IN celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of the sixth president of the Philippines, the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation and the Department of Education have chosen 11 teachers who have contributed significantly to the development of the Filipino youth in the past year.
Through the inaugural presentation of the recently-concluded “Guro to Pangulo” [Teacher to President] Awards, the foundation honored teachers from the 18 elementary schools, 10 high schools, and one state university for their role in education, youth welfare and development.
“The Guro to Pangulo Awards is the foundation’s little way of giving back to these outstanding educators, our everyday heroes, who make sure that our children are prepared to be future leaders and responsible citizens of society,” said lawyer Aleli Angela “Lila” Quirino, president of the Elpidio Quirino Foundation.
The first set of winners, who will be honored at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacañan Palace, are Orden Cayso from Irisan, Baguio City; Evangeline Dasalla from Sultan Kudarat; Maria Concepcion Domingo from Cabarroguis, Quirino; Mary Jane Donesa from Davao City; Rita Imbang from Irisan, Baguio City; Val Gawi from Quirino Province; Gemma Jarata from Aringay, La Union; Edwin Llavore from Agoo, La Union; Vilma Quirog from Sultan Kudarat; Rodel Rivera from Project 3, Quezon City; and Daisy Santos, also from Project 3, Quezon City.
The 11 awardees will each receive a Guro to Pangulo medal minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, a scholarship for continuing studies through the Israeli Mashav, and other incentives.
“President Elpidio Quirino reserved his highest esteem for our nation’s teachers. In fact, one of the things he made possible during his presidency was to increase the minimum wage for teachers because he knew all too well the demands of the job, that the job of a teacher never just ends in the classroom,” Quirino added.
The Guro to Pangulo Awards is part of the year-long celebration of the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation to mark the birthday of the former President who was also a teacher before he became a politician.
The awarding ceremonies will coincide with a special EQ 125 lecture on “Transformative Education for Social Justice” by Fr. Joel Tabora S.J., president of Ateneo de Davao University and a well-respected educator and social justice advocate.