Donnalyn Bartolome calls on gov’t to 'do better' on flood control system
MANILA, Philippines — Donnalyn Bartolome highlighted the ongoing issue of flood control in the Philippines during her acceptance speech as Best Content Creator at a European awarding ceremony.
She received the award at the Septimius Awards, held in Amsterdam earlier this month.
Dedicating her win to her home country, the Philippines, Donnalyn asked for a moment to speak about her advocacy work and the current issue that has sparked outrage among many Filipinos.
“I’m deeply honored to be awarded tonight. I make content to inspire. I love making people happy and also to fund a lot of causes, prevention initiatives… I’m going to say something important. Please give me a minute. I just want to share with you that one of the most heartbreaking issues we face back home are the floods,” Donnalyn said while holding her golden statuette.
She continued by relaying to a mostly foreign audience the gravity of the flood control crisis in the Philippines, which has left the nation reeling after reports surfaced that multi-billion peso government projects were allegedly wasted due to corruption and kickbacks involving lawmakers, government officials and private contractors.
“Every year, communities are displaced and lives are lost. It’s a cycle we’ve been stuck in for far too long and I’ve always believed that prevention is better than cure. While we hope and continue to push for our government to do better with regards to our flood control systems, we’re also taking actions into our own hands by planting trees and bamboo,” Donnalyn said.
She went on to say that she stood before the European audience not just as an awardee, but as an influencer hoping to effect positive change.
“If you take anything from this, let it be this please plant at least one tree in your lifetime — just one. It’s a simple act of love for the one home we all share, our planet. Influence means nothing if you’re not using it to make the world a better place,” she ended.
She wrote a similar message on her Instagram post where she was shown receiving her award and giving her speech. She called on for more volunteers to help her plant trees, which she stressed helps prevents floods.
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