Gem Castillo Amante was chosen as 2023 AmerAsia’s Most Outstanding Filipino in Humanitarian Services awardee.
Gem is set to receive the award on April 22 at the Celebrity Center International Pavilion, Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, California.
“Thank you very much AmerAsia International for this award. I am happy that you see me as a valuable member of my community. Thank you for this recognition, it motivates me to continue to work hard,” according to Gem in an interview.
Mayora Gem, as she is fondly called by her constituents, is a San Pableña philantrophist who has received many awards and nominations including Gawad Dangal Awards, Asia’s World Class Filipino Awards, 3rd Southeast Asia Achievement Awards, Most Outstanding Woman Philanthropist and Builder Master Award Philanthropist of the Year.
“To my husband, best friend and anchor Mayor Vicente Amante who has been my cheerleader and patient listener, thank you for your extraordinary love and support as I evolved in this field over the past years. To all the charitable individuals – donors and clients, whom I had the extraordinary privilege to interact with, thank you for your compassion, optimism and inspiration; for sharing your sense of true abundance with others and for positively impacting countless lives. I share this award with all of you and to those of you who recently decided to enter this field of practice,” she commented.
She is active in sustainable livelihood projects generating income among poor households to reduce poverty and inequality. Her program’s objective is to transition households from poverty through creating self- and wage employment.
Gem has donated several mini “sari-sari” store tricycles to families living in extreme poverty to attain a better standard of living. She is also active in providing school supplies and food assistance to children in disadvantaged public schools.
“Tinutulungan natin ang mga nagsisikap pero kahit anong sipag ay hindi pa rin makaahon sa kahirapan na magkaroon sila ng hanapbuhay sa pamamagitan ng mga long term projects kagaya ng tricycle sari sari store o candy stand para sa mga pulubi,” explained Gem.
The AmerAsia awards honors an individual, business, and youth who have exhibited significant charitable giving, insightful leadership and volunteerism, and who encourage others to contribute by example.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
