Two weeks ago was another trying time for a lot of Filipinos in Luzon due to heavy flooding brought by monsoon rains. As such, it shows how resilient Filipinos are in times of calamity and we can’t discount the role of social media in bringing aid and relief with pinpoint accuracy and efficiency. And it also brought along new heroes in our digital world.
The first-ever The New Media Digital Heroes Awards recently recognized the key figures and organizations that effectively leveraged social media to organize, lead, and galvanize rescue and relief operations during the recent week-long monsoon-caused floods. The first batch of awardees included:
- Mahar Lagmay of Project NOAH
- DOST_PAGASA Twitter Team
- MMDA Twitter Team
- Aileen Apolo, Google and Google Volunteers
- Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSO)
- Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
- Rosario Juan, #RescuePH and #Relief PH
- Tonyo Cruz, #RescuePH and #Relief PH
- JP Loh, #RescuePH and #Relief PH
Organized by digital marketing site The New Media (www.thenewmedia.com), The New Media Digital Heroes Awards is an ad hoc event that recognizes and acknowledges individuals and organizations that leverage digital communications to create value for the society. Through the event, The New Media hopes to inspire more Filipino netizens to use social media and technology as a positive force, especially during times of calamity.