2009 CNN Hero of the Year Is Filipino Efren Peñaflorida

Filipino Efren Peñaflorida has been awarded the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. Peñaflorida has been selected after seven weeks of online voting.

Peñaflorida received the CNN Hero of the Year citation at the “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood Saturday night (Sunday in Manila). The gala event, taped before an audience of 3,000, premieres on Thanksgiving, November 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the global networks of CNN.

Efren Peñaflorida, who started a ” Kariton(pushcart) classroom” in the Philippines to bring education to poor children received $100,000 to continue his work with his group, Dynamic Teen Company.

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry,” Peñaflorida said in his acceptance speech. “Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter during the gala night.

A Blue Ribbon Panel of distinguished leaders and humanitarians — including Gen. Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg , Sir Elton John,Phil Jackson, Wallis Annenberg, Tory Burch, Kirk Cameron, Malaak Compton-Rock, Masi Oka (actor and star of NBC’s Heroes),  Mariane Pearl, Rossana Rosado,Shakira, Tavis Smiley and  Ted Turner (the founder of Turner Broadcasting and CNN and chairman of Turner Enterprises Inc.). — has selected 2009′s Top 10 CNN Heroes.