Pitmaster Foundation, under the leadership of its chairperson Charlie 'Atong' Ang, won bronze for 'Most Valuable Non-Profit Response' under the Covid-19 Response Category during the 2022 Stevie Awards on 11 November at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ang expressed his gratitude to the Stevie Award organization for recognizing their efforts to help communities during pandemic.

"I am grateful to the Stevie Award for believing in our work. Our energy at the Foundation is recharged and we are inspired knowing that our efforts and dedication are acknowledged by a reputable global award giving body like Stevie Award. This is validation of our mission of doing something good to alleviate the lives of Filipinos in times of need,' Ang said.

The Stevie Awards is an international premier business award that aims to honor the contribution of organizations and professionals across the planet.

Ang revealed that he was forced to think out of the box that gave life to eSabong after many families and lives in the cockfighting industry in the country were affected during the lockdown.

"The origin of eSabong was to really help the people who lost their livelihoods because of Covid-19 by giving them employment opportunities and helping families communities at the same time," said Ang.

He also vowed that the Pitmaster Foundation will continue to fulfill its mission of providing assistance to those in need even though eSabong is no longer around.

"We will continue to help others because that's my personal mission. We hope to revive the on-ground cockfighting industry given that the COVID-19 restrictions already eased down to provide employment and small businesses to the people who have been affected by the closure of eSabong," Ang said.

A specialized jury of more than 200 professionals worldwide selects the awardees. The judges include many of the world's most respected executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business educators. The foundation bested more than 1,500 nominations from 27 different countries and was initially shortlisted before bagging third place in its category.

Since 2020, Pitmaster Foundation has donated almost P1 billion in assistance for dialysis and Covid-19, including 31,000 doses of vaccines, 161 ambulances to support healthcare for remote communities, salaries for frontline staff, vaccine freezers, healthcare kits, Covid-19 medications, 272,000 Antigen Test Kits, and facemasks that have assisted in managing the pandemic in certain areas.

The foundation's most recent venture includes tree planting to promote climate change initiatives and climate justice.