Bayaning Pilipino Awards 2015

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY

Armando Mapola (National Winner)

• Odiongan, Romblon
• Region 4-B

Armando Mapola believed in two things:  helping people and giving them second chances.  These beliefs have given him the compassion best suited for his job.  He started out as a Jail Officer in a small island in Sibuyan, Romblon.  In this island, he met some indigenous people that unexpectedly touched his life.  Because of them, Armando felt the need to extend his help to those in need, particularly these indigenous people.

He helped in simple ways like giving away slippers, school supplies, food or free haircut to indigenous children.  To fund his causes, he sometimes asks help from his friends, as well as the local government, though he often uses his own money for these outreach activities.  To this day, he continues to hold these programs even as he takes on a bigger role after being promoted in his job as the Chief jail officer in Bansud Jail District in Oriental Mindor.

After typhoon Yolanda, Armando spearheaded a fun run called, “Takbo Para sa mga Biktima ng Bagyong Yolanda.”  Through this fund-raising activity, Armando and some of his friends were able to buy food and clothes to the victims of Yolanda in the province of Capiz.

As the current chief of Bansud Jail District in Oriental Mindoro, he led projects to improve the jail facilities and provide better environment to the detainees.  He successfully obtained the assistance of local government agencies to support the project.

Through the alternative learning system, he also headed livelihood training programs for the prisoners.  These trainings became useful later on as Armando also assisted in finding jobs for prisoners who were released after serving their sentence.  These former detainees are now working as security guards or massage therapists in a nearby resort.

Hildegonda M. Del Mundo (Special Awardee)

• Alitagtag, Batangas
• Region 4-A

Despite her blindness, Hildegonda Del Mundo was able to face all her challenges in life and was able to support her family by being its breadwinner.  For her, having a disability should not hinder you from reaching your goals.  And one of her life’s goals is helping others who have disabilities like her.

Through her efforts, she was able to initiate the establishment of a SPED school in Batangas.  From being a volunteer, she became a regular SPED teacher to fulfill her goals of helping people with disabilities.  She also teaches Braille system for free through home visits for the blind.

At present, she serves as the president of Batangas Women with Disabilities Association and the Vice President of the Samahan ng May Kapansanan sa Batangas.  These organizations aim to uplift the lives of people with disabilities by proving them various scholarships and livelihood programs.

Mark David Cerezo (National Finalist)

• Nangka, Marikina City
• NCR

For Mark David Cerezo, the future of our country is in the hands of our youth.  This is why he dedicates his time in helping the youth to have a better life.

For years, he continuously shared his talent with young people and encouraged them to hone their skills in arts and crafts.  He founded “Pinoy Malikhain,” through which he hopes to inspire the youth in reaching their dreams.

Mark lives a life of service and this was evident even in times of disaster.  After the Yolanda typhoon, he gathered members of Pinoy Malikhain to provide stress-debriefing activities for the survivors, most especially the children.  Through their combined efforts, they were able to extend help to the provinces of Samar, Leyte and Tacloban.

Estrelita Peña (National Finalist)

• Sibugay, Zamboanga City
• Region 9

Estrelita Peña is no stranger to poverty.  She had her share of a difficult childhood, walking several kilometers everyday going to school.  It is this experience that inspired her to help children who, like her, had to cross rivers and walk through mountains just to be able to go to school.  She made it a personal goal to help students who are at risk of dropping out.

She established SSA-DORA (Sagip a Student Advocacy – Dropout reduction Association), a program that was able to build a dormitory that houses 66 male students from the far-flung areas of Zamboanga.  With her hardwork and perseverance, she was assigned to lead an NGO called Sibugay Funds for Little Kids.  This provided her the opportunity to work with other foundations and build connections with businessmen and professionals who, later on, helped her build another dormitory for female students.

At present, she works as a school principal in one of the remote sitios in Zamboanga.  Her programs have reached around 2,000 students and this number will continue to grow because Estrelita believes that her work is not done yet.

Rex Razo (National Finalist)

• Iligan City
• Region 11

A dedicated educator, Rex Razo knows the value of good education.  Despite poor working conditions, he chose to teach in Brgy. Rogongon where the students shared just one classroom.  He worked there for five years because he believed that his services were needed there the most.

He is currently the principal of Iligan National High School, and through his relentless efforts to communicate with local government agencies, he was able to request for better infrastructure and school facilities.  Through these improvements, he raised the morale of his fellow educators as well as the students in that school.

Rex is a person who would always go the distance to help his community.  He never gets tired of looking for ways to better the lives of his kababayan.  He has earned the respect of his community, who will always think of his as their hero.

REGIONAL WINNERS

1. Romeo "RJ" Garcia - Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City (NCR)
2. Edwin V. Antonio -  Laoag City (Region 1)
3. Ofelia M. Peralta - Daraga Albay (Region 5)
4. Fr. Victor G. Bompat - Panglao, Bohol (Region 7)
5. Erlinda O. Beros -  Catarman, Northern Samar (Region 8)

TEACHER CATEGORY

Benjelita Batao (National Winner)

• Buhangin, Davao City
• Region 11

In 2002, Benjelita Batao started as a volunteer teacher for the Manobo Tribe.  Aside from rendering her services for free, she endured working in a remote area with fears of being in the middle of armed conflicts.

Even when opportunities of working in a regular teaching position came, she chose to teach in Tagasan Elementary School, where she would have to cross mountains and rivers to get to work.  Her desire to help others also took her time away from her family.  While her weekdays are spent teaching in school, her weekends are dedicated in holding parenting seminars with the Manobo parents.

Through Benjelita’s relentless appeal to the Department of Education, from a single classroom, more classrooms were built for the students of Tagasan.  This enabled them to increase grade levels from Grade 3 to Grade 6, allowing more students belonging to the Manobo tribe to graduate.

Teaching in remote areas also taught Benjelita to be resourceful.  With the lack of facilities and teaching materials, she often makes us of the organic materials found around the school’s area.  She has also mastered the Manobo dialect and this skill has helped her in teaching the Manobo children by translating their lessons so that they can understand them better.

Benjelita’s untiring dedication to her chosen profession has earned her the respect of the Manobo tribe and its Chieftain.  She will remain to be a true hero in their hearts.

Bernardo Ramos (National Finalist)

• Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija
• Region 3

Though his educational background is Political Science, Bernardo Ramos chose to be an educator.  He is known for being the most outstanding teacher and coach in journalism and mathematics.  Considered an asset in Carmen elementary School, he travels from mountain to mountain in Nueva Ecija, braving the odds just to be able to teach Dumagat children.  Aside from teaching them how to read and write, he also teaches the value of having an education and how it would help their daily lives.

Through his commitment to helping others, Bernardo encouraged the Dumagat community to aspire for a better life through education.  Despite his efforts to keep his heroic deed a secret, it did not remain unnoticed.  The Dumagat people appreciated his work and considered him a true hero.

REGIONAL WINNERS

1. Ruth C. Maglaqui - Brgy. Dela Paz, Antipolo City (Region 4-A)

FAMILY CATEGORY

Cardente Family (National Winner)

• Sibugay, Zamboanga City
• Region 9

The Cardente family led a simple life.  Jason Cardente, the father, works as a freelance photographer.  Jenifer Cardente, the mother, works as an elementary teacher.  They have three children namely, Esther Joy, Joshua James, and Nick Jay.  Despite lacking in material wealth, the family’s treasures are the works they do for the community.

Their current contribution includes managing and raising funds for a girls’ student dormitory called the “Yellow dorm” in the town of Kabasalan in Zamboanga Sibugay.  With this dormitory, the female students of Kabasalan who come from far-flung areas won’t have to walk 6-10 hours to get to school.  They do not have to walk through rivers, forests and mountains just to get proper education.  This dormitory gives these students a better chance to reach their dreams.

Cardente Family continuously coordinates with organizations like the Yellow Boat Foundation and Project Pearls to get the help they need in terms of funding their worthy projects.  The Yellow Boat Foundation helped them with Hope for Paddlers:  Sibugay Funds for Little Kids, which also gives them scholarship funds and educational materials.  Through their help, school drop-out rates are decreased and more students graduate high school and move on to studying in college.  Project Pearl, an organization based in the United States, assists them in conducting weekly classes with story-telling and values formation.

Aside from these projects, Cardente Family is also actively helping street children, out of school youth, street vendors, persons with disabilities and children who need medical attention.  For Cardente Family, helping others has been a part of their family values, and it is one thing that keeps their family together.

Obiena Family (National Winner)

• Tondo, Manila
• NCR

Obiena Family is a family of athletes.  Emerson Obiena, the father, is a player and coach for the sports Pole vault in 2002 and has helped athletes win competitions here and abroad.  His wife, Janet, also renders service to the athlete by giving the m values formation activities.  She is currently the board of trustees auditor of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

With the help of their two children, this couple helps by providing free training to Pole Vault athletes who cannot afford to pay for proper training.  They also provide financial support for athletes competing abroad, getting funds from their own pockets and sometimes asking help from their colleagues and co-coaches.  Their home also serves as a halfway house for athletes who live far from their training venue.  Since 1999, they were able to help more than 80 athletes.