Kapampangan named 'champion of women'

PAMPANGA. Dr. Michael Manio receives his "Champion of the Advancement of Women" award from the American Chamber of Commerce in the recent Women of Influence Conference and Awards 2019 held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wanchai. (Contributed photo)
PAMPANGA. Dr. Michael Manio receives his "Champion of the Advancement of Women" award from the American Chamber of Commerce in the recent Women of Influence Conference and Awards 2019 held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wanchai. (Contributed photo)

HONG KONG -- A Kapampangan doctor and founder of a non-government organization (NGO) here was recognized on Tuesday, November 12, for his and the group's efforts in women empowerment.

The American Chamber of Commerce here named Michael M. Manio as a "Champion of the Advancement of Women" in the recent Women of Influence Conference and Awards 2019 held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wanchai. He is the first Filipino to win the award.

Manio, who hails from Betis, Guagua, is the founder and president of EmpowerU, a powerhouse team of university academic staff, students, volunteers, and domestic workers themselves, dedicated to uplifting the lives of domestic workers in Hong Kong.

In August 2010, Manio flew to Hong Kong after being accepted as a postgraduate scholar at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

"EmpowerU is an educational platform for domestic workers where I founded in 2014 for the domestic workers have a place to stay during their day off," said Manio in an interview with SunStar Pampanga.

"Instead of not doing anything on the streets, I asked them [domestic workers] to be inside the University of Hong Kong," said the former professor in medicine/nursing at Angeles University Foundation and Holy Angel University.

Through EmpowerU, participants, mostly domestic helpers and family drivers, have exposure to practical knowledge necessary to improve not only their own lives, but also their employers' well being.

"We focus on aspirational knowledge that makes life beautiful and worth living -- literature, arts, culture, etc. The participants also learn practical knowledge such as health and wellness, business, finance, public speaking and cardio pulmonary resuscitation, among others. We also hope to help them prepare for the future, whether in domestic work, a different career field or even as an entrepreneur," Manio said.

At present, there are nearly 6,000 domestic workers who are members and about 200 HKU students from 27 different countries.

"We learn from experience and education is for all. The domestic workers sacrifice their day off to be with us to learn and explore new things. We empower them through a series of lectures, workshops and fun-filled activities," said Manio.

Manio was joined by Puja Kapai, associate professor of Law, University of Hong Kong, and Katie de Tilly, Master of Arts, among others.

"Thank you so much to David Bishop, Lindsay Ernst, Jon, Taylor, HKU interns and EU students...all lecturers, partners, friends and nominator Julie. This award is a validation of our hard work and perseverance that education is for all," said Manio. (Astrud Aguinaldo/Contributor)

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