Simple Plan, the French-Ca­nadian pop-punk band that per­formed in Manila on several occa­sions, have announced that they are donating $10,000 to “the Ca­nadian Red Cross to help support the victims and contribute to the rescue effort.”

“The band hopes that their modest contribution will inspire other artists and people to donate and invites their fans to join them and pledge money to come to the aid of the victims of this horrible tragedy,” the band said in a state­ment furnished to InterAksyon.

According to the band’s Twit­ter page, the money was raised through a benefit concert in Mon­treal on Wednesday that raised a total of $265,000 for 20 chari­table organizations.

“To all our Filipino fans and friends that are dealing with this disastrous situation, we are send­ing you all of our love and our best wishes of hope, courage and strength in these difficult times,”
the band added in their state­ment. Meanwhile, “American Idol” sensation Jessica Sanchez, whose mother hails from Samal, Bataan, is organizing a video online con­cert this Friday (Saturday, Manila time) at Stageit.com, “an online venue where artists perform live, interactive, monetized shows for their fans directly from a laptop, offering fans unique experiences that are never archived.” In her “virtual” concert, which is for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross, each $10 “admission ticket” that online viewers pay will help fund rescue and medical mission efforts for the Philippine typhoon victims.