This was a
momentous week for us as we were one of the recipients of The Outstanding Filipino of New York Award. I'd
like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for all of your votes, for believing in
the cause and supporting the passion that I share with my friends and
colleagues.
It was a great
honor to be recognized by my "kababayan" (countrymen) and receive an
award alongside inspiring Filipinos who are making a difference in our
communities. I commend the organizing committee of The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York for
empowering Filipino leaders in this region and giving them a voice.
Youth are not the
leaders of tomorrow, we are the leaders of today. We have dreams
and aspirations greater than ourselves. Climate change is the greatest
challenge of our time. We felt it here in NYC during Hurricane Sandy, wefelt it in the
Philippines during Typhoon Bopha where 1,000 lives were lost and 1.2 million
people were displaced... and we have the solutions to help climate
change impacts from exacerbating. My friends and colleagues across the globe
have been working hard in implementing sustainable solutions across the globe.
I share this award with them, they have been my inspiration. I have never seen
such a committed group of young individuals, dedicating their lives to this
cause.
We need to
continue our efforts in helping to scale these sustainable solutions and
technologies-- and we need to continue to empower and support young
leaders and future decision makers who are eventually responsible for taking on
this great challenge.
"Bugsay"
is a Filipino term which means to paddle. To quote the African proverb,
"If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go
together." We have to go far, quickly. We need to
bugsay together.
After seeing the
awardees with their loved ones, it made me that wish my family was there. They
are my rock - and I couldn't have done this without their continued
support.
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