Ricky Martin dedicated his Corazón Latino Award for charity work to the "real stars", the residents of Puerto Rico, as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The 45-year-old singer collected the gong at 2017’s iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina for his work in helping the victims of the natural disaster.
Speaking backstage after being given the award, Ricky said: "This award is not for me. I dedicate it to those who I believe are the are real stars: to all those volunteers that have worked so hard, to all those people who have come to the light. They are the real heroes that nobody knew. Since the hurricane, they have been present and have worked hard 24 hours a day to bring comfort and hope to the victims. We will continue this fight.
"This is a commitment for many years to come, because, unfortunately, we were hit very hard. We have had the opportunity to create great alliances with big corporations that have helped to bring aid to the victims of the hurricane. With FedEx alone, we took a plane with 150,000 pounds of necessities to Puerto Rico and have taken three or four planes like it since."
And the ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ hitmaker has been humbled by his meeting with the victims and wants to do all he can to help Puerto Rico get back on its feet as soon as possible.
He told People Chica: "Being with the victims was very difficult because that’s when you realise how serious the situation is. Unfortunately, the images we see on the news don’t do justice to the reality of what has happened in Puerto Rico. It’s been over 40 days after the hurricane and still a majority of the island is without power and water.
"There are a lot of people without food, without medicine. Many hospitals are still working with generators, but there is no diesel fuel for them. It has been social chaos and that is very difficult to accept, but we have to pull up our sleeves and get to work. That’s every citizen’s duty right now."
Ricky Martin dedicates charity award to Puerto Rican residents
