POPE Francis is now in Rome but everyone keeps talking about how he touched the Filipino soul. Hopefully, his messages on compassion and mercy, responsible parenthood, honesty and corruption will sink deeply in our moral psyche. It seems thus superfluous now to add more to the ongoing public discourse. What deserves stress, however, is how the Papal inspiration can rid the Filipino moral psyche of the corruption wrapping it. Ordinary Filipinos instantly condemn government people at the slightest hint of corruption. When accosted for law violation, however, their first impulse is to bribe their way out. TOFIL AWARDEES. Pope Francis is a blissful inspiration for us all. We do not, however, lack Filipinos we can emulate. JCI Senate Philippines and Insular Life Assurance Co. will honor three countrymen with the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) awards in Muntinglupa City on January 29 this year for their exemplary achievements in their respective fields. The TOFIL awardees – Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda (transformational leadership), Gemma Cruz-Araneta (Culture and Arts) and Francis Kong (Business Entrepreneurship) are all deserving. Salceda, in particularly, has excel led in creative public governance and earned honors for the country for his international engagements. The United Nations designated him as its Senior Global Champion and spokesman on disaster risk reduction and climate change adapation (DRR-CCC), and lauded his achievements as co-chair of the UN Green Climate Fund where he represents Southeast Asia and the developing countries. Salceda’s transformative stewardship achieved early for Albay its Millennium Development Goals, and significant gains in DRR-CCA, health, education, agriculture, forestry, environment and tourism which helped grow Albay’s economy the frequent calamities hounding it. Likewise cited by JCI were the technical tools he developed which elevated to global standards the system of the Philippine Stock Exchange which put the country in the world equity market map and earned cumulatively some US$3.5 billion net investment inflows into the Philippine market. For this, Asiamoney voted him Best Stock Market Analyst for four consecutive years. JCI also cited Salceda’s strategy formulated when he was Albay Congressman which has become the country’s fiscal reform framework and roadmap. Three of the laws he crafted gave the country access to the World Trade Organization. Also deserving mention are his gains in healthcare, PhilHealth coverage and education. Albay now has the largest scholarship program having supported 77,142 post secondary scholars.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:40:37 +0000
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