10 nominees vie for ‘WikiPinoy of 2012’

MANILA, Philippines – For the past five years, WikiPilipinas.org, the Philippines’ premier online encyclopedia, has been awarding the WikiPinoy of the Year title to the person or group of people who has empowered the public by providing open information and in-depth insights into the more significant issues affecting the country today.

Starting on December 1, WikiPilipinas readers can vote for one of 10 nominees for the 2012 WikiPinoy of the Year by answering the online poll question on WikiPilipinas’ official facebook fan page.

The nominees for the 2012 WikiPinoy of the Year are:

● Proud to be LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders) Campaign Network – a network of individuals and organizations based in the University of the Philippines which advocates and protects Filipinos from any form of discrimination based on gender, sexual

orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

● Agaw Trip Komiks an online humor and satirical comic strip created by Zeus Agustin and Merck Maguddayao. It portrays the contradictions of Philippine society, from the mundane to the highly political, as experienced by the characters. It was launched on 26 June 2011 on social networking site Facebook, and has since uploaded more than a hundred comic strips, single panel comics, and memes.

● Jesse M. Robredo – the former secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government and former mayor of Naga City. He was the first Filipino mayor to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000.

● Jessica Sanchez – an American singer with Mexican and Filipino heritage. She is the runner-up

of American Idol’s (AI) eleventh season.

● Hernando Guanlao – a Filipino free reading advocate. As a man in his early 60s with an abiding passion for books, he set up an informal library outside his house in 1454 Balagtas Street in Barangay La Paz, Makati to share his passion and encourage people of reading. He gave up on his job and survives purely on his savings to maintain the library.

● Miriam Defensor-Santiago – a Filipina politician and a Senator of the Philippines. She is known popularly simply as Miriam. She is the founder and current leader of the People’s Reform Party as well its former presidential candidate. She is also a recipient of the 1985 TOYM Award for Law and 1988 Magsaysay Award for Government Service.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Asia.

● Brian Viloria – a Filipino-American professional boxer. He has a record of 32 wins (19 Knockouts), 3 losses (1 Knockout) and without a draw, a total of 37 fights. He is the current holder of WBO and WBA Flyweight title. He has won the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles in the Junior Flyweight division. He was given the nickname “The Hawaiian Punch” by Jesus Salud, a former world champion in boxing.

● Dolphy – dubbed as the “King of Comedy”, Dolphy is a gifted performer-comedian par excellence, and dramatic actor. His career has spanned for more than 50 years making him a legend in show business and one of the most respectable actors in the industry.

● Ramon Bautista – a Filipino actor, radio DJ, TV show host, commercial model, filmmaker, producer and University of the Philippines, Diliman professor. Dubbed as the “Internet superstar”,

his fans follow him on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. In 2011, his formspring.me account had the most “smiles” in the world. Bautista is currently seen as one of the co-hosts of GMA News TV

11’s May Tamang Balita.

● Brillante Mendoza – a Filipino movie director who has won international awards for his independent films shot in digital video. He is the first Filipino to win the Best Director plum at the Cannes International Film Festival for his full-length film Kinatay (The Execution of P).

● Richard Yap – a Filipino-Chinese actor known for his role in the primetime teleserye My Binondo Girl as “Papa Chen” and “Sir Chief” in the noontime drama, Be Careful With My Heart.

● Kesz Valdez – the 2012 International Children’s Peace Prize Awardee. At age 13, his “Championing Community Children” charity raises funds by selling candles to give “Hope Gifts” (packages with slippers, toys, candies, clothing and basic needs) to the needy children of Cavite City. He has already helped about 10,000 Filipino children, the majority of which are subjected to abuse, violence, and child labor. He provides aid on health and hygiene, as well as on children’s rights.

A WikiPinoy does more than information and knowledge sharing. A WikiPinoy’s output is research-driven, meaning, he or she does not just present the facts as is, but probes beneath the surface of each story and inspires people to be knowledge-sharers as well. For a WikiPinoy, knowledge sharing goes beyond the comfortable seat of his or her office desk—the WikiPinoy is proactive.

The WikiPinoy of the Year nominees were chosen by the editorial board and staff of WikiPilipinas. The winner will be chosen by WikiPinoys – the readers and contributing volunteers of WikiPilipinas.

To vote for the 2012 WikiPinoy of the Year, Add WikiPilipinas as a friend on Facebook and answer the 2012 WikiPinoy of the Year poll question to be posted daily on its timeline.

Contact WikiPilipinas on Facebook, on their official twitter account @wkipilipinas, and through email at [email protected] for more details. Voting runs until December 31.