2018 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos named: P1 million awaits each awardee
This year’s Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos have been revealed during a press conference held on August 9 in Quezon City. As a career-service award for Filipino exemplars in the academe, military, and police sectors—ten (10) Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos were presented, consisting of 4 teachers, 3 soldiers, and 3 police officers to the members of the media. Each awardee will receive a cash prize of PhP 1 million each (net of tax), a gold medallion, and a trophy.
Guided by the theme of “Beyond Excellence”, a Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino is recognized for rendering service above and beyond his/her call of duty. His/her accomplishments must have inspired and influenced their peers as well as the people in their respective communities. Their works must have transformed a community with a lasting positive impact on people and to the country.
For the award for soldiers: (5) Major Francis Señoron PA, Assistant Division Chief, Logistics Management Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, OJ4, Armed Forces of the Philippines (Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City); (6) Lieutenant Colonel Danilo Facundo PN(M), Director, Mobile Training and Exercise Unit, Marine Corps Force Development Center (Philippine Marine Corps, Taguig City); (7) Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ryan R. Seguin PA, Squadron Commander, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 5th Fighter Wing, Basa Air Base Philippine Air Force (Floridablanca, Pampanga).
For the award for teachers: (1) Mary Jane S. Ramo, Master Teacher II, Tonggo Elementary School (Tudela, Misamis Occidental); (2) Alma S. Janagap Ed.D., Master Teacher II, Pavia National High School (Pavia, Iloilo); (3) Aimee Marie C. Gragasin, Ph.D., Special Science Teacher V, Philippine Science High School-Cagayan Valley Campus (Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya); (4) Carla B. Dimalanta, Ph.D., Professor X, University of the Philippines Diliman (Quezon City).
“We again present 10 Outstanding Filipinos who embody the best in our people and are recognized for their steadfast commitment to inspire change for others to emulate,” said Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña. “Their stories of triumph and resilience inspire us, as individuals and as a community, to strengthen our commitment to building a better future for our nation. It is our privilege to let their light shine so that many more may benefit from their example,” he continued.
And for the award for police officers: (8) Senior Police Officer 1 Aida Awitin, Assistant Police Community Relations Police Non-Commissioned Officer, Davao Occidental Police Provincial Office (Malita, Davao Occidental); (9) Police Senior Inspector Dennis Ebsolo, Ph.D., Chief of Police, Villanueva Municipal Police Station (Villanueva, Misamis Oriental); and (10) Police Senior Superintendent Pascual Muñoz, Ph.D., Chief, Supply Chain Management Division, Directorate for Logistics of the Philippine National Police (Camp Crame, Quezon City).
The 19 finalists were interviewed by a multi-sectoral Final Board of Judges chaired by Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and co-chaired by Supreme Court of the Philippines associate justice Noel Tijam. The other members include: Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary Menardo Guevarra; Makati City mayor Mar-Len Abigail Binay-Campos; De La Salle Philippines president Br. Armin Luistro; Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) chairman Manuel Pangilinan; Rockwell Land, Inc. president and chief executive officer Nestor Padilla; and veteran journalist Ma. Teresa Vitug.
The awardees underwent a rigorous selection process and were selected from hundreds of nominations. A Board of Assessors, composed of members from the government, academe, military, and media sectors, pre-determined the semi-finalists through document review. The accomplishments of the semi-finalists were field validated by third-party organizations, the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) and the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP). The field validation determined 19 finalists whose work has inspired and influenced their peers as well as the larger community with a lasting positive impact.
Joining the ranks of 655 outstanding public servants recognized by MBFI since 1985, the awardees will be honored during the formal conferment ceremonies on September 7, 2018 at the Metrobank Plaza, Makati City as part of Metrobank’s 56th anniversary celebration.
Lieutenant Colonel Danilo T. Facundo
A Marine Corps officer for 23 years, Lieutenant Colonel Danilo T. Facundo has championed initiatives upholding diversity and equal opportunity within the military and among the communities he has vowed to serve.
During his stint as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 in Palawan, Lt. Col. Facundo led various inter-agency interventions to combat widespread insurgency and terrorism in the province. By so doing, there was zero kidnapping and zero terrorism related activities in Palawan in the entire duration of his term.
On an administrative level, Lt. Col. Facundo challenged existing norms within the Marines by initiating programs on bottom-up leadership for junior officers and non-commissioned personnel; as well as trainings on gender mainstreaming which empowered female officers in the line of duty.
"The joint and interagency approach is something i have spent mu carrer working on, because it essentially means bringing every one to work in unison towards a common goal. While different agencies may differ and functions and priorities, I believe we have still have commonalities and are alligned towards creating conditions conductive for sustained economic development" Danilo said.
Senior Police Officer Aida L. Awitin
A licensed teacher turned police officer, SPO1 Awitin was the moving force behind the institutionalization of the Lingap Mamamayan program (loosely translated as “Care for the People”) in the rebel-tagged municipality of Malita, Davao Occidental.
Through Lingap Mamamayan, the delivery of basic social services to underprivileged communities became more efficient. With the cooperation of key government institutions and private organizations, poor families were provided with daily food items, personal hygiene kits, school materials for children, and medical and dental services.
Recognizing the importance of engaging the youth in crime prevention and solution, SPO1 Awitin established the Junior Police program in 2017. In its pilot run, the program assembled 112 high school students from 6 schools to serve as the young counterparts of police officers in their respective barangays.
"Being deployed in the terror-threatened hinterlands of Molita, Davao Occidental made me realize that my role as a police officer is not only to enforce laws, but to educate the people. This is the backbone of sustainable peace and order: a strong bond between the police and the community" Awitin said.
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