ON October 13, at the JY Hall of the Unilab Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, the organizers of the Dangal Awards for Elderly Care: the BusinessMirror, United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab), RiteMed Philippines Inc., and United Bayanihan Foundation Inc. (UBF), paid homage to a National Artist, six outstanding senior citizens and five organizations for the elderly.
National Artist for Literature Frank Sionil Jose, 92, was the recipient of the Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Award—the highest Dangal recognition bequeathed to senior living legends in Philippine society.
A multiawarded novelist, short story writer and essayist, Jose’s impressive body of work has been translated in 22 languages. He is the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature and Journalism in 1980, the National Artist Award for Literature in 2001, the Pablo Neruda Centennial Award in 2004 from the government of Chile, and the Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2014.
On accepting the Ambassador Award, Sionil underscored the importance of writers in society. “What good are writers? We are keepers of memory. We are the preservers of memory, without memory, there is no nation.Old writers never die, they just become history.”
Joining the roster of this year’s Dangal awardees are:
Winners in the individual cateogry—Ruben Cornelio, 80 years old, (Valenzuela); Josephine Gaviola, 77 (Makati); Bonifacio Dazo, 90 (Las Piñas); Estrelita Evangelista, 74 (Pasig); Alejandro Santiago, 72 (Pasig); and Crisogono Ermita, 83 (Parañaque), who was also the RiteMed Awardee for 2017.
Winners in the Group Category—Tina Cares Saving Lives Program (San Mateo, Rizal); Xavier School Association of Retired Colleagues (Xavier School, Greenhills, San Juan); University of the Philippines Los Baños Elderly Development Program (UP Los Baños); Office for Senior Citizens Affairs of Mexico (Mexico, Pampanga); and the United Pampanga Senior Citizens Organization or UPSCO (San Fernando, Pampanga).
Role models
Anthony C. Cabangon, publisher of the BusinessMirror, said the Dangal Awards, now on its fifth year, is the only award for senior citizens in the country with nationwide scope.
“We are very proud to be part of this undertaking. Five years ago, my late father, Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, suggested we come up with a Senior Citizens’ section in the BusinessMirror. When we launched the section, we expanded it by partnering with Unilab to put up the Dangal Awards, and the rest is history,” Cabangon said.
He added that, like the senior citizen-honorees, his late father was still very active even in his 80s. “Up to the time he was already battling cancer, he was still managing his companies, playing golf, tending to his many social responsibilities and projects. You, senior citizens, are the role models for today’s youth—the millennials. Kahit masakit na ang katawan ninyo at bumabagyo, may mga miyembro kayong pasaway [Even if you have ailments, even if there is already a typhoon or you have recalcitrant members], you still go out to help your communities.”
Cabangon thanked RiteMed General Manager Vincent L. Guerrero, UBF Executive Director Arthur Loyola and Unilab External Communications Head Claire D. Papa for their commitment in promoting and sustaining the Dangal Awards. He also thanked the BusinessMirror’s Managing Editor Max V. de Leon and Elderly Section Editor Efleda Campos. De Leon was part of the panel that screened all 19 finalists in this year’s Dangal Awards.
Legislative support
Papa, director for external affairs and social partnerships of Unilab, gave recognition to the elderly’s “invaluable contributions in preserving Filipino culture and values.”
“These contributions are significant stories that must be re-told, most especially to the young generation,” Papa said, adding that Dangal awardees “have shown us that age is not a hindrance in serving our country.”
Dangal Awards host and BusinessMirror Vice President for Advertising Sales Marvin Estigoy introduced the event’s invited guests: Sen. Bam Aquino; Rep. Sol Aragones of the Third District of Laguna; San Mateo, Rizal Mayor Cristina C. Diaz, Peter Pan, executive officer of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office; Jaroslav Olša Jr., ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Philippines; and Bishop Abante.
A former TV news reporter and now a representative of the province of Laguna in Congress, Aragones said protecting the senior citizens was part of her advocacy as chairman of the Committee on Population and Family Relations.
Aragones added that her committee was pushing for the anti-elderly abuse bill, where victims of elderly abuse will be provided free legal assistance by the government, and for the government to have a designated police desk for the elderly.
Aquino, for his part, told the gathered senior citizens that he was pushing for the passage of a measure seeking to create a National Commission for Senior Citizens (NCSC).
Aquino said the NCSC would help ensure that rights and privileges entitled to the elderly are properly given to them.