BY ELLSON QUISMORIO
Senator Cynthia Villar announced that the Villar SIPAG Awards on Poverty Reduction, her family’s yearly tradition of recognizing selfless Filipinos who help uplift their countrymen from poverty, would push through this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year’s search for poverty reduction champions is more meaningful given the challenges that we are all facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the lady senator, who sits as director of Villar SIPAG Foundation.
The acronym of “SiPAG” – the Filipino word for industriousness – stands for Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance.
The annual search – on its seventh year this 2020 – aims to recognize top local organizations that have been working in the grassroots level to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of the Filipino people.
It is important to recognize these individuals and organizations who continue to give back to the community and work hard so that no one is left behind,” Senator Villar said. The announcement of winners will take place on December 18. Villar SIPAG is set to award 20 outstanding community enterprises that have been contributing to the growth and prosperity of their communities. The selected groups will be given P250,000 each to help advance their objectives and further develop their organization. The foundation will also honor 10 outstanding social enterprises organized by Filipino youth groups across the country. Winners from this category will receive P150,000 each to further help their projects and initiatives in alleviating poverty in their respective communities. (Ellson Quismorio)
