BAGUIO CITY — A total of 12 senior citizens from various sectors will be honored here on Oct. 25 for their continuing contribution to the development of the community.
The city government of Baguio will award the prestigious “GintongTala Luminary Award” for exemplary leadership and extraordinary services to the city’s community development to Jamal Makarangkat for spiritual and religious service; Councilor Elaine Sembrano for government service – legislative department; retired city general services officer Romeo Concio for government service – executive department; Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Mia Joy Oallares-Cawed for government service – judiciary; ophthalmologist Ronaldo Paraan for health and medicine; and University of the Cordilleras officer-in-charge president Ray Dean Salvosa for education.
They are joined by Baguio Museum OIC executive director Stela De Guia for tourism and culture; businesswoman Nancy Alabanza for business and trade; retired Philippine National Police Gen. Villamor Bumanglag for military service; Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer (OCSWADO) Betty Fangasan for fraternal social and civic service; retired Radyo ng Bayan station manager Roger Mercado for journalism; and former city councilor Rufino Panagan for sports.
The 12 awardees are being recognized and cited for their individual exemplary leadership, performance and achievement in their respective profession, vocation or career and for their outstanding participation in civic-social or environmental development activities for a better Baguio either as a club member, officer or as an individual volunteer, said City Information Office head Aileen Refuerzo.
Refuerzo said the awarding will be led by the OCSWD in partnership with the senior citizens organization.
The awards will be presented by Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Rep. Marquez Go and Councilor Lilia Farinas at the Baguio Convention Center.
The members of the awards committee are Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) head Isaias Barongan; Blessed Association of Retired Persons Foundation Inc. (BARPF) chairman Federico Balanag; Federation of Baguio Senior Citizen Associations’ (FBASECA) Edita Ibarra; Philippine Information Agency-Cordillera (PIA-CAR) regional director Helen Tibaldo and Joseph Zambrano and the Public Information Office of the City Mayor’s Office.
During the program, the Lakan and Lakambini elderlies will also be presented and will do the ceremonial walk while being serenaded.
To cap the celebration, a cultural show, awarding of winners in the poem-writing contest and community dancing will also held.
The program, which is part of the elderly month celebration, is jointly sponsored by the city government and the OSCA, in partnership with the Baguio Elderly Association, FBASECA, Veterans Federation of the Philippines, BARPF, the Philippine Government Retirees Association (PGRA) and the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). PNA-northboundasia.com