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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider APPCU awardees for promoting PH-China ties named

APPCU awardees for promoting PH-China ties named

Published May 28, 2025 03:00 pm
The 5th Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding (APPCU) named the 12 laureates for this year’s awarding ceremony of personalities and individuals who greatly contributed in pushing forward Philippines-China understanding and bilateral relations.

APPCU Chairman Raul Lambino (right) announces this year's 12 awardees during a press conference held in Intramuros, Manila on May 26, 2025. Former senator Nikki Coseteng (left) is the lone Hall of Fame laureate of the 5th APPCU. (Photo of Lambino courtesy of APCU)


Former senator Anna Dominique “Nikki” Marquez-Lim Coseteng, who was described as a “distinguished public servant, educator and cultural and sports advocate,” will be honored as the lone APPCU Hall of Fame laureate during the awards night that will be held on June 3 at the Manila Hotel.

Aside from Coseteng, 11 other laureates will be honored in three categories, namely, Outstanding Contributions, Major Contributions, and the newly-created Amity Award, Association of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino said during a recently held press conference.

The awardees were chosen “for the impact of their achievements and contributions in promoting Philippines-China understanding and enhancing bilateral relations,” Lambino added.

For outstanding contributions, ALC Group of Companies Chairman Dominic Edgard A. Cabangon and Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for Trade, Investments, and Tourism Maynard S. Ngu are the awardees.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte-Alimurung, Asahi Hi Quality Food Mfg. Inc. President Ng Siu Seng, multi-awarded writer-translator in Filipino, English and Chinese Joaquin Sy, and executive assistant of the city mayor of Digos City on international affairs Teodorico Nebres Dofiles.

For the new Amity Award category, the recipients are China-based Filipino-English teacher Marianne Lourdes M. Leonor, Philippine National Police (PNP) staff sergeant Nelson Garcia Santiago (posthumous), PNP Chief Master Sergeant Eden Batangoy Accad, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner and former president of Mariano Marcos State University Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, and TikTok content creator Justin Clarence Lao Tembreza.

Santiago was the PNP officer who died as he was rescuing Chinese citizens, while Accad was injured in the rescue of Chinese citizens.

Tembreza is a social media content creator who produces videos promoting the Minnan dialect.

Despite the recent tensions between the Philippines and China, Lambino stressed that APCU’s role is “non-political and non-government” and is limited to “cultural and people-to-people exchanges.”

“We’re just focused on bridging the divide between the Filipino and Chinese peoples,” he said, although noting that the relationship between the two countries have turned icy in recent years, contrary to the warmer ties during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Senator Bong Go, the topnotcher of the recently concluded 2025 senatorial elections, will be the guest speaker in the event, which will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic ties between the Philippines and China.

The APPCU is a joint undertaking of APCU and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Manila.

It was founded in 2021 by former president Gloria Arroyo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the inauguration of the Manila Forum for China-Philippines relations.

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APPCU Nikki Coseteng Raul Lambino PH-China ties
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