Caritas Manila "Give to Catholic Charities" (partially found Filipino charity PSAs; 1994-2002)

This appears at the end of the said commercials.

Status: Partially Found

Caritas Manila is a non-profit organization that leads the social service and development ministry of the Catholic Church in the Philippines and was established on October 1st, 1953, as a social welfare program.

Throughout the 1990s, several Caritas Manila commercials were aired to promote the organization or inform people to give charities to the poor which are said to be creepy or unsettling to viewers.

Background

Recreation of the Caritas Manila PSA end screen

Every commercials of Caritas Manila conclude with the Caritas logo in a black background and a text saying "Give to Catholic Charities" is displayed. Many viewers described the ending screens to be "creepy" or "disturbing", given the content and the background music. In 2003, following its 50th anniversary, they launched the Segunda Mana campaign, and what followed are commercials that are laid-back or not creepy commercials.

Variants

"Gutom"

A beggar is shown against the black background. While he is holding his stomach a flaming hole is growing gradually. The word "GUTOM? (Hungry?)" was then displayed. The boy's hole in the stomach became bigger and bigger while a loud distorted strumming of a guitar can be heard in the background. The lines of "PWEDE KANG TUMULONG (You may help)" were then shown as the music gradually fades out. It is also called "Burning Stomach" or "Butas na Tiyan (Perforated Stomach)" by other people.

"Stained Glass"

A series of stained glass paintings of Biblical figures being tortured. In chronological order, getting burned alive (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), fed to the lions (Daniel), crucified upside down (Peter), stoned to death (Stephen), and putting a coin on a beggar's can. A voiceover, said to be narrated by Father James Reuter, that goes along these lines plays in the background, "The beginning of the Catholic/To be a Catholic, this day right here right now. The burned of the sinner, The friendly of the lions, The beginning of the sacraments, To stone the dead, The charity of the sacraments, Charity's love. Love by Will", The stained glass pictures are said to be taken from the Manila Cathedral.

"Dead Beggar"

An unseen person gives a coin to a child beggar. The camera then pans around the child, which is revealed to have died before, then the screen fades to black to show the Filipino proverb "Aanhin pa ang damo, kung patay na ang kabayo? (What good is the grass when the horse is already dead?)"

"Strayed Children"

At the start, a mother and her baby as beggars were shown. Then, a series of child beggars were shown with the words shown, "What will his future be like? At three years old, he could be on the streets. At five, he could be addicted to drugs. At twelve, he could be a petty thief. At sixteen, he could be a murderer. Or he could be dead. Unless you start caring."

Availability

The street children and the so-called "Dead Beggar" commercials are available on YouTube, while the other two remains lost to this date. The advertisements were aired in 1994 and continued until 2002 and mostly seen during the commercial breaks of daytime programs of ABS-CBN, GMA Network, NBN/PTV-4, IBC-13, and RPN-9.

The Stained Glass commercial was allegedly aired again in 2004 on ABC 5 (now TV5), even after Segunda Mana. However, it is unclear if the other commercials were rebroadcasted.

Gallery

"Strayed Childen" Caritas Manila commercial.

"Dead Beggar" Caritas Manila commercial.

Recreation of "Gutom" commercial, with a still-picture is only presented

Recreation of "Stained Glass" version without using background music. In the original PSA, it uses ominous music.