“They aren’t gonna change this

We gotta do it ourselves

They think that it’s over

But it’s just begun

Only one thing can save us—Only the young (only the young)”

Taylor Swift’s “Only the Young” is an anthem that speaks to a profound and urgent reality in a time when long-lasting change can sometimes seem like a distant dream. Youth organizations are rising to the occasion and demonstrating that, after all this time, they have been the harbingers of transformation all along. The song encapsulates this generational call to action.

The TAYO Awards Foundation honored and recognized the ten most accomplished youth organizations in the following categories: Environment, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation; Health, Wellbeing, and Human Development; Livelihood and Entrepreneurship; and Culture, Arts, and Heritage. This year’s 21st National Awarding Ceremony took place on Monday, August 19, at the Metropolitan Theater in Ermita, Manila, and is a remarkable testament to the power of youth-led initiatives.

Under the theme “Makabayani,” a blend of the words makabayan (love for one’s country) and bayani (hero), this year’s awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of young leaders and their positive contributions to nation building.

“Ang pagsagot sa hamon para maging isang Makabayani ay nangangailangan ng malalim at totoong paniniwala at pagmamahal sa Pilipino, the Filipino is worth uniting for,” said former senator Bam Aquino during his keynote message.

TAYO 21 Awardees as Modern Day Heroes

The 21st Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards Finalists posing with their trophies

For more than two decades, the TAYO Awards Foundation has recognized and honored exceptional youth organizations that embody the spirit of service and patriotism. This year’s theme encapsulates the essence of modern heroism and showcases how these youth organizations are not only driven by a love for their country, but are also actively transforming their communities with their passion projects and initiatives.

The 21st Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Top 10 Awardees are as follows:

● Salumayag Youth Collective for Forests

• Second Chance Philippines
• Achieve Minarog Youth Organization
• MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology Youth Chain of Peace
• Sidha – San Jose City
• Therawee Health Innovation Inc.
• ADHIKA PH Inc.
• Project Barako
• Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders, Inc.
• Negrosanon Young Leaders Institute Inc.

The Top 10 awardees and 10 finalists received a TAYO trophy by national artist, Toym Imao, as well as Php 50,000 and Php 20,000 seed grants, respectively, to help fund their ongoing projects or start new ones.

 This year’s TAYO Awards Top 10 Awardees

Special Awards

Apart from the prizes received by the Top 10 accomplished youth orgs, the TAYO Foundation also gave special awards to select groups. These special awards were chosen by their partners and were given to organizations that will further their individual missions as institutions, corporate organizations, or public offices.

The Coke Barkada Award is a special recognition given to the TAYO Finalist that helps improve the well-being of communities and environment through projects that are aligned with The Coca-Cola Company’s sustainability priorities. This was awarded to Salumayag Youth Collective.

Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CCFPI) President Cecile Alcantara emphasizes the role of youth in national development. CCFPI has been a co-presenter of TAYO Foundation since the 5th TAYO Awards.

Meanwhile, the San Miguel’s Better World Award is given to the organization that believes in the healing power of collaboration within communities. Therawee Health Innovation, Inc. took home this award for their work in the health industry.

The third special award—The Hello, Pagkain Award—is sponsored by TAYO Founder, Kiko Pangilinan. It is a special recognition given to a youth organization that trains young people with agricultural practices and technologies that will help them become food & financially secure. This was given to the Kagay-anon Youth Network Alliance.

The fourth special award is the Bida Kabataan Award sponsored by former Senator and TAYO Co-Founder Bam Aquino. This award is given to organizations that have rightfully showcased the bravery and intelligence of the youth. The awardees are Second Chance Philippines and Iloilo National High School Boy Scouts of the Philippines Outfit 154.

Another special award is the Georgina P. Nava Leadership Award. Nava was a beloved TAYO pioneer who dedicated her whole life in service of the Filipino youth. This award was given to Sidha.

The Asia Foundation and USAID, through Youth Leadership for Democracy, or YouthLed, are the sponsors of the last special prize, the Youthled Democracy prize. Model Sangguniang Kabataan Network received this prize.

Young leaders are redefining what it means to be a hero by taking on positions that are being filled around the country. They are actively bringing about change instead of passively waiting for it to happen. These young groups are leading the way with a passion and determination that speaks to the core of our contemporary concerns, from grassroots campaigns to creative initiatives and social movements.

The digital lending segment saw the largest growth in terms of application downloads during the first half of the year.

According to new research from consumer credit agency Digido, the percentage of people in the Philippines who are 15 years of age and older who use mobile apps for financial technologies may rise to 79.5% by the end of 2024, or over 66.4 million unique users1.

It is anticipated that the Digital Commerce area will account for 34% of the growth in said adoption rate, with Digital Wallets contributing 27.2% and Digital Banking 8.6%.

Adults in the Philippines adopted fintech services on their phones at a rate of 76.2% (63.1 million unique users) between September 2018 and June 2042. During that time, 617 million downloads of fintech mobile applications were made in the nation. With 31.4% of downloads, digital commerce was the most popular industry, followed by digital wallets (21.7%) and digital loans (20.3%). Digital banking (7%), digital personal finance apps (8%), and digital payments and transfers (11.6%) made up the remaining amount.

Solely examining absolute figures during the first half of 2024, the largest growth of downloads was seen in the digital lending sector at 25.4 million, followed by digital commerce at 13.5 million and digital wallets at 12.2 million. Digital payments and transfers, digital banking and digital personal finance applications garnered 7.8 million, 6.2 million and 4 million, respectively.

On average, Digido observes that the number of downloads is constantly growing at a rate of approximately 10.26% per half year. Over the first six months of 2024, the digital banking sector experienced the highest growth rate of downloads at 22.34%, followed by digital payments and transfers (17.72%) and digital lending (16.81%).

Commenting on the analysis, Digido business development manager Rose Arreco explained: “The positive numbers seen in digital lending, digital wallets and digital commerce can be attributed to growing trust in these segments and its natural synergies with one another. As strong demand for fintech in the Philippines continues, so too Filipinos’ expectations on convenience, interoperability and improved user experience across these applications.”

“We believe that the Philippines remains on course towards widespread digitalization, with its ‘fintech-ization’ far from weakening. Collaboration within and outside of the industry remains paramount for this growth to be realized at a faster rate,” Arreco added.

A whitepaper outlining a novel strategy for reducing sugar in fruit juices was released by Tetra Pak, a global leader in processing and packaging solutions. This development is a reaction to the regulatory rules that have been put in place throughout Southeast Asia and the growing health concerns around sugar.

More than ever, consumers are turning away from high-sugar food and beverage goods and toward plant-based substitutes as a sign of growing health consciousness. As a result, in order to comply with new rules and rising consumer demands, F&B companies are now considering reformulating products to make delightful beverages like juices without relying on sugar and artificial sweeteners. This has made it difficult for the business to reduce sugar while preserving flavor and nutritional value, which has led to a lot of research and development work in this area.

The F&B sector is changing to accommodate changing consumer tastes and health regulations, which makes creative solutions more crucial than ever. Tetra Pak’s dedication to R&D guarantees that their partners have access to the most cutting-edge technologies out there.

Through controlled fermentation, Tetra Pak’s process can reduce the sugar content in juice to almost zero. This zero-sugar juice can then be blended with regular juice to achieve the desired level of sugar reduction. This innovative process ensures that the juice’s taste and nutritional quality remain intact, leveraging their well-established industry technologies.

John Jose, Marketing Director of Tetra Pak Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia, said “Health and regulatory trends are spurring tremendous innovation within the F&B sector. We are always on the pulse of the consumer needs and ready to help our F&B customers solve challenges with our latest technology and expertise. With our advanced fermentation process, we can cut down the sugar content in juice significantly. This process allows us to create a juice that can be blended to meet any desired level of sweetness, without compromising on taste or quality.”

The whitepaper highlights that this approach has been validated through technical and consumer tests. It opens significant opportunities for the F&B industry to develop a new category of reduced-sugar juices and drinks. It also delves into the changing consumer attitudes towards sugar, provides an in-depth overview of the fermentation process, and explores the potential of this new beverage category.

As the F&B industry evolves to meet new health standards and consumer preferences, the need for innovative solutions becomes increasingly important. Tetra Pak’s commitment to research and development ensures that their partners have access to the most innovative technologies available.

Jose added: “We have over 70 years of experience in beverage production, delivering food processing and packaging equipment around the world. Given our extensive specialist knowledge and our innovative ability to combine technology with food application expertise, we are uniquely positioned to support our F&B partners in navigating the challenges of sugar reduction. Our reliable and practical approach towards the fermentation process represents yet another advancement in the field.”

Download the whitepaper from the Tetra Pak website to find out more. Reducing sugar in fruit juices through fermentation: https://www.tetrapak.com/en-my/insights/food-categories/juice-and-drinks/reducing-sugar-in-fruit-juices-fermentation#cf-step-thankyou-textimage

   youtube.com/user/tetrapak

  @tetrapak

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tetra-pak