Amid sensational stories that often hog media headlines, it is always
reaffirming to know about Filipinos who go the extra mile to champion the
welfare of others. Aiming to honor the noteworthy contribution of Filipinos
whose passion and commitment go beyond the call of duty, Mang Inasal therefore
conceived the yearly Gawad PiliPinoy.
Now on its fourth year, the Gawad PiliPinoy is an annual recognition
given by Mang Inasal to selfless, local modern-day heroes who use their skills
and competence to push advocacies that create a positive impact on communities.
“The Gawad PiliPinoy was actually inspired by the Chicken Inasal, the
top-selling branded grilled chicken of Mang Inasal, that has been known for its
2-in-1 sa Laki, Nuot sa Ihaw Sarap. Gawad PiliPinoy awardees are Filipinos who
passionately pursue advocacies on top of their respective day jobs or careers,
and whose genuine concern for others have driven them to go out of their way to
create meaningful impact on the lives of their fellowmen,” explained Mang
Inasal Marketing Head Aileen Natividad.
For 2019, in ceremonies held recently at the Blue Leaf Events Pavilion,
Mang Inasal awarded the Gawad PiliPinoy to Iloisa Romaraog-Diga, Sales and
Marketing Head and Co-founder of the e-commerce site, Session Groceries.
Session Groceries is an online store in Baguio City which Diga helped
form in 2016 after years of working as a financial analyst. In 2018, after
being made aware of the plight of Benguet farmers who were forced to dispose
their vegetable harvests due to oversupply, Diga decided to offer Session Groceries’
online platform to link the farmers to potential customers.
The partnership proved effective and has since been helping Benguet
farmers command better price for their produce. As of this writing, Session
Groceries has assisted 25 individual farmers
“Our goal is to help farmers earn more. Pinaghihirapan kasi nila (ang
kanilang mga pananim), tapos para mabulok at itapon lang nila ang mga ito –
nakapanghihinayang! (Farmers toil hard to produce these crops. So it saddens us
to see their farm produce rotting because they could not be sold right
away!),”said Diga.
“Ang Session Groceries ay paraan para mabigyan ng mas mabuting kaugnayan
ang farmers at mga consumers. (Session Groceries provides a more effective
distribution link between farmers and consumers.) We want to provide a platform
where everyone can have a win-win situation: better revenues for farmers and
fresh produce for consumers,” explained Diga.
For Iloisa, there’s still a long way to go, but as long as there’s a
platform, strategy, and people who share the same advocacy, everyone can work
together in bringing dignity back to the hearts of Filipino farmers.
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