Mandel Battikin Gup-ay, a Civil Engineer and Safety Officer at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been recognized as "Outstanding Young Professional Leader and Inspiring Advocate for the Poor" by the 4th Asia Pacific Luminare Awards.
The 26-year-old Engineer from Tabuk City, Kalinga, will be conferred with the award on May 31 at the Grand Ballroom in Okada, Manila along with other prominent and significant figures in different fields in the Asia Pacific.
He graduated from Saint Louis University in Baguio City and currently taking a Masters of Engineering Major in Civil Engineering at the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao City, and currently employed as Engineer II at Planning and Design Section DPWH Upper Kalinga District Engineering Office.
He is an active member of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. (PICE) Kalinga-Apayao Chapter, a Pursuivant Officer of Knights of Rizal Tabuk City Chapter, and an administrator of Lakbay Kalinga Facebook Page which promotes the beauty of Kalinga Province, giving Charities and promotes Bayanihan Acts.
When he was a college he joined different organizations in and out of the school, which helped to develop his leadership skills and self-confidence. He is also proactive at different trainings, seminars, workshops, and other activities represent his school, the Saint Louis University at the different national and regional student's technical conferences of Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. (PICE) and he joined national competitions the Bridge Building and Rube Goldberg design competitions. He is also an active young professional leader, a civil engineer of Kalinga Province, and an inspiring advocate for the poor.
His accomplishments/advocacies as a young professional leader and inspiring advocate: During the first lockdown of Kalinga Province, he used his Facebook page which is the "LAKBAY KALINGA" for a donation drive for the "Call for Donations: To Support frontliners, people with disabilities and senior citizens "food vs. COVID-19" and they collected P31, 000.00.
They also distributed foods and PPE's for the frontliners, people with disabilities, and senior citizens within 5 days in the entire Kalinga Province. He also initiated and used his Facebook Page "PICE Kalinga-Apayao Chapter" for a donation drive for the "Call for Donations: To Support COVID-19 Emergency Quarantine Facility" for the citizens in Kalinga Province, their organization collected a total of P407, 500.00 and He also became the Project-in-Charge of the said facility.
As a result, The Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Inc. Kalinga-Apayao Chapter has put up a 16-bed capacity COVID-19 Emergency Quarantine Facility at an area adjacent to the athletic bowl in Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga as their way to help the government for the lack of isolation facilities. He also used his Facebook Page "PICE Kalinga-Apayao Chapter" for a donation drive for the "PICE Bayanihan 2.0: Relief Assistance" for the people of Balbalan, Kalinga and they collected a total of P50,000.00 equivalent of 99 relief goods packages who was delivered personally by the organization on January 15, 2021.
As Officer of Knights of Rizal Kalinga Chapter, they also initiate charities for the Kalinga People who are in need they helped a six-year-old boy, Arnold Hora Navares who had been suffering from a skin condition for almost a year and needs to undergo a biopsy but due to financial constraints, the need to go through medical treatment was not able to provide and last December 24, 2020, the Knights of Rizal Tabuk City Chapter, appeal their kind and benevolent hearts to shell out an amount of P14,100.00 to help defray expenses for his biopsy and many more charities were given.
They used their Facebook Page "LAKBAY KALINGA" for a donation drive for the "Call for Challenge: To Support Indigenous Students of Kalinga Province" which is an ongoing project for now. As he quoted, "Always volunteer and initiate the essence of Bayanihan Act to help our country and its people and also used our social media to help others who are in need".
Asia Pacific Luminare Awards (Philippines) and Asia's Top Luminary Awards (Vietnam) are organizations that search for the best of the best individuals and companies across all of the Philippines and Asia! Industry titans, corporate heroes, advocates of planet and people.
The 4th Asia Pacific Luminare Awards Awards Night will be held at the Grand Ballroom, Okada Manila, Paranaque, Metro Manila on March 31, 2021.
Note: The Awards Night has been postponed and moved to May 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and with respect to the Ramadan Feast.
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