Marcos honors Metrobank outstanding Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos honored yesterday this year’s recipients of the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos, who he said exemplified “beyond excellence” in their service to nation.

“I am thus deeply honored, as I always have been, to join the Metrobank Foundation in giving due recognition to the noteworthy contributions of the awardees that they have made to our society,” Marcos told the 10 awardees, composed of teachers, soldiers and police officers, during the awarding ceremony in Malacañang.

Recipients of the 2022 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Teachers are Junmerth Jorta, officer-in-charge of Keupiyanan Te Balugo in San Fernando, Bukidnon; Christine Joy Aguila, special science teacher at the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus in Quezon City; Mark Nolan Confesor, professor at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City and Leonila Dans, professor at the University of the Philippines-Manila.

The 2022 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Soldiers awardees are Army TSgt. Joel Tuganan of the 33rd Infantry Battalion and 6th Infantry Division in Radjah Buayan, Maguindanao; Col. Maria Victoria Juan, chief nurse, of the Army In Taguig City and Col. Stephen Cabanlet, assistant chief for operations of the Western Command at Camp Gen. Artemio Ricarte in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Meanwhile, recipients of the 2022 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Police Officers are P/EMSgt. Rogelio Rodriguez Jr., investigator at the Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Quezon City; P/Cpt. Rosalino Panlaqui, chief of police, Jalajala Municipal Police Station in Jalajala, Rizal and P/Col. Lambert Suerte, battalion commander of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-National Capital Region Police Office in Taguig City.

Marcos said the lives of soldiers, policemen and teachers could be described as one of the most difficult and “often thankless jobs.”

“And yet, you did it and you did it well. And you look into the face of the challenges that were before you and you did not allow that to stop you because clearly, you have a commitment to the service that you have taken an oath to continue and to serve,” he said.

“Your constant resolve to fulfill and transcend your duties to the best of your ability will exemplify what it means to be true public servants. You are the living embodiment of the phrase ‘beyond excellence,’” the President said.

Marcos also hailed Metrobank Foundation and its partners for spearheading such initiative, now on its 30th year.

The President stressed one does not need to have superpowers or decorations to show heroism.

“What you have done is the little things that you do every single day and have done and continue to do and intend to do for the rest of your lives make you heroes, not only in your own minds, but in all of your community and all of your countrymen,” Marcos said.

The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos is dubbed as the most prestigious career-service award for Filipino exemplars in academe, military and police sectors.

Each awardee receives P1-million cash prize, a trophy and a gold medallion, the foundation said on its website.