Filipino BTS Army adopts 8 whales in Babuyan Marine Corridor, names 7 of them after the members

The Filipino BTS Army is not yet done doing good!

The local fans of K-pop group BTS has just adopted eight whales in Babuyan Marine Corridor in the Philippines, and unsurprisingly named seven of them after the members of the South Korean boy band.

The humpback whales were adopted by the fans led by The Army Cavite Fanbase, as they participate in the preservation of marine wildlife species.

In a Stories of Hope episode, some of the BTS Army Cavite Fanbase members including Jenice Crisol, Izumi Nagata, Aaisha Mogueis, Billy Jones Rosales, shared the names of the whales they adopted.

Some of the adopted humpback whales include PH-124, which they named after Kim Nam-joon; PH-120 named after Jung Ho-seok; PH-004 named after Park Jimin; PH-023 named after Kim Taehyung; PH-018 named after Jeon Jungkook; PH-122 named after Kim Seokjin; and PH-193 named after Min Yoongi.

The Army Cavite Fanbase shared they became familiar with the 52-hertz whale because of BTS' song Whalien 52.

"Yung 52-hertz po, kaya po siya familiar sa 'min, may kanta po ‘yung BTS na Whalien 52 na galing sa mga salitang Whale and Alien," they said.

"['Yung] whale na 52-hertz wala pong nakakarinig sa kanya kahit anong kanta or sigaw niya," they added.

"‘Yung tungkol po sa whale kaya po siya naging meaningful sa fandom kasi po nasabi po niya sa metaphor about sa someday lahat ng struggles mo or yung voice mo maririnig ‘yun," they explained.

Some of the lyrics of the song read:

In the middle of the vast ocean
One whale speaks softly and lonely
The fact that no matter how much they shout, it won’t reach
Makes them so gravely lonely that they quietly shut their mouths

This isn't the first time the BTS fanbase did good. Previously, they opened a food pantry for residents whose homes were caught in fire in Sta. Cristina, Dasmariñas Cavite. They were also among the organizations that opened a community pantry back in April.

And then there was the reforestation initiative led by Elyssa Uy who invited her ARMY friends to hike in Nueva Ecija and plant trees in honor of the seven BTS members with an initial target of planting 10 Banaba trees. 

With more fans donating, the group was able to plant some 1,500 seedlings.

BTS is also known for their charitable and philanthropy efforts, which has obviously influenced the Army, BTS' official fan group, all around the world.

According to a report on People.com, BTS and its management company Big Hit Entertainment donated $1 million to  Black Lives Matter in June 2020, which inspired the BTS Army, who set the #MatchAMillionGoal which was a success and has surpassed the $1 million mark.

Meanwhile, on March 11, Suga donated $88,000 to Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in his hometown of Daegu to honor his 28th birthday.

In 2017, following the launch of their Love Yourself: Her album, the group and their label Big Hit Entertainment joined forces with UNICEF to promote LOVE MYSELF, an anti-violence campaign.

BTS then donated a part of the sales of their album and 100% of their profits from their merch to the cause.

The group and their label have also donated $85,000 to the Sewol Ferry Disaster 416 Family Council in 2017, according to Soompi.

Certainly, this fandom isn't just all about celebrity-worship. Such a force for good! — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News