A prize for passion
The Forum for Family Planning and Development Inc. (The Forum) is this year’s recipient of the Phil Harvey Prize for Passion, and its president, Benjamin de Leon, the recipient of the Individual Category. The Forum, a non-government organization based in Quezon City, was established in 2004 to advocate for reproductive health and family planning rights, including monitoring the budget for reproductive health.
One has to be really passionate about family planning and reproductive health rights to have lasted many years in advocating for them. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law (RPRH Law) has taken more than 15 years before it was signed into law and upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court.
Says De Leon: “Without the passionate commitment of various civil society groups, legislators, public figures and concerned individuals who made it their mission to fight for reproductive health rights, we wouldn’t have an RPRH Law.”
The Phil Harvey Prize for Passion is an award (carrying, apart from the honor attached to it, a $10,000 cash prize) given by DKT International to organizations and individuals who stood out and stood up for family planning and reproductive health services. Their work has ensured that family planning and RH are reached by the people who need them most. Phil Harvey is the founder and former president of DKT International, a Washington D.C.- based charity that implements family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs in 19 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The Forum and Ben de Leon were chosen from among many organizations and individuals from other countries nominated for the prize. The Forum is composed of experts and well-known personalities who are supporters of reproductive health and population and development concerns and are actively campaigning for national and local policies on RH and population.
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A former mayor is running for the 17th Congress as representative of the first district of Iligan City. His accomplishments as city executive give him the experience to make laws benefiting a wider audience.
I’ve known Franklin Quijano for years, and continue to be amazed at his life story and commitments. Born to Visayan parents, his father, a mechanic, and his mother, a public school teacher, Franklin lived what he considers “a common life,” but which is not quite so common as it taught him the noblest of goals, i.e. giving unselfish service. Even as a young boy, while playing with other kids from depressed areas, he had in mind helping them rise from poverty.
He was born Oct. 4, 1955 and grew up in Dansalan, now Marawi City, and speaks fluently Maranao, Ilonggo, Chavacano and Cebuano.
He finished the grades as class valedictorian, and high school at De la Salle-Iligan as second honorable mention, then obtained the BA economics degree cum laude at San Carlos University-Cebu. All throughout, he supported himself through scholarships, and even sharing half of his stipend to the education of his brothers and sisters. A loving eldest child, he saw to it that his brothers and sisters had finished their education first before he got married.
While teaching economics at San Carlos University in Cebu (the youngest instructor at the time), he studied law as a self-supporting student and even founded the first debating team of the college. He passed the bar exam in 1983.
With the zeal to serve, he ran for the city council of Iligan in 1988 as an independent candidate, since all political parties at that time were not keen on accepting him. Amazingly, he ended up No. 1 city councilor.
Ten years later, in 1998, with virtually no big-time political machinery to back him up, he went against the political giants of the city and won as city mayor.
With Mayor Quijano at the helm, the city of Iligan underwent great changes. While giving the city a new physical look with his big projects like the integrated bus terminal, road widening, an overpass, drainage improvements, et.al., the LGU was learning what public service really meant.
Under his term, there were many recipients of urban poor housing. Marginalized sectors were organized and federated, and livelihood and agriculture were given attention.
Franklin held several local and national positions during his two terms as mayor.
After serving for two terms 1998-2004, Franklin continued his advocacies on the dialogue with rebels and insurgents as well as the focus on grassroots democracy and nation building activities.
With the burning zeal of the spirit of People Helping People Help Themselves, Franklin is now heavily involved in the GK777 – a total and collaborative approach of building the nation by building peaceful communities. This total and holistic approach has so far built more than 10,000 homes in about 433 communities throughout the whole country. GK777 means giving care (Gawad means giving and Kalinga means care) to the poorest of the poor using all the components in community development in an integrative manner: food sufficiency, livelihood, education and environment, social and cultural enrichment, health and housing.
At the national level, Franklin served as chair of the GRP Peace Panel for GRP-RPMM (Government of the Republic of the Phil.-Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Mindanao) as well as chair of the JEMC (joint enforcement and monitoring committee) of the GRP peace agreement with the RPMP-RPA-ABB (Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Bongcayao Brigade) with the rank of undersecretary.
With his able stewardship, he was conferred Gantimpalang Panglingkod Pook or Gawad Galing Pook Award by the Galing Pook Foundation and the internationally coveted Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2003.
Franklin is married to Salma Theresa Gerona. They have five children: Franklin Xerxes, Franklin Yuri, Xyra Theresa, Franklin Zigric and Yaeli Theresa.
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Seasoned artists of Philippine theater, film, and television come together for Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas’ fourth offering this 40th theater season, The Dressing Room: That Which Flows Away Ultimately Becomes Nostalgia and its Filipino adaptation, Ang Dressing Room: Kung Saan Lubusang Pangungulila ang Dulot ng Agos ng Panahon.
Frances Makil-Ignacio, Ces Quesada, Missy Maramara, Roeder Camanag, Andoy Ranay, Gwyn Guanzon, and Ian Ignacio topbill the 1977 post-war Japanese play by Shimizu Kunio, with translation adapted by Chiori Miyagawa from an original translation by John Gillespie. Alexander Cortez’ direction features an all-women cast for the English version and an all-male cast for the Filipino version translated by Palanca Hall of Famer, Nicolas Pichay.
The play within a play tells the stories, frustrations, memoirs and aspirations of four actresses preparing backstage (gakuya, in Japanese) and waiting for their cue to enter onstage. All actresses express their desire to perform the lead role and their obsessive coveting for it ignites a comic yet dramatic narrative about shared memories and their relationship with each other. The Dressing Room is a tender and humorous drama about actors, the theater, aging, surviving and moving on.
The artistic team is composed of Dexter M. Santos (choreography), Ohm David (set design), Meliton Roxas Jr. (lighting design), Faust Peneyra (costume), Jethro Joaquin (sound design), and Patricia Balcoa (video design).
The play dates are April 6 to 24 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall, U.P. Diliman. For tickets, reservation, sponsorships, and show buying inquiries, call Samanta Hannah Clarin or Camille Guevara at 926-1349, 433-7840, 981-8500 local 2449 or email [email protected]. Or check the official Dulaang UP page at facebook.com/DulaangUnibersidadNgPilipinas.
The Dressing Room is produced by special arrangement with the playwright, Chiori Miyagawa.
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