Malacañan Palace
24 February 2015

Ten outstanding youth groups were recognized as the 12th Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO), a nationwide search that acknowledges the exceptional contributions of youth organizations to national development, led by President Benigno S. Aquino III together with Senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Francis Pangilinan, National Youth Commission Chairperson Gregorio Ramon Tingson and TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. President Jessica Marie Robredo.

The President acknowledged the awardees and said that they serve as models to their fellow youth in encouraging them to take part in the promotion of the welfare of their countrymen and the nation. He assured that the government is expanding the opportunities for them through different programs such as the Conditional Cash Transfer for High School Expansion and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) Training for Work Scholarship program which has produced 774,532 graduates as of December 2014.

“Kayong kabataan ang magmamana sa anumang bunga ng ating pagsisikap. Patuloy ang pagsisikap nating madagdagan ang mga batang may hawak na lapis at papel at mabawasan ang may tangan ng basahan sa kalsada para magpunas ng windshield ng mga sasakyan. Magbubukas tayo ng marami pang oportunidad upang imbes na malulong sa bisyo ay tunay kayong maging pag-asa ng bayan,” President Aquino added.

The 12th TAYO awardees are: Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines for Pondong 2Bs Para Sa Mga IPs program; University of San Agustin Little Theater for Project Imagine a Nation; Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement for Balay Kanlungan Project; Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail, Inc. for the Saving Lives Program; Red Cross Youth and Junior Rescue Team for Disaster Management Eco-Raft Project; Move this World-Philippines, Inc. for Empathy-Based Programming Through Games and Creative Expression for Bullying Prevention Project; Youth for Environment in School Organization for its Mangrove Reforestation Program; Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Santiagueno for the Agricultural Waste to Energy Project; Access-PYLP Alumni Association, Inc. for Project RISE and Phi Lambda Delta Sorority for Milk Matters Project.

Each winner received an especially commissioned trophy sculpted by Filipino artist Abdulmari “Toym” De Leon Imao plus a grant of P50,000 as additional fund for their organization’s programs and projects. There were 397 entries for 2014 and only 20 groups were chosen as finalists.

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