TUGUEGARAO City–The provincial government of Cagayan has announced the names of the ‘Ten Outstanding Cagayano Awardees for excellence and dedication in their respective fields of endeavor.
The Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano 2023 awardees were cited by Gov. Manuel Mamba in a ceremony at the provincial capitol here.
“I am so glad this Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano started years ago and is becoming institutionalized,” Mamba said.
“We are coming up with our own heroes here in Cagayan. They inspire us, motivate us and serve as guiding light among the Cagayanos. These nominees were chosen as exceptional men and women by their peers, who served as their sources of inspiration,” he said.
The governor emphasized that this year, “we will once again select the finest of the best, the exemplars in their particular fields of knowledge and engagement, the role models for our young to emulate. We want people to remember our race’s excellence, persistence, and hard work as well as the splendor and vitality of our province. We have high caliber judges who chose among them the finest exemplary men and women.”
Meanwhile, Lawyer Mabel Villarica-Mamba, the proponent and advocate of the awards, the first lady of the province and Chairperson, Aggao Nac Cagayan 2023 Steering Committee said, since we began the quest in 2017, these individuals have consistently motivated us to improve as Cagayanos and Filipinos, therefore today is truly great!
“We’ll continue seeking for Cagayanos who lead by example, inspire others, uplift us, and make for role models as this has an impact on our youth sector to follow,” Atty. stated Mamba. “
“Honor, excellence, and the values of genuine goodness are the essential norms that make a Cagayano worthy of the Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano award,” Lawyer Villarica-Mamba said.
She emphasized that the search is only for residents of the province who have been there for at least the last ten years.
The nominees must have aided in the development of the country, rendered great community service, gone above and above the call of duty in their job duties, and acted as role models for other men, particularly their fellow Cagayanos.
On the other hand, Judge Katherine P. Bangi-Allas, speaking on behalf of the Board of Judges, stated that the nominees were chosen based on the following standards: professional excellence and integrity in their field of endeavor (40 points), contribution to the community or province (40 points), and service above and beyond the call of duty (20 points).
We have indeed a hard time choosing the finest among the 30 nominees, as we came out to have 10 of them as Ginto ng Medalya Awardee and Natatanging Cagayano awardee, she said.
For this year’s search, one Natatanging Cagayano Awardee and ten Gintong Medalya Awardees made it to the roster of the prestigious search.
Dr. Victor B. Valdepenas, a well-known banker, economist, and farmer with more than 40 years of experience at the highest levels of management in the financial and banking business, received the Natatanging Cagayano Award.
Meanwhile, the Gintong Medalya awardees were PCPT. Ian Michael Banatao Acasili for Community Development, Dr. Cherry Lou Molina Antonio for Medicine, Aparicio H. Mequi for Sports, Corazon C. Davis for Government Service, Rev. Father Gerard Ariston Perez for Community Development. Edwin M. Tagal for Education, Dr. Emmanuel James P. Pattaguan for Education, Dr. Nerissa B. Canguilan for Government Service, Monino S. Duque for Music, Arts and Culture and Loren Joy Manuel for Community Development.
We launched the ‘Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano Award’ in 2017 because I believed we needed to motivate our people, particularly the younger generation, by showing them how much they have to be proud of. Because of their accomplishments and moral integrity, I think we need modern-day heroes, Governor Mamba added.
The awarding ceremony will be held on June 28 at the Caagayan Colisiuem in this year’s celebration of the 440th Aggao Nac Cagayan festival. Jessica M. Bacud