VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) — Nominations for the 2023 National Search for Outstanding Volunteers in the country are now open.

The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) recently launched the said search via livestream on their official Facebook page, and with more than 200 participants from all over the country who joined via Zoom.

The search, which aims to identify and recognize outstanding Filipino volunteers and organizations for their contributions to their communities, is the highlight activity of the National Volunteer Month observed every December.

The nominations for this year’s awards are open until August 25, 2023.

The awardees will receive recognition as outstanding volunteer in their respective regions and/or in the national level at the Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV) National Awarding Ceremony

They will also bring home a trophy and a certificate, and will receive opportunities and a platform to showcase their volunteer work which may inspire others to integrate volunteerism in their way of life.

Nominees who did not qualify for the national award during the previous SOVs may be re-nominated.

However, awardees during the previous years are not eligible for the awards except if they qualify in the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award.

Moreover, the National Outstanding Volunteer Award has four sub-categories namely, Individual for Youth, Individual for Adult, Organization – Non-Profit, and Organization – Corporate.

Nomination forms and supporting documents may be submitted via email to the concerned Regional Search Committee or directly to their offices.

Further details of the search are accessible in the official page of the PNVSCA.

Meanwhile, Executive Director Donald James Gawe of the PNVSCA, Kenneth Siruelo, Officer-in-Charge of the Policy, Advocacy, and Technical Services Division, Maria Ang- 2017 SOV Awardee, and JC Finale Siazon- SOCV 2020 Awardee graced the official launching held in this city.

To help inspire the spirit of volunteerism on the viewers, Siazon said, “To be a volunteer, you are the person tasked for the change. You [should] have this heart to serve, and we have to showcase to the world the efforts that we are providing [our communities].”(JCR/MJTAB/ATV, PIA Ilocos Sur)