Actress Angel Locsin expressed her gratitude on Twitter for being included in Forbes Asia’s prestigious list of the most philanthropic people in the region.
The Kapamilya star and billionaire Hans Sy were among the 30 outstanding altruists that made it to the 13th annual Heroes of Philanthropy published on December 2.
Locsin retweeted Forbes Asia’s post and said she never expected to be part of the magazine’s list.
“Thank you! Filipinos have always been known for ‘bayanihan.’ I’m nowhere near being a billionaire, but I try my best to do my part in my own little way,” she tweeted.
I never thought @ForbesAsia would ever mention my name, lol. Thank you! Filipinos have always been known for “bayanihan”. I’m nowhere near from being a billionaire, but I try my best to do my part in my own little way. I hope this would inspire other people to help as well. https://t.co/e6tnCcSc1k
— Angel Locsin (@143redangel) December 4, 2019
She also hoped this recognition would be an inspiration to other people to help as well.
“I hope this would inspire other people to help as well,” she added.
Locsin’s charity work in Mindanao were mainly cited in the article wherein she donated and distributed relief goods to victims.
The first one was for the victims of the Marawi Siege in 2017 and the other was for those affected in Davao City by the series of earthquakes that struck the region in 2019.
Locsin, who was among the youngest altruists on the list, also donated at least P15 million to different causes such as on ending violence against women and children, educational scholarships for students and the economic and political rights of indigenous people.
“Her donations have also helped roughly 500 families hit by some of the country’s largest disasters: Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009, Typhoon Habagat in 2012 and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, one of the deadliest storms on record, leaving 6,300 dead,” the article said.
She was also quoted as her reason for these activities: “These are urgent times when we have to act as fast as we can to save lives and rebuild communities, and we don’t even have to think why.”
“It’s like taking little steps towards substantive, holistic change for the future of the next generations. The only motivation we need is being part of humanity,” she added.
Philanthropist list
This year’s honorees are dedicated to various philanthropic activities from supporting causes for victims of violence to setting up a foundation for better education.
All of them were also citizens of countries or states in the Asia-Pacific region.
They sifted and reviewed candidates who used their own money to achieve a long-term version.
“Our aim is to highlight those giving their own money, not their company’s (unless they are the majority owners of a privately-held firm). We also don’t include those who are full-time fundraisers or foundation heads, unless they’ve personally given the bulk of funds to start a charitable organization,” Grace Chung of Forbes Asia wrote.
Asia’s most generous philanthropist is Azim Premji who donated $7.6 billion worth of Wipro shares to his foundation which was established in 2000. The foundation aims to provide quality education in India.
Meanwhile, Sy, the chairman of the executive committee and director of SM Prime, was recognized for his center for cancer-stricken children called Child Haus was mentioned in the article.
He bought the location in Quezon City for $600,000 and spent $1.4 million to build it. It was first opened in 2017 and got renovated in July of this year.
The youngest on the list is an award-winning singer and actress Lee Ji eun, popularly known as IU, for donating a total of $800,000 to various causes since 2018.
