We asked, you responded. After getting all your nominations, a month-long deliberation and thousands of votes, we’ve finally selected individuals who are indubitably inspiring and worth emulating.
Meet the Yahoo! PH’s Pitong Pinoy awardees for this year:
Pitong Pinoy People's Choice awardee:
Nestor Archival
After getting exactly 52,504 votes or 36 percent of the total number of respondents for the online poll that ran for two weeks, Nestor Archival is officially Pitong Pinoy People's Choice awardee.
His exceptional advocacy of sponsoring scholars using his own salary is indeed an inspiring act. Archival, an engineer, and former Talamban and Cebu City councilor Nestor Archival did, says he won't get tired of sending people to school.
The other six awardees also inspired their communities and made a huge difference, in their own little ways.
Ted Ponferrada
Ponferrada, blind since he was 11, was able to participate and even help the blind get involved in the Lenten tradition “pabasa,” thanks to his persistence and to the people who believed he could. Well, he didn’t ask for a miracle to get his sight back—all he needed was determination and good Braille skills.
Janella Lelis
While most of her neighbors fled to higher ground amid typhoon Juaning in July last year to save their lives and property from flood, a 12-year-old girl braved the strong current of the murky water to save the Philippine flag.
Miguel Bermundo
Dream Big Pilipinas, founded by Pitong Pinoy finalist Miguel Bermundo, has a simple but lofty goal: to make underprivileged kids take a chance at a better life thru playing football. He is indeed changing lives, one ball at a time.
Jerry Gumpad
Jerry Gumpad, is an ordinary overseas Filipino worker with an extra-ordinary advocacy. A worker in Saudi Arabia, Pitong Pinoy nominee Gumpad has helped several co-OFWs and other poor but highly-deserving farmers achieve better lives through his mobile pigs program.
Gerry dela Zerna
Dela Zerna in 1997 founded Guided and Unified Interaction for the Development of Children, Inc. (GUIDE, Inc.), a volunteer organization aimed a promoting the welfare of children and youth with special physical, mental or emotional needs--including orphaned, abandoned and street children.
Gerry Gamez
Filipinos who complain about having only two arms yet being expected to do so much should meet Gerry Gamez, a one-armed man who actively promotes patriotism, constantly volunteers for community service and has built two classrooms in his hometown.
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