In a field of more than 500,000 entries, literacy and disability-inclusion advocate Zacarias Mansing Jr. emerged as Cebuana Lhuillierโs 2025 Happiest Pinoy, earning the title not for a life free of hardship, but for the extraordinary way he turned hardship into hope. His win was announced at a ceremony in Dusit Thani Manila, where he stood as the top finalist among ten category winners representing every corner of Filipino identity โ youth, OFWs, creatives, workers, the LGBTQ+ community, senior citizens, and indigenous groups.
Mansingโs story is one that moves with quiet force. A life-altering accident abroad in 2012 left him paralyzed, but instead of retreating, he rebuilt his purpose around service. From his wheelchair, he launched the Books for Kids Project in 2017, traveling to over 300 remote public schools and reaching more than 50,000 students across Negros Oriental. His work champions two things often overlooked in the same breath: early literacy and disability inclusion โ carried forward through what he calls his DRISO values: Determination, Resilience, Inspiration, Service, and Optimism.
Judges across public service, media, social innovation, and sports said his impact stood out not only for its scale, but for its sincerity. His lifeโs work reflects joy with depth โ the kind that survives storms and still insists on lifting others. Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier described him as someone who โreminds us that true strength is not the absence of hardship but the courage to lift others as we rise.โ
Mansingโs win is more than an award โ itโs a reminder that happiness, in its truest form, is rooted in meaning. His journey continues to ripple outward: inspiring young readers, empowering communities, and reaffirming the belief that purpose can grow from pain, and one personโs resolve can transform thousands.
Image from Happiest Pinoy FB