Page 43 - OPA 2014

Outstanding Professional Award 2014

MNT with Anwar Ibrahim
Personal Environmental Responsibility Projects in Progress
With her first stint in public service as Legal and another of Malou’s initiatives as institutional advocacy
research Staff of the National Environmental Council of the is NEWgENrocks! This advocacy was first introduced in
Philippines, Malou was highly influenced by the thrust of this 2006 to address the perception that the Filipino youth seemed
government agency towards the conservation of the country’s disengaged with what is going on in local and national politics.
natural resources and protection of the environment. This NEWgENrocks! was an attempt to interest the youth to be
she espouses in the talks she would give before students, involved in choosing the right leaders for the country, entice them
interviews in media, and columns for a broadsheet. She to be engaged in politics, and empower them to vote right. The
continued with her advocacy on sustainable development, Voter’s Education Program initiated by NEWgENrocks! carried
climate change, toxic substances, and hazardous waste, clean on from that year and one year before every election cycle.
air, reforestation, among others. In the recent natural disaster
brought about by typhoon Yolanda, Malou was active at the Still another initiative of Malou where she is so passionate
background orchestrating volunteer relief operations with about is the organization of the association of Political
corporate friends. Dubbed “Operation Paglaum”, PUBLiCUS’ Consultants in asia, otherwise called aPCa. aPCa is a concrete
corporate social responsibility initiative, this institutional attempt to professionalize political campaigns management by
advocacy was conceived and put to work with the end in mind of setting up ethical standards and promoting scientific way of
helping Yolanda devastated areas rebuild their people’s lives. running campaigns.
among the projects in the pipeline are: backyard gardening as
alternative livelihood for mothers in the community, planting Jasmine Stands is the asian counterpart of EMILY’s List
organic plants as sources for alternative medicines, and tree- in the US where females interested to enter public office are
planting/mangrove rehabilitation. trained, molded and nurtured.

Judiciary In Focus- La Salle Event 2012

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