As part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations of providing service in the Philippines, Western Union honored 25 Filipino overseas workers from around the globe, in recognition of their sacrifices and their outstanding contribution that has impacted the Philippines positively. With more than 10 million Filipinos living in other countries and supporting families back home, it was a fitting tribute. These are overseas workers who have inspired and who gave more than they ever thought they could. They are ordinary individuals who have done the extraordinary.
Voting in the Heroes for Better campaign was conducted on social media and the nominee who garnered the most “likes” received a gift of $25,000. The winner of “Heroes for Better” was RJ Garcia, a businessman and a migrant, for his Appledrive project which provided apples to children in remote areas in the Philippines, who had never even seen an apple, let alone tasted one. His desire for “an apple a day” for children has evolved into an advocacy on nutrition and healthy lifestyle.
“The more people know about how much of an impact they can make at teaching kids how to eat healthily, the more people will want to get involved, and the more kids will learn about these better lifestyle options,” Garcia says.
The award was a celebration of the life of a migrant – their story, their sacrifices while overseas, coping with the pangs of loneliness, and their eternal hope of providing a better life for their families back home. Advocacies varied from providing classrooms and better education in remote areas; providing shoes for children; relief assistance for victims of disaster stricken areas; refugee assistance and livelihood programs. Some championed the migrant’s voice for recognition of overseas qualifications, better working conditions and pay, and language assistance to help them assimilate faster in their chosen country of residence.
“The Heroes for the Better campaign is Western Union’s way of putting the spotlight on the efforts and achievement of Filipinos around the world across various advocacies, such as: education, health, livelihood, science and technology, culture, arts, or volunteerism. These are people who have given their time, money, skill and expertise to make a positive change, and we wanted to share it to the country and to the world,” explains Patricia Riingen, Western Union Senior Vice President, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Other honorees included: Eddie Vega, Nestor Puno, Nilo Beltran, Adelaida Saito, Edmond Corpus, Nanette Carolli, Agnes Granada, Mauro Ureta, Vangie Jorqueia, Consorcia de Leon-Scholtz, Jay Jaboleta, Vincent Benares, Eda Dorado, Mary Jane Almahdi, Sengie Taton, Mario Balboa, Alexis Belonio, Benette Cueto, Julieta Solas, Armand & Bing Serrano, Judith Gonzales and Nilda Cochrane, Cecilia Cech and Asma Vilmonte.