Honoring 10 outstanding Filipinos made President Marcos reflect that the Filipino people do not have "a damaged culture."
"We not only honor you but through you, we honor Filipinos. And we remind our countrymen, this is what a Filipino is," Marcos said as he addressed the 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos on Thursday, Sept. 28.
"We are not a damaged culture. I hate that. We are a great people, and you are the example of that greatness," he stressed.
The President expressed this after bestowing the medallion of excellence to Filipino teachers, soldiers, and police officers who have been conferred the 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos.
Marcos said in his speech that the awardees have taken the extra mile and pushed the limits in contributing to the development of their respective institutions and advocacies.
The awardees, he stressed, is a reflection of Filipino greatness. The excellence that they have demonstrated in their pursuits "is truly worth emulating," he added.
"Your exemplary work as academicians, soldiers and police officers are oftentimes the most demanding —not oftentimes, I take it back — are always the most demanding, exhausting, and wearisome professions that we have to undertake," he said.
Marcos recognized that they are not only doing their job but vocation as it is something they continue to do even if they are not paid or not supported by anyone.
"You would still do this and that is why you have become outstanding and that is why these awarding ceremonies are very important that we recognize the men and women who have added to the value of our daily life in various ways," he said.
"This is beyond the, shall we say, the job description that was given you and you have gone far beyond that. It is because you have taken on this profession, not as a job, not as a duty, but as a vocation," he further said.
He also encouraged the awardees to embrace the award given to them and consider it as a proud badge of honor.
The Outstanding Filipino is the flagship program and most prestigious career-service award given by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. in the academe, military and police sectors.
The award looks into the entire professional career of the individual, all accomplishments and services rendered, whether big or small, done in the line of duty and even beyond, from the moment the person started working up to the present time.
This year’s 10 awardees join the ranks of 695 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos since 1985. Apart from the golden medallion awarded by the President, each Outstanding Filipino shall receive P1 million in cash prize and a trophy.