“Influencer” defined as Donnalyn Bartolome plants over a thousand trees

Written by Mia Del Rosario

“All that subscribing and not skipping ads will all be worth it!” Actress, singer, and social media personality Donnalyn Bartolome changed the game for the vloggers out there after teaming up for a tree planting project with the nonprofit organization, “Influence Us.” In Bartolome’s Facebook post, she shared the stress she has been through in November 2020 after Typhoon Ulysses hit the Philippines, destroying some parts of the country, including the province of Rizal which she personally visited to extend help. Famous for her single, “Kakaibabe,” which is a combination of the Tagalog word kakaiba (that translates to “unique”) and babe, signifying a woman, Bartolome is definitely a kakaibabe! 

Noticing how people seem to have forgotten the aftermath of the typhoon, Bartolome said that she did not and will not forget about that event. Because of this, she initiated the tree planting project by dedicating her YouTube channel revenue to fund for the trees. Bartolome further shared that together with her team, they coordinated with the provincial government of Rizal before proceeding with the project to ensure that they are planting the right trees for that specific spot near a watershed that leads to Marikina River. As of writing, Bartolome has donated and planted 1,055 native bamboo trees already and they are still in the process of executing this further.

To plant a tree is as simple as it may sound, but the impact it does to the environment is beyond unimaginable. This tree planting project goes along with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, specifically: climate action and life on land.

With the sudden emergence of vloggers and influencers in the Philippines through social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, only few have successfully managed to carry out what it truly means to be an ‘influencer.’ This selfless act by Bartolome leveled up the challenge of being a famed personality by inspiring them to use their platform wisely and with a purpose. In the same post, Bartolome sent out appreciation to all her subscribers and viewers by saying that, “If you [have] subscribed and watch my videos, YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING.” She currently has over seven (7) million followers on YouTube, where she also posted a video on the tree planting activity. (Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lR23qm3ik) For Bartolome, this is not a personal action and intention – but a collective one – since the small ways of people brought a huge contribution for the tree planting project, and more importantly, for the environment.