The good news from the Triennial Awards!

It’s the 5th run of the Triennial Awards of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) to search for institutions and individuals who deserve the Eduardo Aboitiz Awards for Outstanding Institution and the Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual. The five finalists for the Individual Awards are: Fr. Dennis Tamayo, a Claretian priest working with the Badjao Community in Basilan. He constructed a 400-meter bridge from the main town to the island in Basilan where the Badjao’s live, something that politicians with their pork barrels couldn’t do.

 Then there is Prof. Estrella “Boots” Cantallopez, a high school teacher who began her role during planning session in their community and in the end, she was “trusted” by the MNLF, the MILF and the Philippine Military, so she is able to help in the peace process in Mindanao. She may not be a “peace negotiator” for the Philippine government, but she certainly is needed on the ground.

 Then there is Fr. Angel Buenavides, a radio commentator in Cotabato City who organized a Tri-Youth Organization of Christians, Lumads and Muslims, which began with sporting activities and shifted them into entrepreneurs selling coco-sugar. He is happy that he found many Filipinos who are “agents of hope” and indeed, he is one amongst these precious few.

 Then there is Rene “Tatay Ete” Vendiola of Negros Oriental, also a son of a farmer who never finished school, but he learned to love the trees and forests at a time when Filipinos did not even think of tree planting or conserving our forests. Today he is an “Eco-Guide” for trekking environmentalists and is dubbed a “Tree Whisperer” in the forests of Negros Oriental.

 There’s the story of Apolinario “Pol” Leyson, a Scoutmaster from Sacred Heart School who had to fend for himself at 6 years old because his parents abandoned him. They just dubbed him “Azkal.” This man who didn’t finish school taught Scouting to the rich and poor kids especially in Sacred Heart where he taught discipline to the scions of rich children. After his retirement, he continued his legacy through their Scout Leadership Council.

 The finalists for the Eduardo Aboitiz Outstanding Institutions are: the Great Physician Rehabilitation Center represented by Annalou Suan who advocated the social inclusion of disadvantage children in Oroqueta and Negros Oriental. They assisted more than 600 children with different disabilities and their intervention has helped these children to be integrated into society.

 The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI) addressed underdevelopment with technology, especially lack of water in upland areas. They were recognized by the World Challenge 2010 for their ram pump, which solved the water needs of many communities without the use of electricity. They also have windmills and oil distillery, a micro-hydro and piggery biogas system. AIDFI is represented by Auke Idzenga.

 The Agri-Aqua Development Coalition is a conglomeration of people’s organizations, formerly street marchers who have since moved forward. It is represented by Agnes Bolanos. Then there’s the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) that adopted the Grameen method of Prof. Muhammad Yunus to give credit to micro-entrepreneurs or people who wanted to make a living but could not get a bank loan. It is represented by Manny Margate.

 Finally there’s the SOS Philippines, which has created families for orphaned children and gave them a new hope of having a family that would help them through life. It is represented by Bembem Rivero of SOS Davao who himself is an SOS child and is also married to one. He truly represents SOS.

 The Triennial Awards comes only once in three years, so it is the most prestigious award given to nameless heroes who never get their names in our local or national headlines. But their work is without question and is something that our nation needs because they fulfill the gaps where our government has totally failed to address. Without these NGOs or individuals, the Philippines would be worse off! This prestigious Triennial awards are given only for the heroes in the Visayas and Mindanao.

 The experience of hearing or reading what the 268 nominees for the Triennial Awards gave me a picture that indeed the Visayas and Mindanao have so many silent heroes working quietly, but feverishly to help those who have less in life. It gives us who think their situation is hopeless a ray of hope that someone out there can be relied on to help people when they are in need. I’m proud to have met them. The lesson that I learned from the finalists virtually validates my beliefs that our centralized system of governance has not been working to help all Filipinos. But these individuals and institutions are proof that Filipinos can work things out even without the government.

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