The 'bayanihan' spirit goes hi-tech

MANILA, Philippines - The bayanihan spirit permeates the information superhighway.  With a few clicks on their mobile devices, users can tap their mobile credits, or load, to send donations to their chosen charities from anywhere in the world. This is made possible by iCare, a homegrown Android application developed by OksPinoy, through the support of Smart Communications, Inc. 

What makes this mobile app unique and easier to use is that donors need not have credit cards to send contributions. 

iCare is one of the homegrown apps being showcased at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. As one of the apps completed with the help of Smart, iCare, which is downloadable for free from the Android Market, will also be made available soon via the Smart App Store. 

“Whenever there’s a calamity or a natural disaster, people from anywhere in the world can download the iCare application and donate to organizations such as the Philippine Red Cross,” says Patricia Paguia of OksPinoy, a mobile app developer.

“We have seen how the Internet and modern communications increased awareness of the people of the conditions of our countrymen that are affected by calamities. We have seen how many of us become passionate about helping and sharing what we have. This app is a way to turn this passion into actual action that can benefit those in need.”

Smart, through its Smart Developer Network has been helping local app developers turn their app ideas into “finished products” such as iCare, ready to be promoted to the international mobile market. But Smart’s role in OksPinoy’s app development goes way before the launch — it enabled iCare to access its billing gateway, enable in-app billing which makes possible the app’s core function which is sharing and donating through prepaid credits. 

This billing feature also makes iCare and all the other apps co-developed by Smart more viable when it comes to revenue generation. 

Smart’s effort to help and promote local developers is part of its commitments as founding member of the Wholesale Application Community (WAC), an alliance of handset manufacturers, software development companies, and mobile network operators from all over the world. 

As the lone Philippine member of WAC, Smart enjoys the support and the compatibility of its WAC apps with all the member-telcos from all over the world. For instance, Vodafone users in the USA may send donations via iCare, and these will be charged to their dollar mobile credits and the amount will be instantly sent to the Philippine organization in pesos. This means Pinoys all over the world can easily send funds anytime, anywhere, regardless of network and currency as long as they are subscribed to a WAC-member telco.

“We are grateful for the support of Smart to iCare. No matter how good an app is, it wouldn’t matter if no one knows it exists, and no one uses it,” notes Christopher Bautista who believes that Smart’s support matters greatly in getting the word out about their app, more so in the international mobile scene. “We hope that this app inspires Pinoys here and around the world to unite even more and to help contribute to funds for meaningful causes.”