yKalinga Engineer wins 2 national awards for bayanihan initiative during pandemic

A staunch advocate of bayanihan taking advantage of the social media as a platform to help those in need, 27-year-old Engineer Mandel Gup-ay is set to receive the Gintong Parangal and Dangal ng Lahi 2021 awards for his exemplary contributions during the pandemic.

Mandel shall be conferred ‘Most Empowered Young Professional of the Year’ by the Gintong Parangal on August 20, 2021 at Manila Hotel while an award under the ‘Humanitarian Endeavor’ will be given to him by the Dangal ng Lahi on November 27 this year at the Okada Manila.

Gintong Parangal is an award given to Filipinos for their “kahusayan” and “kadakilaan” while the Dangal ng Lahi award is given to individuals or groups who, through their projects and advocacies, have contributed much to the community.

Mandel’s Accomplishments

Among Mandel’s accomplishments leading to being a recipient of said accolades is the initiative to establish a 16-bed capacity Covid-19 Emergency Quarantine Facility in Bulanao through his fundraising scheme that resulted in the collection of at least P407,500. Additionally, the project was in partnership with PICE Kalinga and DPWH Kalinga.

Also, he organized the first Kalinga Community Pantry in partnership with stakeholders, where more than 700 people benefitted from the project.

Other fundraisings he initiated include the P31,000 for frontliners, people with disabilities, and senior citizens in Kalinga; P50,000 for relief assistance in Balbalan; and the P14,000 donated to a 6-year-old boy suffering from a skin condition for his treatment, through the Knights of Rizal Tabuk City, Kalinga Chapter where he is the Chapter Pursuivant.

Currently, Mandel said that there is an ongoing donation drive to support the Indigenous students in Kalinga.

‘Sino pay ba iti agtitinulong nu haan a datayo’

Mandel, who is a Civil Engineer and Safety Officer at the Department of Public Works and Highways in Kalinga, narrated that before the pandemic, he and his high school friends have been pitching in to help people with medical conditions pay their hospital bills.

However, his desire to help the people was brought out more when the pandemic hit the country and a lockdown was imposed in March 2021. Mandel added that he asked himself what he could contribute to help the frontliners and the people who were not able to go to work and were stuck at home.

“Anya met ngata ti aramiden tayo nga agwo-work met a makatulong ti tao a ma-aw-awanan ti trabaho, what if agco-contribute tayo,” the thought that led him to initiate several fundraising activities.

After the first successful fundraising, he was inspired to do more.

“Kasi tatta a pandemic, sino kuma ti agtitinnulong nu di ket datayo met lang. Kasi haan mo met a maitugot idiay kayamanam idiay langit eh. Sunga datayo ti agtitinnulong ti maysa ken maysa,” he underscored.

Earlier this year, Mandel was recognized as ‘Outstanding Young Professional Leader’ by the 4th Asia Pacific Luminare.

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