The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) led the private sector in recognizing heroes in the medical community during this pandemic via the Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan award that was presented to the initial batch of 24 awardees.
PCCI President Amb. Benedicto Yujuico said this is their way of honoring healthcare professionals “who continue to risk their lives on a daily basis just so others may live".
The health frontliners are the true heroes of this pandemic and we are and should forever be grateful. This Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan initiated by Dr. Carl Balita serves as a national tribute to individual health professionals and healthcare teams form hospitals,” Yujuico said.
It is presented by the PCCI, along with the Association of Allied Health Organizations of the Nation (AAHON) and Health Educationalists, Advocates and Leaders of the Philippines (HEAL Ph), and co-presented by almost all business organizations and supported by almost all health organizations.
Invited judges were prestigious business leaders and health sector leaders using a well-defined criteria and rubric scoring sheets which included Ambassador Benedicto Yujuico; Dr. Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco, PCCI chair and vice chair of the Philippine Franchise Association; George Barcelon of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council; Dr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., PCCI honorary chair and treasurer and president of Philexport; Ambassador Francis Chua of the Philippine Silkroad International Chamber of Commerce;
Dr. Alberto Fenix of the PCCI Human Resource Development Foundation; Engineer Eunina Mangio; Atty Jess Varela of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Philippine Retailers Association president Rosemarie Ong and chairman Atty. Paul Santos; Jeffrey Ng of the Federation of the Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Atty. Alex Cabrera of the PwC Philippines; and Mr Mon Abrea of the Asian Consulting Group.
Their organizations are co-presentors to the awards.
From the health sector, the judges include former Health Secretary Dr Paulyn Jean Ubial; Dr Jose Rene De Grano of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines; Dr Mario Panaligan of the Philippine College of Physicians; Dr Benito Atienza of the Philippine Medical Association; Dr Linda Buhat of the Association of the Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines; Dr Florminda Tejano of the Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives; Dr Ed Salud of the Philippine Hospital Association; nurse-priest Fr Ronilo Ordenes, SVD, and nurse-Sister Agnetia Naval. These organziations are regarded as partners in the award.
The awards generated P 1.4 million pesos in cash to be distributed to all the 24 winners who will receive P50,000 cash and a trophy. The generous donations were coursed through the business organizations.
Included on the list of individual winners are Dr. Saturnino Javier, president of Makati Medical Center, nurse Scheherazade Edza Ibrahim, RN of the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, Dr. Amelita Rame Guzon of the Quezon City General Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Leonell Albert Lopez Quitos of the Adventist Medical Center, Dr. Janice Caoili of the Makati Medical Center, Bro. Kempee Laserna Llorico, RN of the San Juan De Dios Educational Foundation, Inc., Dr. Helen Valenzona Madamba of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center;
Dr. Rontgene Mantua Solante of the San Lazaro Hospital, Dr. Julius Almario Lecciones of the Philippine Children's Medical Center, Dr. Alfonso Victorino Famaran, Jr. of the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, Dr. Aileen Manalansan Mallari of the Tondo Medical Center, and Dr. Primo Bagasao Valenzuela of the Rizal Medical Center.
On top of the 12, the Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan Team Category winners is the National Kidney and Transplant Institute CoViD-19 Response Team. Also in the circle of winners is the Makati Medical Center COVID Task Force.
Javier has exemplary performance and committed delineation of functions as both Medical Director, Interim Co-CEO, and Chief of the Cardiology Section who clearly demonstrated essential leadership qualities which include innovative persuasion, resourcefulness, and commendable attitudes that speak of respect for truth, decency, and integrity.
Ibrahim has developed training designs and conducts lectures and trainings on the prevention and control of COVID-19 to different schools, offices, communities, and groups. She has played a big role in the launching and establishment of the CRMC COVID-19 Isolation Facility Extension.
Despite getting sick with the virus, Guzon remained on top of handling three Hope facilities 24/7 to ensure the integrity of the city's commitment throughout the pandemic. When she finally recovered, she embraced the role more of being in the front line to protect and save others, earning the unofficial yet endearing title of, “COVIDIVA.”
Quitos is the only infectious disease specialist in Iligan City with a population of more than 340,000. He divides his time to six different hospitals to attend to the needs of COVID-19 positive patients until he recommended to set up a center facility which led to a better management of the patients.
Caoili started the use of an Electronic Healthcare Worker Risk Exposure Assessment which enabled faster data collection on exposed healthcare worker to a confirmed COVID-19 patient/co-worker. This led to a more systematic, practical, appropriate guidelines to mitigate the risk of transmission on their hospital as she also advocates continous research and learning, resulting to more effective strategies.
Llorico of the San Juan De Dios Educational Foundation, Inc. has left the seminary to empathetically serve the people both through prayers and nursing care. He is a person of faith paired with action.
Madamba has played a significant role in the community by serving as a maternal health advocate, continuously initiating blood donations even during the time of pandemic. She promotes alternative ways of communication with pregnant women especially those with HIV.
Solante is forefront in media interviews as the source of information in diagnosis, prevention and management of COVID-19 and other issues that are important to the members of the sub task force unit clinical management under the Department of Health. His enthusiasm and passion towards his work serves as a source of inspiration and a strong motivator for everyone to work for the common cause.
Lecciones has envisioned their hospital’s contribution to national government’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 due to lacking of COVID-19 Molecular Testing Laboratory in the country. He was able to established one through the assistance of Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, Incorporated and embarked on a sample pooling research study with Philippine Society of Pathologist.
Famaran, Jr. is constantly seen in the hospital vicinity doing his rounds, personally overseeing COVID operations which exhibits his resiliency amid challenges and animosities, his tireless dedication to the service, and his unyielding support for everything that’s good and noble, proving his devotion to the profession.
Mallari has helped in delivering quality health service to more than 2,000 COVID-19 positive, probable, and suspected cases. She updates information of admitted and non-admitted patients which shall then be reported to the Epidemiology Bureau and addresses their concerns any time of the day with the use of available social media platform.
Valenzuela personally consolidated the daily census of patients, available beds, available ventilators, and other necessary information and was responsible in submitting these to DOH, while leading their Infection Prevention and Control Committee to be empowered with his teachings and trainings.
Also on the list are the Mary Mediatrix Medical Center COVID Task Force, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Family and Community Medicine Department; the Feel Better ManilaMed Medical Centere Manila, the San Lazaro Hospital COVID Pioneer Team, the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center Hospital EREID Incident Command System, the Siliman University Medical Center COVID-19 Knowledge-Based Medical Management Advisory Board, the Ospital ng Imus – NSD Delta Team, the Sta Ana Hospital Medical COVID Warriors, the Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital Giving Meaning Purpose and Hope Team and Mindanao Central Sanitarium and General Hospital Frontliners. Javier, in his acceptance speech, said the recognition puts meaning for something they thought was just a job and comes with an ordinary performance of a duty. As he shared the award to all frontliners, he is elated for the honor of such a herculean task during the pandemic. He offered the recognition to all those who offered their lives and health in responding to Covid 19. Dr. Rose Marie Liquete, who received the award of the NKTI, considers the award as a humbling tribute to those who are working tirelessly unmindful of the COVID-19 scare.