SEOUL – President Aquino is set to confer here today the Lakandula Award on a Filipina, now a naturalized South Korean citizen, who is the first Filipino and first immigrant to be elected to this country’s parliament.
Thirty-six-year-old Jasmine Bacurnay-Lee will receive the award from Aquino at the Crystal Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel, where he is also scheduled to meet with the Filipino community.
Lee, who has her roots in Cavite and Davao, was elected as proportional representative to South Korea’s National Assembly in 2012. She is representing the immigrant sector, especially foreign women married to Koreans.
Aquino will confer the Order of Lakandula with a rank of Officer on Lee in recognition of her achievement as well as her advocacies in promoting migrant women’s rights and multiculturalism.
The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest recognitions awarded by the president to distinguished citizens.
“It’s a big challenge for me already. It’s a big responsibility for me already because in whatever I do, it will actually be the result where there may be a second, third or fourth representative (in the assembly),†she said.
“And when I heard that I’ll be given the award, I thought, ‘Okay, this is another responsibility.’ I’m actually taking it as a challenge, as a responsibility given to me to be better, to do what I can do better,†the mother of two said.
She also considers the presidential award a reminder of her roots. “I’m hoping that this is going to be a reminder for me to stay strong, and to keep my feet firmly on the ground,†she said.
Lee said that she started working as an advocate of multiculturalism to help ensure her children as well as the children of other immigrants are accepted and protected in their new country.
Lee has received various awards including the 2012 Immigrants’ Human Rights Award, 2012 CICI Korea Image Milestone Award and the 10th Future Women Leaders Award.