caring and as well intentioned as his neighbors. While the gesture may have been well meaning, it was partially done for the benefit of the vlogger to get YouTube views. I get that, it’s a business.

    • A LOT is being done for them that is not on camera. Actually the majority is being done, not on camera. I think the simple answer for what was done on camera is Derek’s ongoing effort to inspire viewers to help. I was a viewer and I was inspired to help. I just happened to be a local, so Derek offered for me to go along with him.

    • @Todd Janca I tried to get a gcash account here for that very reason, it wouldn’t let me then it said I could with the app so I got the app and it still wouldn’t let me lol

  • This really touch me 😢❤❤. A very big THANK YOU to you Derek and your friend and all your subscribers 🙏 🙌 ❤️I’m just one of your subscribers too, but I do appreciate and grateful for all the help you have extended to my fellow Filipinos😊🤗🩷

  • Just to give you feel for the kindness of these people, I will tell a little story that happened after Derek left. I spent the rest of the day with LJ’s family and at one point I asked LJ about her vision, because to study you have to see well. She said it was not that good, so I said let’s take the family to the mall and get LJ an eye exam and new glasses. Her immediate response was to “Please Sir” get glasses for her Grandmother “Lola” instead because she can not read her bible any more. LJ is genuinely selfless. Everyone who needed glasses got glasses. I am “Ride or Die” for selfless people.

  • On a side note, how can I get the little girl (I think it might be Gericho’s sister) a fan for her room. I noticed he had one in his room and she was sweating in the first video. I will have to go back to the video and get her name. I hate to sweat lol

  • Nice, brilliant work Derek, Todd &Eric, the happiness you brought to these young people is priceless.
    Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

  • Дерек спасибо за твое доброе сердце 💓 удачи во всех твоих делах.

  • He deserves to have P15,000 he is serious about his studies. I also gave money to another Youtube vlogger. He is helping a persistent young man in Manila to be an IT professional someday. Thank you to all those Warm Hearted viewers!❤❤❤❤

    • Yes. More importantly, his field of studies lead to a government job that is in demand. He is also 3rd yr in. Eic from Hawaii got it covered, thanks to him

  • 1:21 She answered you.. I also had to learn that first.. Look like her eyebrows move.. Its like she nodded, but without moving her head, if that makes sense.. There are a lot of specialities, this is just one.. Quickly raising the eyebrows means yes.
    Or sometimes if you ask for directions, and the person doesnt move their hands, look at their lips, sometimes they point into the direction with them instead 🙂

  • So great to see that people have stepped up to contribute. Thanks for the update. I’m sure everyone enjoyed the Jolly Bee’s

  • That is so nice of you guys doing that for them, thank you for spreading the kindness. I am sure it make a huge difference in their lives.

  • Nothing like nailing new wood planks on to old rotted wood! Its amazing that the houses seems to hold together so well especially over time. Human injunity with sub standered materials is amazing to be honest! Glad those two are doing well and hopefully the help helps them succeed.

  • Your channel reminds me of my friends channel @TroyVietnam who does something similar but in vietnam, which is great, we need more people like you. Hope your channel grows.

    • Thank you. That means a lot. Just allowing the kids better access and better opportunities to succeed in education.

    • @StephenLight-x-World I hope you reach that dream sooner than later. The biggest obstacle is your own mind. I find people psyching themselves out more than anything. I got here when I was 44 and living the dream now

    • @Q Adventures not psyching out just have commitments here first, I’m 48 and own my home here in the states. Just need to find income, biggest obstacle

    • @StephenLight-x-World I get it. I was speaking in general. I hope you didn’t misunderstood as a specific statement to you. I appreciate you giving input on my content

  • I can’t help but think that your philanthropy efforts are far more successful than 25%. You are teaching people all over the world about their fellow humans, spreading empathy, and perhaps allowing others to have a greater appreciation for the privileges they have in life. Your videos give me a greater hope and positive attitude about humanity. 🙏👍

  • Great job guys it’s awesome what your doing as soon as I can figure out how to make a living over there I will be on my way and hope to do what you guys are doing in communities like this

    • Feel free to reach out privately if you want some info. I arrived here at 44 yrs old and have since made life substantial here

  • Hi the owner of this you tube channel I not sure what you name is my name is Michael , could you and LJ meet me in blue elephant roof top restaurant march 1 2pm. I buy the 2 of you lunch

    • I’m Derek, Michael. I’m afraid that will not be possible as I will be traveling back to USA during that time and LJ is extremely busy with her schooling

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