There’s always a place for good news
Last night, April 7, the Manila Bulletin held its very first UPLIFT Awards at the Maynila Ballroom of the Manila Hotel, Asia’s “Grand Dame.”
Designed to be held annually, the Manila Bulletin UPLIFT Awards honors and celebrates individuals and institutions whose efforts to unite, perform, lead, and inspire put focus on particular issues that trended and were of utmost importance during the past year.
“ is meant to celebrate those who, despite 2021’s challenging situation because of the Covid-19 pandemic, managed to make the lives of many of us a lot more hopeful,” says the Manila Bulletin’s president and CEO, Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, who formally welcomed the awardees and guests.
Those honored at the UPLIFT Awards were chosen from a list of nominees from senior editors at the Manila Bulletin. These were thenscrutinized by a pool of judges led by Dr. Yap, Sen. Sonny Angara, Dr. Jaime Laya, Unilab Inc. Connexion head Joanna Mojica, and UPLIFT project lead Philip Cu-unjieng.
Although coming from different industries, representing 10 categories, the awardees all had one thing in common: They elevated the Filipino spirit through a challenging 2021. At a time when bad news was prevalent, these movers and shakers did their best to put a silver lining to a year mostly spent battling Covid.
Honored at the 2022 UPLIFT Awards were Presidential Advisor and GoNegosyo founder Joey Concepcion (Public Service), Ayala Corporation (Big Business), AGREA (MSME), Ben&Ben (Arts, Culture, and Education), Actor John Arcilla (Entertainment), Dr. Raul Destura (Science and Technology), Muneer and Raaina Hinay of Kids Who Farm (Agriculture), OCTA Research (Healthcare), Hidylyn Diaz (Sports), and the City Government of Makati (E-Commerce).
Each received a trophy made from sustainable materials, designed by artists Kublai Millan and Willie Garcia. Their concept reflects the unending hope of the Filipino people in the face of difficulties.
“These first awardees for the Manila Bulletin UPLIFT dedicated most of their time and talents during the previous year into various efforts that, in one way or another, helped ease the lives of Filipinos during a time that tested the mettle of many of us,” explains Dr. Yap.
The 2022 Manila Bulletin UPLIFT Awards was co-presented by the International Container Terminal Services Inc., SMDC, Wilcon Depot, and GCash. It was made possible by support from the Medical City, as well as from the Centro Escolar University, with the cooperation of Stores Specialists Inc., Moët Hennessy Philippines, and the Manila Hotel.