14th Bayaning Pilipino Awards

Gawad Geny Lopez, Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards (Bayaning Pilipino Awards) is a search for modern-day heroes.  It aims to give recognition to ordinary folks doing extraordinary deeds - a fitting tribute to fine Filipino values of humanitarianism, industry, determination and dedication to public service.

Launched in 1995, it was envisioned by the late Eugenio Lopez, Jr., for which the award is now named after.  With the help of Fr. Nilo E. Tanalega, S.J., Executive Director of UGAT Foundation, Inc., this noble project was born.

Through the years, we found heroes in individuals, teachers, youth, organizations and families.  We have expanded our search overseas and found Filipino heroes through our worldwide search covering global regions of the Middle East, Europe, United States, Japan, Australia and Canada.

Through all these, we have learned that heroism lives in the hearts of a lot of Filipinos and we have proven that wherever there are Filipinos, there are heroes.

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.”

This year, Gawad Geny Lopez, Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards is also open to all Filipino individuals in North America, Qatar and South Korea.