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2022 Gawad Mabini Honors Conferred

PASAY 19 July 2023 - Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo conferred the 2022 Gawad Mabini signed by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on thirteen

(13) personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs, in a simple yet intimate ceremony held at the Foreign Service Institute Library at the DFA Main Building, which was attended by senior officials and guests.

The Gawad Mabini, created by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 490, s. 1974, is conferred by the President of the Philippines on personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as on other Filipinos who have rendered distinguished service or promoted the interest of the Republic of the Philippines at home and abroad.

The Gawad Mabini has three ranks - Dakilang Kamanong or Grand Cross, Dakilang Kasugo or Commander, and Kasugo or Member.

The Gawad Mabini with the rank of Dakilang Kamanong or Grand Cross was conferred on six (6) DFA officials, as follows:

  • Leah B. Ruiz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Poland, who was instrumental in securing the Polish donation to the Philippines of vaccines in 2021. The donation, which aimed to benefit hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, represents a historic milestone in Philippine-Poland relations.
  • Daniel R. Espiritu, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan and current Assistant Secretary of the Office of ASEAN Affairs, who led the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan's evacuation efforts of Filipinos from Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul in August 2021. This initiative was also instrumental in helping the Department come up with key recommendations related to the political situation and the condition of Filipinos in Afghanistan.
  • Zaldy B. Patron, Consul General in Calgary, Canada, who led the installation of the first Dr. Jose Rizal Monument in Alberta, which serves as a symbol of Philippine national identity, culture, and heritage. He also promoted education cooperation between the Philippines and the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
  • Eric Gerardo E. Tamayo, former Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations and Director General for the Philippines' APEC National Secretariat, and current Deputy Chief of Mission at the Philippine Embassy in Paris, France, who chaired the DFA-led Inter-Agency Task Group on Diplomatic Engagement and Negotiations (TGDEN) of the Vaccine Cluster of the National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19. He facilitated government efforts for the rollout of vaccines and vaccination programs, along with trilateral, bilateral, regional, and multilateral platforms and public-private partnerships. As Director General for the Philippines' APEC National Secretariat, Mr. Tamayo also spearheaded the Philippine contribution for the crafting of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the Aotearoa Plan of Action.
  • Igor G. Bailen, former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs (OTLA) and current Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia, who led the Philippine Delegation to the Bilateral Talks on the Philippines-United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and co-chaired the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Declaration on Conduct of Parties on the South China Sea. Both engagements yielded significant outputs towards the enhancement of the Philippines’ bilateral ties.
  • Elmer G. Cato, former Chargé d’Affaires, e.p. of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya and current Consul General in Milan, Italy, who led the Philippine Embassy in Libya during a civil war and a pandemic from 2019 to 2021. Under his watch, the Embassy was able to repatriate approximately 600 Filipinos from Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia, who were fleeing from both conflict and the pandemic.

The Gawad Mabini with the rank of Dakilang Kasugo or Commander was conferred upon:

  • Maria Roseny B. Fangco, First Secretary at the Philippine MIssion to the United Nations in New York, who facilitated UN-wide negotiations on the text of General Assembly resolutions on Violence Against Women Migrant Workers and the outcome document of the UN high-level meeting to combat and eliminate trafficking in persons, which were adopted by the General Assembly by consensus.
  • Alan Roi Q. Gabriola, former Acting Director of the Benefits and Welfare Division of the Human Resources Management Office and current Chargé d’Affaires, e.p. of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, who was at the forefront in building the DFA's vaccination landscape, as well as its vaccination team. With guidance from the Secretary and the DFA's Epidemic Response Committee (ERC), Mr. Gabriola started the vaccination program even when no vaccines were available to the DFA yet, through successfully established linkages with various LGUs. He was also responsible for the accreditation of the Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini in the DFA building as a DOH vaccination site.
  • Vida Soraya S. Verzosa, former Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, Syria and current Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate in Calgary, Canada, who led the Philippine Embassy in Damascus in winning a case against an illegal recruitment agency in Syria for the first time. Complaint-affidavits prepared through “The Syria Model” led to the arrest of an influential trafficker, and have been repeatedly cited in the Manila Dialogue and other conferences, contributing to the maintenance of the Philippines' Tier 1 status in the U.S. government's Trafficking in Persons Report.
  • Lorenzo Cris D. Vidal, former Acting Director of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and current Third Secretary at the Philippine Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, who led the process of establishing the Philippine Government's first-ever 24/7 social media helpline for Filipinos around the world; facilitated the first-ever model repatriation program in Wuhan and ship repatriation in China; contributed to the advancement of bilateral partnerships between the Philippines and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in migrant protection; and headed a special mission in a bid to save the life of an OFW.

Finally, the Gawad Mabini with the rank of Kasugo or Member was conferred upon:

  • Mildred A. Bacarro, who was instrumental in the achievement of the DFA's cultural diplomacy milestones in 2018 during her service as Administrative Officer of the Office of the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations. She was able to deliver and fulfill her duties despite challenges in the implementation of various diplomatic programs.
  • Najela A. Raymundo, former Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Officer at the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs, who provided substantial assistance in the facilitation of the first repatriation of the stranded Filipinos in Wuhan, China; and the arrangement of repatriations of hundreds of stranded Filipinos in the same country during the pandemic. She also assisted in the repatriations of numerous Filipino seafarers and fisherfolk who were stranded due to stringent protocols during the pandemic.
  • Jasmine I. De Guzman, who played a critical role not only in assisting distressed Filipinos in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, but also in helping lead hundreds of kababayans out of harm's way despite great risk to her personal safety. She has the distinction of being among a few female career personnel who have served courageously in the frontlines of a hardship Post for six (6) straight years, in particular, as Consular and ATN Assistant at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya.

The Department is honored to hand these prestigious Presidential Awards to its most deserving colleagues. END