Impact and Flawless Execution: Unilab Foundation with Historic Dual Win at the 61st Anvil Awards

Double win for Unilab Foundation. The ULF team led by Operations Director Eduardo “Jon” Policarpio Jr., Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP) Program Director Ruben “John” Basa, Heads Up PH (HUP) Program Director Marie Joan Armada-Urieta, UCHP Policy and Innovation Lead Atty. Michael dela Peña, Communications and Advocacy Lead Niña de Sagun, Communications Officer Kyllie Capacio, Communications Associate Kyla Villanueva, and HUP Program Officer Jann Romeo Nacar received Gold and Silver Anvils during the 61^st Anvil Awards Gabi ng Parangal at the Solaire North Grand Ballroom in Quezon City.

In a significant validation of its mandate to help improve public health in the country by working work with various stakeholders, Unilab Foundation (ULF) secured two major honors at the prestigious 61st Anvil Awards. The recognition not only celebrates the Foundation’s leading role in health policy and mental health advocacy among the non-profit institutions but also reinforces its thrust of transforming social innovations into sustainable programs.

ULF was awarded the Gold Anvil for Heads Up PH (HUP) under the “PR Programs - Training category” and the Silver Anvil for the Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP) under the “PR Programs - Government Relations” category by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP). These awards—often called the “Oscars of Public Relations”—honor initiatives that demonstrate outstanding research, strategic execution, and tangible social impact.

Bridging the Gap in Mental Health and Policy

The winning entries highlight ULF’s multifaceted strategy to promote an inclusive and future-ready Philippines. To address the critical shortage of mental health professionals, the Heads Up PH RACE (Recognize, Assess, Convince, and Entrust) Against Suicide program capacitates school personnel as first responders. To date, the program has produced 6,674 trained mental health gatekeepers nationwide. This network has successfully assessed 4,478 students, identified 842 at-risk individuals, and provided 309 students with timely, life-saving interventions.

The Unilab Foundation (ULF) hosted a specialized two-day training for psychologists and guidance counselors, equipping them with essential skills to serve as school-based "gatekeepers" in suicide prevention in July.

Garnering the Silver Anvil, the Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP) is an independent health think tank recognized for its strategic partnership with various government agencies. UCHP has convened and facilitated dialogues among over 200 key decision-makers across the Executive and Legislative branches and engaged over 500 local health officers through regional Round Table Discussions. These efforts have led to national health agencies utilizing UCHP’s fiscal research for reforms and the drafting of new legislation aimed at increasing LGU health fund allocations.

The UCHP’s core mission is to establish an independent, non-governmental health think tank that drives national reform by bridging the gap between high-level policy and local implementation. In September 2025, local leaders—including former Vice President Leni Robredo—joined the dialogue on "Maximizing Health Budgets" to champion this systemic shift.

A Decade of Excellence: From 2014 to Today

The annual Anvil Awards gather the crème de la crème of the PR industry. Ana Ruby Pista, APR, Vice President Internal of PRSP and Chair of the 61st Anvil Awards, noted that the organization received more than 600 entries this year.

This year’s triumph is a continuation of ULF’s history of social innovations. In 2014, at the 49th Anvil Awards, it garnered acclaim for two pioneer initiatives: Ideas Positive and the Project Inclusion Network (PIN). Reflecting ULF’s role as an incubator of youth organizations working for systemic changes, both programs have since evolved into independent, self-funding civil society organizations after they were incubated for three years by ULF.  Project Inclusion Network (PIN) continues to champion the rights of persons with disabilities, while Ideas Positive has transitioned into the Positive Youth Development Network (PYDN), the country’s premier network for youth-led health innovations.

Unilab Foundation’s commitment to community health earned top honors at the 2014 Anvil Awards. ‘Unilab Ideas Positive’ took home the Grand Anvil for its impact on malnutrition and disease prevention across 12 communities. The foundation further swept the ceremony with Gold, Excellence, and Merit Anvils, marking a banner year for ULF.

The Power of Bayanihan

For a non-profit like ULF, an Anvil win serves as a seal of credibility in a field often dominated by multinational companies in banking, retail, and telecommunications. It affirms that with a strategic vision and judicious use of resources, the Foundation can be at par with global companies in delivering innovative social programs that generate significant social impact.

 “These are not merely awards for ULF; they are also further proof that Bayanihan continues to be relevant, in fact now even more critical, if we are to create the social changes that we want to experience in our lifetime. However, we in the private sector and civil society organizations should never suffer from the conceit that we can “change the world”. In truth, it is still government that can effectively “move the needle” in terms of social reforms. Hence, we always need to work closely with government, whether national or local. This is the key lesson from the two programs that won us the awards. We could never have accomplished them without the trust, guidance, and support of various government officials and personnel who continue to have the interests of the country at heart,” said Atty. Jose Maria Ochave, Executive Director of Unilab Foundation.

ULF continues to hold on to its guiding principle of praxis – practice (i.e., “boots on the ground”) enriching theory (i.e., laws and policies) and theory guiding practice. One cannot be without the other for there to be impact and flawless execution.