UPAA names Gozon Lifetime Distinguished Achievement awardee

MANILA, Philippines - GMA Network chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon made it to the elite circle of this year’s Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awardees named by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA).

UPAA recognized Gozon’s prolific background as an accomplished lawyer and media pillar that matches the four general criteria for the award, namely: service orientation, leadership, impact, and integrity.

Credited for rebuilding the 1970’s cash-strapped Republic Broadcasting System (RBS)-TV into the leading multimedia conglomerate today, Gozon’s exemplary life meets UPAA’s standard for the award of “having consistently rendered illustrious and meritorious service and achieved distinction in areas of endeavor, which altogether made him a credit to his profession and to the University.”

He has been the chairman of the country’s number one station, GMA Network, Inc. since 1975. Gozon’s nearly four-decade-old stint as one of the heads of Philippine broadcast was instrumental in shaping Filipino history and democracy.

The award adds to Gozon’s laudable list of recognitions for meritorious work in law, media, public service, and business, including the prestigious Chief Justice Special Award given by the Chief Justice of the Philippines (1991), the Presidential Award of Merit given by the Philippine Bar Association (1990 & 1993), CEO of the Year Award given by the Uno magazine (2004), People of the Year Award by People Asia magazine (2005), and Tycoon of the Decade Award by BizNews Asia (2011).

Gozon was first recognized by UPAA as Gozon holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from UP (1962) and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University (1965) and is a member of many local and international honor societies and bar associations. Gozon was an honor student (Phi Kappa Phi, Order of the Purple Father) and placed 13th in the 1962 Bar Examinations.

He is joined by Justice Serafin Cuevas, Sec. Enrique Ona, Dr. Ernesto Tabujara (for male category); Fredesvinda Almeda-Consunji, Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, Georgia Cruz-Arnaldo, Pheobe Dauz-Williams, and Macrina Tamayo-Zafaralla (for female category) in this year’s list of UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awardees.

UPAA’s Most Distinguished Alumna is Amb. Delia Domingo-Albert.

The award will be conferred during the 2012 General Alumni-Faculty Homecoming and Reunion on June 23 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in the UP-Diliman campus.