Let’s turn the clock back to when the pandemic started. What were you most worried about? Was it your basic needs? Your job security? Your finances? On the quarantine restrictions that followed, these were the concerns that constantly hounded me and my peers, but as a recent study suggests, we could be outliers after all.

In partnership with Selecta, the UN conducted the 2020 edition of its World Happiness Report, which revealed that selflessness still runs in our veins. Majority of Filipinos – 83% to be exact – were said to have prioritized their happiness and wellbeing over money despite a turbulent year.

And where do the respondents find this happiness? 66% got it from human connections, ranking the Philippines as the second highest country (next to Mexico) with this answer. It bested other activities such as working and exercising as the most important aspect of their lives during the lockdown. 

If you think about it, the result makes sense of how we’ve restructured our social lives lately around Zoom calls, e-numans, funny Facebook groups, and countless other group chats just to remain in touch with each other.

But more than these, 83% have also expressed that they would offer social support to those in their communities, proving that “bayanihan” lives on to this day. Volunteer initiatives such as community pantries are testaments to our innate malasakit (compassion) for others in good times and in strife. 

Long story short, we are happier together.

The road to “HapPinas”

Just because we still can’t be physically together doesn’t mean we can’t be together, and Selecta’s latest endeavor aims to foster human connections as it did before.

“For decades, Selecta has lived at the heart of communities, spreading moments of happiness one scoop at a time. We have been at the forefront of bringing families together through our ice cream,” said Kristine Go, Unilever Philippines marketing director.

In time for International Ice Cream Month, Selecta wants to virtually shorten the social distance through the “HapPinas” project. 

Whenever we share ice cream with our friends and loved ones by buying Selecta from its partner retailer outlets, we are dropping a pin on the “HapPinas” map, a real-time map that tracks the number of scoops shared throughout the country. The community with the most pins is not only considered as the happiest, but also wins free ice cream for a day. 

What’s more, for every #ShareHapPinas tweet or Instagram post logged here, Selecta will donate a scoop to its NGO beneficiaries. Ice cream is delicious enough on its own, but it’s better enjoyed when shared with others. Let’s use each scoop, cone, and tub to spread moments of happiness, which, in turn, become strong foundations in rebuilding a happier ‘Pinas – a “HapPinas.” – Rappler.com