|
By Darwin G. Amojelar, Business Reporter
TWO Filipinos are included in the top 300 young
global leaders for 2008 of the World Economic Forum (WEF) among
5,000 candidates worldwide.
In a statement released Wednesday, the
Geneva-based international organization recognized Sen. Francis
Joseph “Chiz” Escudero and former actor and entrepreneur Illac
Diaz for their contributions to Philippine society.
Escudero is a member of the Nationalist
People’s Coalition, or NPC, and currently the secretary-general of
the United Opposition, or UNO. During the 2007 senatorial election
he received the second largest tally of votes.
He was a member of the Philippine House of
Representatives from 1998 to 2007. He served as the minority leader
of the Thirteenth Congress of the Philippines on his last term.
Diaz, on the other hand, is a founder of
CentroMigrante, a self-help business model that provides clean, safe
and affordable housing for Filipinos who come to Manila to look for
jobs as seamen.
He also founded the MyShelter Foundation, which
builds low-cost classrooms using the Earthbag Construction System.
Diaz has been named one of The Outstanding Young
Persons of the World (TOYP) by the Jaycees International (JCI).
Each year, the WEF recognizes and acknowledges
the top 200 to 300 young leaders from around the world for their
professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to
contribute to shaping the future of the world.
The WEF also recognizes Hollywood actor Leonardo
DiCaprio, Grammy Award winner Shakira Mebarak Singe, Thomas H.
Glocer, chief executive officer, Reuters, United Kingdom; Arthur
Sulzberger, chairman and publisher of The New York Times; Robert
Thomson, publisher, Dow Jones & Company and The Wall Street
Journal; and Hisashi Hieda, chairman and chief executive officer,
Fuji Television Network, Japan. The selection committee is chaired
by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
“The World Economic Forum is a true
multistakeholder community of global decision-makers. We need the
Young Global Leaders to be a voice for the future in the global
thought process and as a catalyst for initiatives in the global
public interest,” Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of
WEF, said.
Established in 2004, The Forum of Young Global
Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s
most extraordinary young leaders, who dedicate a part of their time
to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to
devoting some of their knowledge and energy to collectively work
toward a better future.
|
