By Rea Cu / Special to the BusinessMirror
WESTERN Union, a leader in global-payment services, has recognized 25 Filipino workers who advocate for change and improvement in the lives of other Filipino workers and their families and beneficiaries.
In a ceremony held on August 24, the company gave three outstanding Filipino workers the chance to tell their stories during the culmination of the company’s “Heroes for Better” campaign. The event was held in celebration of the company’s 25th year of operation in the Philippines and in commemoration of Philippine National Heroes’ Day on Monday.
Western Union provides consumers and businesses convenient and fast ways to transfer funds at reasonable cost. It operates over 1,000 kiosks and 500,000 agent locations in the country.
During the past few months, the company searched all over the globe for modern-day heroes who have made a positive and impactful difference in their communities, both in the Philippines and abroad.
The company deemed it fitting to recognize people it called modern-day heroes, not just for providing their loved ones ample financial support but also for their efforts and hard work. These heroes are mainly the overseas Filipino workers who venture into foreign lands to give their families, community and country a better future.
Three of the 25 Filipino migrant workers chosen for the campaign attended the event to tell their stories and their advocacies: Nestor Puno, Nilo Beltran and Edmond Corpuz.
Beltran is the founder of the “Skills Caravan,” a nonprofit organization that aims to teach technical skills to jail inmates and out-of-school youth to help kick-start their lives once more.
He worked in Saipan as an engineer for several years until he decided to return to his home country and help out his countrymen.
Puno is a missionary who teaches at Ecumenical Learning Center for Children in Japan, a school for Filipino and Filipino-Japanese children who want to study, but cannot due to their status of stay. He also does work for the Nagoya Youth Center and the Filipino Migrant Center to aid Filipino women and children in Japan.
Corpuz is a photographer and teacher here in the Philippines, whose advocacy is giving people in the rural areas a chance at education. He founded the Black Pencil advocacy project, which aims to provide school supplies to children in rural areas.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes