Happy 85th birth anniversary, Tita Cory

Today would have been the 85th birthday of former President Cory Aquino, the country’s first woman president and an acknowledged democracy icon around the world.  The “Lady in Yellow” succumbed to cancer on Aug. 1, 2009, and was brought to her final resting place by over a million Filipinos.

Her legacy lives on if Filipinos cherish the freedoms and rights restored by her presidency and the EDSA Revolution, which cried out for her leadership after 20 years of dictatorship.

The epic stories of heroes and heroines outlive politics, and are “weather-proof.” Regardless of who is in power, and which generation calls the shots, people will always need guiding lights to illumine their path. When heroes become scarce, or when people no longer emulate heroes, a nation will have a hard time navigating its future, much like an airplane on a tarmac without guiding lights.

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I recently received a book like no other. It was actually a storybook, The Life of Cory Aquino, as written by a mother, Corinna Vistan for her son Roman. With colorful and vivid illustrations by Alexandra Turner-Piper and Jake Reeson.

In her dedication, Corinna wrote: “Several months before my son Roman’s fifth birthday, I had thought of giving him something special and unique. I wanted to teach him about the place where his mother and her family come from, in the hopes that he always stays true to himself.

“I wanted him to learn about our country’s history, specifically a monumental event that I myself had witnessed when I was his age. It was a place in time that I hope people won’t forget, a time where democracy was restored. It serves as a reminder that power will always reside with the will of the people.

Corinna expressed hopes that her son and other children of the world “may be inspired by the courage and sincerity of this exceptionally unselfish leader.”

I think the book will inspire tomorrow’s leaders as well as today’s “influencers.”

(The book was published by Central Book Supply, Phoenix Building, Quezon Ave., Quezon City.)

Honoring everyday heroes

Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña and Manila Police District Intelligence and Operations Unit chief PCInsp. Rosalino Ibay Jr.

In a Third World country like the Philippines, the relevance of food safety and security is more often than not overshadowed by more pertinent food issues such as hunger and malnutrition.

But for Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, food security is a crucial national issue, one that deserves much deeper attention than it gets. The Philippines, being a tropical developing country, is especially at risk. The food in most Filipino households is a hotbed teeming with deadly organisms just awaiting an opportunity to infect society.

This is where most of Dr. Gabriel’s work comes in. As a food science and technology professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, he led the establishment of the country’s first and only Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene based at UP’s College of Home Economics (CHE). In the past, some Food Technology students would have to drop out of the course as they were unable to afford expensive laboratory experiments to complete their studies. But since its establishment in 2010, the laboratory has been opened to students and faculty not just from UP Diliman but other institutions as well.

Dr. Gabriel is one of the Metrobank Foundation’s Outstanding Filipinos for 2017. The award, according to the foundation’s president Aniceto Sobrepeña, “recognizes brilliant, dedicated and resilient pubic servants.”

Dr. Gabriel, Lt. Col. Elmer Suderio and Police Chief Inspector Rosalino Ibay Jr. met the press at the Bulong Pulungan lunch forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza recently when the Metrobank Foundation launched its search for Outstanding Filipinos for 2018.

In his 28-year career in military service, Lt. Col. Elmer Suderio has been a warrior, an administrator, an academic and a development worker.

As commander of the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion, Suderio led a series of armed operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists in Basilan from 2015 to 2017.  By neutralizing highly wanted terrorists and capturing enemy strongholds, he contributed greatly to the improvement of peace and order in Basilan.

Growing up in Tondo, Manila, the city’s largest slum district, fueled Rosalino Ibay Jr. to eventually pursue the profession of peacekeeping.

Philippine Army Lt. Col. Elmer Suderio and University of the Philippines Diliman professor and university scientist Dr. Alonzo Gabriel.

Now the chief of Manila Police District’s Intelligence and Operations Unit, PCInsp. Ibay has led numerous operations against the most notorious crimes in Tondo, including cases of robbery, murder, human trafficking, syndicated illegal recruitment and prostitution. He has also led operations to confiscate various counterfeit products such as diplomas and licenses at different locations in Manila, resulting in the arrest of several suspects and an increased public awareness and vigilance of such illegal businesses.

Most notably though, Ibay was instrumental in the resolution of unprecedented carnapping cases in Manila, considered as the carnapping capital of the Philippines. This led to the recovery of hundreds of stolen vehicles and motorcycles, arrest of numerous suspects and filing of appropriate cases in court.

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These are challenging times to be a public servant — especially a teacher, a soldier and a police officer — in our country. But to say that exemplary public servants are a dying breed would be a great disservice to those who have selflessly pledged their lives in the pursuit of service to our nation. These individuals — who go about their work quietly, pursuing advocacies and initiatives that yield positive change in their respective communities — deserve due recognition. This was the message delivered by the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) to media during the Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel press conference recently. 

Another batch of 10 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos will be recognized — four teachers, three soldiers and three police officers. Each awardee will receive a P1-million cash incentive, a trophy and a gold medallion. They will be awarded during Metrobank’s 56th anniversary celebration in September.

“Beyond professional accomplishments, we aim to look for everyday heroes who have gone beyond personal limitations to earn outstanding achievements,” said Sobrepeña. “The Metrobank Foundation is privileged to highlight their achievements in inspiring change in their respective institutions and for sharing their stories of steadfast commitment in nation-building,” he added.   

Nomination forms and detailed guidelines are now available via the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Facebook page. Deadline for nominations to be sent to the MBFI Secretariat is on March 1, 2018.

The search is held in partnership with the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education, Rotary Club of Makati Metro, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Rotary Club of New Manila East, Philippine Savings Bank and the Philippine National Police.

(For further inquiries, call 898-8898, 857-8757, 945-7006 or 0956-8734684, 0925-8303717 and 0933-5224186. Please look for Kristal Todcor (teachers), Third Salang (soldiers) and Beni Benipayo (police officers). You may also e-mail [email protected]. Nomination forms can also be accessed through www.mbfoundation.org.ph.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)