MANILA — The Rotary Club of Makati (RC Makati) recognized the nation’s top young change-makers during the second Paing Hechanova Youth Leadership Awards (PHYLA) held at the Manila Polo Club in Taguig, on Friday, January 30.
Tennis star Alex Eala and swimmer Kyla Sanchez were honored as Youth Sports Personalities during the event.
Both awardees were not present during the ceremony but sent heartfelt video messages expressing their gratitude for receiving the award.
Now in its second year, PHYLA gathered 84 nominations nationwide from the country’s 10 Rotary districts.
The following young leaders emerged as the Top 10 PHYLA Awardees, representing the ten Rotary districts nationwide:
• Shawntel Nicole M. Nieto, co-founder of Sustainability PH, empowering professionals to lead sustainable change. Nieto bagged the grand prize during the event.
• Ralph Eric F. Bernardo, founder of Tayo ang Kalikasan, a community-led environmental advocacy promoting local environmental stewardship.
• Eugene dela Cruz, leader of Project Paghilom at Pag-unlad, supporting underserved students in Quezon City to continue their education.
• Vanessa Gabrielle V. Del Rosario, founder of Alon and Araw, a movement making environmental action joyful and inclusive.
• Rodmer P. Madrid, vice president of a Smokey Mountain community organization advocating resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and urban poor rights.
• Regine M. Cortez, founder of Beloved Kids, promoting basic education and literacy through reading.
• Dave Louie Ang, founder of The Sustainable Gardener Philippines, advocating food security through community-driven solutions.
• Coleen Awit, founder of Sagup Negros, a social enterprise working toward a self-sustaining community ecosystem. She was the first runner-up in the event.
• Juanquine Carlo R. Castro (Tagum City, Davao del Norte), founder of Youth Service Philippines, creating safe learning spaces for underserved and indigenous communities.
• Herna Francis Mae B. Tano, co-founder of Talentrail 2.0, providing opportunities for young people rebuilding their lives.
Aside from the cash prize given to all awardees, they also participated in a two-day boot camp and team-building activity designed to strengthen leadership skills, refine their initiatives, and expand their impact. The boot camp was conducted by Roger Collantes and Marie Segura and provided mentorship and networking opportunities.
Rotary Club of Makati President Eddie Galvez highlighted the national scope and diversity of the awardees’ advocacies.
“Our past governor, Sid, thought of this project three years ago. This is the second edition, aimed at selecting the youth leaders of our country. There are 10 Rotary districts nationwide, and each district submits nominees. These young people are between 18 and 30 years old, with advocacies ranging from the environment to literacy and education.“
“There were over a hundred applicants, but 85 were officially nominated. We shortlisted them down to 10,“ he added.
Galvez also expressed optimism about the country’s youth leaders.
“It really gives you hope that we have this kind of youth. Hopefully, they can be catalysts in their communities to ignite more youth leaders in their advocacies.”
PHYLA Chairman Sid Garcia emphasized the broader significance of the awards.
“This award is important not only to our Rotary Club but to our country. The youth are the future, and it’s important that they don’t only have skills but also understand leadership and integrity. We want them to be passionate and to help rebuild this country, especially now when there is so much corruption and declining moral values. There is a lack of good governance, and we have to do something. We need to guide, inspire, and encourage the youth.”
One of the awardees, Coleen Awit of Bacolod City, shared the work of Sagup Negros, a social enterprise addressing food waste and food insecurity.
“I’m here representing Sagup Negros Incorporated. We are a social enterprise that turns rescued food into good food. Our goal is to build local food systems that are fair, just, sustainable, and accessible for all. We mitigate food waste while improving food security.”
She explained that the initiative partners with market vendors to rescue surplus food, which is then transformed into meals by community cooks and distributed through carinderias, community pantries, and feeding programs for undernourished children.
Asked why she chose this advocacy, Awit said, “It’s very personal. When we talk about climate, we often talk about energy and transportation, but we rarely talk about food—when in fact, food waste is one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis and one of the most defining crises of this generation.”