(UPDATED September 12, 2015) MANILA, Philippines - After months of searching for Filipino migrants who had made an outstanding difference in making a positive impact in the community, The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), a leader in global payment services, announced on Monday at the Nielson Tower, Ayala Triangle Park, Makati City the top 25 Filipino migrants who are living proof that Filipino migrants are indeed our modern day heroes.
Western Union had deemed it important to recognize heroic efforts of Filipino migrants, especially during Filipino Heroes Day, to affirm their invaluable contribution to their families, communities and the country. The migrants did not just send money back home; they had also given pride to the Filipino community with their successful missions.
“Heroes for Better campaign celebrates lives of migrant Filipinos, their work and their personal advocacies because they were the ones who were courageous enough to run after their dreams and in fact, they even took it further by fulfilling other people’s dreams,” shares Patricia Riingen, Senior Vice President, South East Asia & Oceania, Western Union. “The campaign does not just recognize and tell their stories, it also provides them a platform to inspire others to pay it forward.”
Present in the Heroes for Better press conference were three heroes – Nilo Beltran, founder of the Skills Caravan – a non-profit organization which provides free technical skills workshops to jail inmates, out of school youth and unemployed members of underprivileged communities in the Philippines; Edmond Corpuz, founder of the “Black Pencil” advocacy project which helped bring school supplies to 1,200 school children in rural areas; and Nestor Puno, a missionary who teaches a small school in Japan for Filipino and Filipino-Japanese children who cannot enter regular schools due to their residency status.
“I guess it holds true for all of us heroes that it started with an issue that had affected us and it simply compelled us to take action. It’s not that we wanted to change the world, we just wanted to help in our own way,” says Nestor Puno.
“This recognition given to us by Western Union only inspires us to continue and even extend the reach of our advocacies, involve more people, and hopefully influence other migrants to start their own missions too,” adds Nilo Beltran.
Western Union will award USD25,000 to support the advocacy of the highest-voted hero. People can vote for their favorite hero by logging on to www.wuheroesforbetter.org. Voting closes on September 22, 2015 at 11:50pm.
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| Western Union honors Filipino migrants as modern-day heroes. |
Western Union had deemed it important to recognize heroic efforts of Filipino migrants, especially during Filipino Heroes Day, to affirm their invaluable contribution to their families, communities and the country. The migrants did not just send money back home; they had also given pride to the Filipino community with their successful missions.
“Heroes for Better campaign celebrates lives of migrant Filipinos, their work and their personal advocacies because they were the ones who were courageous enough to run after their dreams and in fact, they even took it further by fulfilling other people’s dreams,” shares Patricia Riingen, Senior Vice President, South East Asia & Oceania, Western Union. “The campaign does not just recognize and tell their stories, it also provides them a platform to inspire others to pay it forward.”
Present in the Heroes for Better press conference were three heroes – Nilo Beltran, founder of the Skills Caravan – a non-profit organization which provides free technical skills workshops to jail inmates, out of school youth and unemployed members of underprivileged communities in the Philippines; Edmond Corpuz, founder of the “Black Pencil” advocacy project which helped bring school supplies to 1,200 school children in rural areas; and Nestor Puno, a missionary who teaches a small school in Japan for Filipino and Filipino-Japanese children who cannot enter regular schools due to their residency status.
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| From Left: Nilo Beltran, Edmond Corpuz and Nestor Puno |
“I guess it holds true for all of us heroes that it started with an issue that had affected us and it simply compelled us to take action. It’s not that we wanted to change the world, we just wanted to help in our own way,” says Nestor Puno.
“This recognition given to us by Western Union only inspires us to continue and even extend the reach of our advocacies, involve more people, and hopefully influence other migrants to start their own missions too,” adds Nilo Beltran.
Western Union will award USD25,000 to support the advocacy of the highest-voted hero. People can vote for their favorite hero by logging on to www.wuheroesforbetter.org. Voting closes on September 22, 2015 at 11:50pm.
