Metrobank Foundation to honor 2022 Outstanding Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — Going “above and beyond” the call of duty is second nature to many civil servants.

Despite the challenges of the past two years, many still went out of their way to serve communities facing difficulties brought about by the pandemic.

“Outstanding Filipinos are defined by character, competence and compassion. They embody the meaning of ‘Beyond Excellence’ for rendering service above and beyond their call of duty as educators, peacekeepers and defenders. Their contributions speak of not only caliber, but also of heart and community presence,” said Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña.

“Their examples, therefore, are a stark contrast to the dark days we’ve experienced in the past couple of years, because they are bringing the much-needed light through their selfless work as purveyors of hope,” he added.

This Monday, the Metrobank Foundation will confer the 2022 Outstanding Filipinos award to four teachers, three police officers and three soldiers who were recognized for their contributions in service and community involvements.

This year’s teacher awardees include Junmerth Jorta, officer-in-charge of the Keupiyanan Te Balugo, a last-mile school in San Fernando, Bukidnon; Christine Joy Aguila, teacher-advocate of Filipino language and special science teacher at the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus; physics professor Mark Nolan Confesor of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and pediatric rheumatologist Leonila Dans, professor at the University of the Philippines-Manila.

Named awardees for the military were Technical Sgt. Joel Tuganan, First Sergeant of the Delta Company, 33rd Infantry Battalion, 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army; Col. Maria Victoria Juan, army chief nurse of the Philippine Army and Col. Stephen Cabanlet, assistant chief of unified command staff for operations, Western Command.

Awardees for police officers were Executive Master Sergeant Rogelio Rodriguez Jr., investigator at the Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group; Capt. Rosalino Panlaqui, chief of the Jalajala Municipal Police Station in Rizal and Colonel Lambert Suerte, commander of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the National Capital Region Police Office.

“This year’s teacher-awardees have proven that mentorship is crucial in a learner’s journey, especially during a crisis. Their breakthroughs and innovations are rooted in shaping the future generation,” the Metrobank Foundation said.

“The soldier and police officer awardees, on the other hand, live up to the values of industry and integrity, serving as role models to their peers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police. Apart from guarding the nation’s peace and sovereignty, they also fulfill their obligations to keep the population safe from COVID-19,” it added.

The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos will each receive a cash prize of P1 million, a golden medallion and “The Flame” trophy during the conferment ceremonies next month.

The awardees were selected by a panel of judges chaired by Sen. Grace Poe and co-chaired by Supreme Court associate justice Ramon Paul Hernando.

Members of the panel include Robinsons Land Corp. president and chief executive officer Frederick Go, Nine Media Corp. and CNN Philippines president Benjamin Ramos, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines president Ma. Cecilia Alcantara and International Association of Business Communicators Philippines chairman Agapito Joe Zaldarriaga.