Boy Abunda —PHOTO FROM BOY ABUNDA
When Boy Abunda ventured into the digital space during the pandemic, one of the things he couldn’t help but notice was how toxic social media could be. Hiding under the cloak of anonymity, bashers spread hate and lies unmindful of their words and actions.
This inspired the seasoned television host to launch “Just One, Isa Lang”—an advocacy campaign that urges people to make at least one small gesture of kindness to others. By turning it into a habit, Boy hopes to spark a wave of positivity to offset the negativity that has made the world “bleak and somber.”
Motivating people
“My goal is to provoke and inspire a mindset of goodness to everyone … This project is about motivating people to do one good thing every day. A simple act of kindness can make this world a much better place to live in,” he said in a recent interview.
For Boy, the “antidote to toxicity is positivity.” “It’s the way to counteract negativity [that] can’t survive gratitude or goodness. If each person can do one good thing daily, it can become a habit eventually.
One good act can become two, three,” added Boy, who’s also the founder of “Make Your Nanay Proud,” a foundation that honors and promotes the welfare of mothers.
As part of the said campaign, Boy interviewed hundreds of celebrities—the videos of which will be uploaded to his social media pages—about the little things they do to make people around them feel better or good about themselves.
“The answers I got were varied. And the acts were as simple as hugging a friend, saying ‘I love you,’ telling the truth, waking up with a smile, telling their wives ‘Thank you.’ These things are immeasurable,” said Boy, who plans to expand the campaign to include stories of noncelebrities.
Saying sorry, Boy said, was another popular reply. “I always apologize when I think I have offended someone. It humbles me and brings me back to my core,” he said. INQ