The Quezon City government named on Wednesday, Oct. 12, six individuals and six organizations as this year’s Gawad Parangal awardees for their exemplary projects to help their communities.
The awarding ceremony was held at the Elements Centris as part of the city's 82nd founding anniversary.
Mayor Joy Belmonte, Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, and other government officials attended the event.
“We all have a selfless spirit inside us. Our awardees are proof of the truth that altruism is innate in our society. They will be the first to tell you that they are ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” Belmonte said.
The awardees were acknowledged for their contribution to the city.
The individual awardees include: - Ana Patricia Non organized the first community pantry in the Philippines located in Maginhawa, Quezon City.
-PLt. Jean C. Aguada, a police officer currently assigned as the chief of Anonas Police Station Community Affairs and Development Section (SCADS) and chief of the Women and Children Concern Section. She nursed a five-month-old child left by her parents to earn a living, whom she found while walking on her way to their clean-up drive and feeding program in Quezon City.
-Rev. Fr. Ronald Mariano, parish priest of the Holy Family in Barangay Roxas, Quezon City. He initiated COVID-19 Relief operations when the government declared the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). The program was able to care for more than 4000 families with the help of parishioners who supported the project.
-Dr. Leandro Resurreccion III (+), a pediatric surgeon well-liked by so many, was the head of the Pediatric Surgery Division at the Philippine Children's Medical Center. He is a pioneer pediatric transplant surgeon in the Philippines.
-Staff Sergeant Hidilyn Diaz, who won the first Olympic gold medal for the Philippines. She is also an Olympic weightlifting record-holder by winning the women’s 55 kg category for weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
-Lou Sabrina Ongkiko, a public school teacher for 12 years in Culiat Elementary School in Quezon City. She was cited for her accomplishments that included overseeing the school’s learning continuity program for distance learning; strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; and boosting students’ support environment.
The organizations that were awarded are the following: -The Philippine Animal Welfare Society PAW-ntry, a pet-friendly pantry that offers various pet food and other treats and enjoins pet owners and advocates to give what they can and take what they need.
- Safe Haven Community Center & Children’s Home, an active partner of the Quezon City Social Services Development Department (SSDD) in terms of providing temporary shelter to children who are abandoned, neglected, or abused.
- ECPAT Philippines which provides temporary shelter to children victims of trafficking and sexual abuse; BeSeekLeta for Every Juan which collects old or unused bike parts from donors to be repaired, refurbished, and rebuilt to a whole new functional bike to be given for free to fellow Filipinos in need of transportation assistance especially medical frontliners.
-Salamat PH Healthcare Heroes that pooled donations to provide food for night shift frontliners -OCTA Research that provides comprehensive, holistic, accurate, rigorous, and insightful data analysis to the Quezon City Government to ensure efficient COVID research study outcomes as well as in the design and implementation of vaccination programs for Quezon City.
Former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III was awarded a special posthumus award for his exemplary leadership and good governance as the 15th President of the Philippines and as a true Quezon City citizen.