HISTORY

The inspiration for the Bayaning Pilipino awards was a modern hero, a Filipina domestic helper in Hong Kong who was fatally run over by a car while saving her ward, a Chinese boy, in 1994.  The first awards were given in 1995 in the Philippines.  In 1997, the awards were extended to overseas Filipino workers in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.  Filipinos from the Middle East were first recognized in the year 2000.  In 2004, the first awards were handed out for North America.

The Bayaning Pilipino Awards then became an annual search for modern-day heroes and shall continue to make a difference in spite of their limitations.  As it was envisioned by the late Don Eugenio Lopez, Jr. for which this award is now named, to give recognition to ordinary folks who had done heroic acts and extraordinary deeds.  Thus with his acquaintance with Fr. Nilo E. Tanalega, S.J., Executive Director of UGAT Foundation, Inc., this noble project was born.

The Bayaning Pilipino Awards, which is envisioned to be a yearly affair, comes as a fitting tribute to fine Filipino values of humanitarianism, industry, determination and dedication to public service.  It is intended to hold in high public esteem “existing heroes who have rendered service to the Filipino people.”  “The heroes that we want to recognize now are those who are living and those whom the ordinary people can emulate, “ABS-CBN management stressed.”

As envisioned, the annual search for the Bayaning Pilipino Awardees will promote Filipino values by highlighting their accomplishments in the field of public service.  The project also forms part of the network’s efforts to “reciprocate the unyielding loyalty of our subscribers and other supporters” as reflected by excellent performance ratings given the company by prestigious industry surveys.