“I am very excited to be here. I am very excited to be playing in the Philippines for the first time ever!”
This is what U2 frontman Bono told members of the Philippine and international media earlier today, December 10, at the Philippine Red Cross headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
“Manila is an exciting, kinetic city. Our band is very excited about our first time to play in Manila. They don’t know I am here. They’re getting ready, so please don’t say a word!”
The event took place one day ahead of his band’s first concert in the country that is scheduled to take place at the Philippine Arena on December 11, 2019.
The rockstar and humanitarian took part in the contract signing between the Philippine Red Cross and Zipline, the world’s first and only national scale drone delivery service.
The two companies bared their plans to begin making on-demand and emergency blood deliveries by drone across the Philippines.
It is touted as the largest drone delivery operation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The partnership will allow for emergency blood deliveries by drone even to the remotest mountainsides and islands in the country—saving time and money to deliver important needs especially in times of calamity.
Bono is a board member of Zipline and, he said, it is the only company on whose board he serves.
The U2 lead singer admitted, “I would consider myself a volunteer too. This is an extraordinary man sitting here [referring to Keller Rinaudo, Zipline CEO].
"And all the Red Cross volunteers sitting outside. So here’s to volunteerism! But I have a day job…it turns out that I have a few.
"Music is my passion but I think Zipline is where all my other passions come together: which is that commerce should serve people, not people serve commerce; the idea that the brightest of minds shine even brighter when they work for the most vulnerable lives; and I suppose that all of us, that our intellect serve our ideals. This is why I’m excited about Zipline.
"Access to health intervention is a steep climb, and that’s where Keller and his team are going. They really believe it deeply and passionately. They get angry when access to basic healthcare is not delivered.
“The Philippines, who I also thought of as very innovative people, caring people… it’s no surprise that physicians and scientists come from the Philippines, you’re leading the world now in this.
"We want to believe you can serve purpose beyond mere profit. I have a little bit of a background in global health, fighting the global AIDS pandemic, in particular. I saw up close how it was to not get access… I felt that ache, I felt that space between the need and the supply of that need, I agree with Keller that where you live should never decide whether you live.”
Filipina actress Angel Locsin, an active member of the Philippine Red Cross, was present at the event to show support for this endeavor. She was accompanied by her fiance Neil Arce.
Angel posted videos of Bono on her Instagram account and wrote in the caption:
"High salute to My love, Bono, the multi-awarded @U2 frontman who has also been a frontman for advocating social justice worldwide :) Despite his tight schedule, he have chosen to accomodate @philredcross’ invitation and introduce us to this new technology of saving human lives through aerial drones Looking forward to this faster, easier & hi-tech way to get blood where it's needed, especially to remote places with poor road infrastructure and devastated by calamities. Thanks to you, Bono, senator
@dickgordon, @philredcross & @zipline
"For updates on how you can do your part to help save lives with the Phils
Red Cross, please follow @PhilRedCross"
Also present at the signing ceremony were Sung Kim, United States ambassador to the Philippines, and Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.
As Bono is well-known as much as a singer as he is a human rights advocate, members of the media asked him to weigh in on the situation in the Philippines.
He said: “President [Rodrigo] Duterte is very popular, he doesn’t need me on his side. And as it happens, I have a very deep conviction about journalism.
"I probably would have been a journalist if I wasn’t a singer.
"The safety of journalists is very important and I think a democracy requires a free press. I find some journalists to be a total pain in the ass, but I’m glad you’re there!”
When asked to expound, he explained:
“I’m trying to make a difference here rather than make headlines for something else other than Zipline tomorrow… But, I am a member of Amnesty International. I have been all my life. I take it very seriously. And I think human rights are critical.
"My impression of the Philippines is that they are a very caring, very sophisticated people. I understand that when progress is made, sometimes people make what they think are compromises for that…for progress. And I will just say that you can’t compromise on human rights. That’s my ‘soft message.’”
Going back to the endeavors of Zipline, he said: “It was humbling for me, as a development person, who has worked on development issues going back the '80s, Live AID… to discover that [the work to be rid of] the root of poverty cannot be sustained unless you involve commerce.
"It is critical as the bridge to get you across, out of extreme poverty. But you have to involve...I didn’t know much about commerce. And I have tried to find my way through it. And just ask some very basic questions: What would happen if you use some very, very clever people to solve the problems that affect so many lives? And you try to use commerce to do it. You need public funds and you need private funds.
"I haven’t changed in my view that governments need to support their people and we need to support people even those who are not Irish or English or American… but it’s much better if those people work with innovative people like Keller and the Zipline team.”
Aside from the PRC, Zipline will also expand its partnerships in the Philippines to government and private health care facilities toward the goal of expanding universal healthcare access to more Filipinos in the archipelago.
The service is expected to launch in the summer of 2020. Distribution centers are expected to be set up in Cebu, Ilo-ilo, and Western Visayas.
Health workers will be able to place orders by text message and receive
their deliveries via drone in 30 minutes on average.