Bayani award goes global

MANILA, Philippines - “Where there are Filipinos, there are heroes, and it’s time to honor them.”

The Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Award is going global this year, the first time since its inception in 1994.

“It is a huge and momentous initiative to reach out to Filipinos all over the world and recognize their collective efforts in serving their less fortunate Filipino brothers and sisters wherever they may be. We are truly excited by this development,” said Fr. Nilo Tanalega, SJ who heads Ugnayan at Tulong para sa Maralitang Pamilya (UGAT) Foundation. UGAT, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines, oversees the screening of nominations and selection of winners.??“My father would be smiling right now,” said Raffy Lopez, COO of ABS-CBN Global which oversees the promotion and production of the award ceremonies.

“He started Bayaning Pilipino (Filipino heroes) with Father Nilo. It would warm his heart to know that ABS-CBN in Manila, TFC globally and UGAT have expanded their long-running partnership to search around the world for ordinary folks doing extraordinary work in the service of the Filipino people.”??The “father” is Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr., founder of ABS-CBN Corp., the largest entertainment and broadcasting company in the Philippines.

The award, which was named after him, began after he learned of a Filipina maid in Hong Kong who got run over by a car while saving a child. The award gives recognition to Filipinos who, in the face of challenges and difficulties, manage to rise and emerge as role models of service in their communities.

Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino is open to all Filipino organizations in the US, Canada, Asia-Pacific (covering Singapore and Hong Kong), Europe (covering Italy and UK), Middle East, Australia and Japan.

The criteria are as follows: (1) Measurable impact: scope and number of beneficiaries with known effective results; (2) Highlight the value of unity/pagkakaisa; (3) Focused on service and/or an issue (poverty, health, education, etc.) as felt either in your respective country or in the Philippines; (4) Transcend regionalism/parochialism; (5) Participatory/people-oriented leadership; (6) Promote Filipino values and culture and Filipino heritage.??Deadline of submission of nominations is March 15. Regional winners will be announced in late May and will be flown to Manila for the national awarding ceremony in June.