Contributions to the Community
The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award
Search for the 2009 Outstanding Filipinos (TOFIL) is on
The JCI Senate Philippines and The Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd. embark on their 22nd year of recognizing top Filipino achievers with the launch of the 2009 The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award. JCI Senate Philippines National President JCI Sen. Arthur B. Zurbito and Insular Life Chairman of the Board and CEO Vicente R. Ayllón led guests, which included JCI senators, Insular Life executives and past TOFIL winners, in officially launching the search during ceremonies held at Insular Life Makati.
During the event, Zurbito inducted the 2009 TOFIL Executive Committee which is headed this year by chairman JCI Sen. Genaro R. Bautista, Sr. Bautista pledged the committee's commitment to the task particularly in beefing up the search in the provinces for “unsung heroes”.
Antonio S. Abacan, Jr., Metrobank Chairman of the Board and 2008 TOFIL awardee, was the event's guest of honor. During his main address, Abacan spoke about the impact of the global financial crisis to the local setting, and commended the Philippines' strong monetary policies that shielded the country from the worst of the trouble. He also underscored the importance looking at challenges as opportunities, and maximizing the latter when they present themselves.
Ayllón, meanwhile, highlighted the role of TOFIL in keeping alive the achievements of Filipino men and women for the young generation to appreciate. “By honoring Filipinos achievers, TOFIL becomes the vehicle through which the public, especially the youth, are able to access stories of excellence, hard work and public service. And hopefully, these stories may serve as the fuel that will motivate them to be the best.”
Aside from the program launch, the re-designed TOFIL website was also unveiled during the affair. The new website, designed by Web Synergies, contains information about the program, its organizers, news, profiles of TOFIL awardees, and articles published for the TOFIL column in the Philippine Star, TOFIL'S print media partner, “Great Leaders in our Midst”. The TOFIL nomination form may also be downloaded from the website. For more information, please log on at www.tofil.ph.
TOFIL is an annual recognition program of the JCI Senate Philippines and Insular Life. The TOFIL award recognizes men and women, 41 years and above, who have excelled in their fields of endeavor and have contributed significantly to the upliftment of lives. From 1988 to 2008, TOFIL has recognized 99 outstanding Filipinos.
Nomination forms for the 2009 TOFIL award are available at the JCI Senate Philippines secretariat, 2/F Jaycee Building, 14 Don Alejandro Roces Avenue, Quezon City, Tel. nos. 374-4390 and 412-5662, and through JCI Senate Chapter offices nationwide. Forms may also be downloaded from www.tofil.ph. Deadline for submission of nominations is on August 31, 2009.
JCI Senate Philippines and Insular Life embark on their 22nd year of recognizing top Filipino achievers with the launch of the 2009 The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award. (Seated, L-R) Chairman of the TOFIL Board of Advisers JCI Sen. Rene Lim; Insular Life Chairman of the Board and CEO Vicente R. Ayllón; Metrobank Chairman of the Board and 2008 TOFIL awardee for Banking Antonio S. Abacan, Jr.; JCI Senate National President JCI Sen. Arthur B. Zurbito, Jr.; 2009 TOFIL Executive Committee Chairman JCI Sen. Genaro R. Bautista, Sr. (Standing, L-R) 2009 TOFIL Search Chairman JCI Sen. Reginald T. Yu; 2009 TOFIL Ex-Officio Member JCI Sen. Ma. Lourdes G. Sotto; 2009 TOFIL Publicity and Advertising Chairman and Insular Life PR head Ana Maria R. Soriano; 2009 TOFIL Secretariat Chairman JCI Sen. Ma Agnes J. Angeles; and TOFIL vice chairman and treasurer JCI Sen. Louie Pabalan.
TOFIL website at www.tofil.ph
The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award: A Beacon of Hope
2008 TOFIL awardees and organizers (From left): Insular Life Chairman of the Board and CEO Vicente R. Ayllón; 2008 TOFIL Committee Chairman JCI Sen. Lulu G. Sotto; 2008 JCI Senate Phils. National President JCI Sen. Carlos G. Co; 2008 TOFIL awardee for Banking Antonio S. Abacan, Jr.; 2008 TOFIL awardee for Music Sister Mary Placid Lorna Abejo, OSB; 2008 TOFIL awardee for Culture and Arts Rustica C. Carpio, Ph. D.; 2008 TOFIL awardee for Science and Technology Rafael D. Guerrero III, Ph. D.; 2008 TOFIL awardee for Economics Federico M. Macaranas, Ph. D.; and Miriam College President Patricia B. Licuanan, Ph. D.
Hope springs eternal, wrote Alexander Pope, and truly, it does. In the last 20 years, The Outstanding Filipino, or TOFIL, award has uncovered almost a hundred stories of inspiration of Filipino achievers from all walks of life, who sought to make a difference. Some of these outstanding Filipinos, such as Dr. Fe Del Mundo, Jovito Salonga, Rosa Rosa, Lucrecia Kasilag and Lorenzo Tañada, to name a few, are very familiar names. Others, such as Dr. Nelia C. Maramba whose extensive research brought the humble lagundi plant into the medicine cabinets of Filipino households, are welcome discoveries.
To a person, however, each TOFIL awardee is a testament that the Filipino spirit has a deep wellspring of hope that could sustain even through the darkest of times. So much so that each awardee could be considered as a beacon of hope in our society.
From the lowly earthworm to music for the soul
Recently, five more names were added to the TOFIL roster: Antonio S. Abacan, Jr. (Banking), Sister Mary Placid Lorna Abejo, OSB (Music), Rustica C. Carpio, Ph. D. (Culture and Arts), Rafael D. Guerrero III, Ph. D. (Science and Technology), and Federico M. Macaranas, Ph. D. (Economics). They were honored during the 2008 TOFIL awards night held last December, which capped the five-month-long search by the JCI Senate Philippines and The Insular Life Assurance Company, Ltd. for the 2008 TOFIL award recipients.
Just like their predecessors, the 2008 TOFIL honorees proved that the Filipino spirit could endure and flourish no matter how humble their calling, how difficult the circumstances, and no matter where they may be.
Dr. Rafael Guerrero, for instance, took the lowly earthworm – an object of disgust to many - and showed how it was a viable, cheap and earth-friendly means to fertilize the soil. He jokingly refers to his field of expertise as working with the “underground movement”. Millions of farmers are now advocates of vermicomposting and vermiculture, especially low-income farmers for whom the technology was a much-needed help in their livelihood. The environment also has Guerrero to thank because vermicomposting greatly reduces agriculture-related pollution.
Meanwhile, Sister Mary Placid, who pioneered music education in the Philippines, raised the bar of excellence for aspiring young musicians by challenging them to master their art. She also made sure that they are given the necessary exposure by paving the way for them to join in competitions. Sister Mary Placid, likewise, believed that music is a gift from God. Thus, it should be enjoyed by everybody regardless of socioeconomic background. And so, she placed musical instruments in the hands of underprivileged children and taught them how to converse in the language of the soul.
Another artist and educator, Dr. Rustica Carpio, took a similar path although her muse was the performing arts. Carpio taught generations of literature and communications students how to appreciate the written word and to be effective communicators. And if one ever wonders why this veteran stage and film actor's every role, every performance is played out as though it were her last, well, it is simply that Carpio believes that that is the best way she could say “thank you” to God.
The common touch
“Real work,” noted Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno at his keynote speech during the awards ceremony “is what we can be and what others can be because of us.”
Indeed, a common trait of all TOFIL awardees is their ability to fuse personal excellence with the ability to touch other's people's lives.
Antonio S. Abacan, for instance, has led a successful banking career. Under his watch, Metrobank successfully shot to the fore as one of the leading Philippine banks by being a major investor in the Philippine economy, creating over 8,000 jobs for permanent employees, and facilitating closer ties between Overseas Filipino Workers and their families at home. Yet, despite all these, what Abacan considers his greatest achievement is his ability to relate to people from all walks of life, and to help him realize their potentials.
Similarly, for AIM Policy Center executive director and economist Federico Macaranas, the Filipino's potential for greatness is present; it just needs the proper guidance to bring it to bloom. Thus, in his various hats as educator, economist, social scientist, researcher, public servant, social advocate, and arts patron, he has actively worked to elevate Filipino competitiveness and bring about progress. For instance, he integrated Mindanao issues in the training programs of the National Security and Training Center (NSTC), during his time as its executive director. As acting chairperson of the United Nations Development Programme Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (UNDP TOKTEN), he organized expatriate Filipino professionals and scientists, and linked them with various Philippine agencies to facilitate cooperation.
Since its inception in 1988 the TOFIL awards believes that the Filipino can do anything he sets out to accomplish. And so it continues, year after year, to recognize Filipino achievers who have transformed their communities, whose stories tell us again and again, that our hope in ourselves, in our people is not misplaced.
Insular Life and I-CARE spearhead Medical Mission at the Muntinlupa Itaas Elementary School
The Insular Life Assurance Company, Ltd. wrapped up its 95th anniversary celebrations through a recent medical mission it conducted at the Muntinlupa Itaas Elementary School (MIES). Teaming up with it is its subsidiary, Insular Life Health Care (I-CARE), led by president Carlos D. Da Silva.
More than 300 MIES students and residents of the community were given free medical check-up by volunteer doctors from I-CARE and from Ospital ng Makati. Multi-vitamins, antibiotics and other medicines were distributed to help remedy complaints among the patients, which include coughs, fever, allergies, wounds and nutritional deficiencies. Part of the treatment conducted was a de-worming effort, wherein children were asked to drink a de-worming medicine.
Meanwhile, volunteers put grins on the children's - and adults' -- faces as they held face painting and art sessions, and distributed hygiene kits and toys donated by Insular Life employees.
Now on its third year, the annual medical mission is Insular Life's pledge of thanks to its community. MIES is one of its adopted schools with which it conducts several corporate social responsibility projects, such as the Adopt-a-Scholar program and Book Donation campaign.
PHOTOS:
Employees of Insular Life pledged their commitment to the youth for the third consecutive year as they participated in the Medical Mission at the Muntinlupa Itaas Elementary School (MIES) last December 10, 2005.
Volunteers from I-CARE, Insular Life's health maintenance organization subsidiary, distributed free multivitamins, antibiotics and other medicines to MIES students.
Say "Ahh". A volunteer doctor checks an MIES student's tonsils.
Bottoms up. A boy gamely drinks a de-worming medicine given by I-CARE volunteers.
Little Artists. MIES students flex their artistic muscle in a coloring session while waiting for their turn at the doctor's table.
Color me cool. An Insular Life volunteer draws the logo of a popular primetime "fantaserye" on an avid MIES fan.
Goodies galore. Christmas was really in the air as MIES students received hygiene kits, toys and other goodies from Insular Life.