Committed to its mission of inclusion and efforts to help the disabled, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde won Employer of the Year at the 29th Apolinario Mabini Awards last December 3 at Club Filipino, San Juan City.

Organized by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Inc. (PFRD), the oldest non-governmental organization (NGO) that has worked to address the needs of disabled persons, the award was presented because of the College’s consistent employment of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) from the year 2000. Benilde’s initial three PWDs who were hired grew to 50 personnel over the years, reckoning three percent of the total personnel population in various leadership, teaching, support, and project-based work within the institutions.

In addition, the College’s advocacy and actions for the Filipino Sign Language to be the national language of the Deaf in the country was also commended.

Delayed awarding

These awards are in line with the criteria presented by the committee for the category, wherein the “nominee shall be an employer of any nationality in business or industry, government or private, that has an outstanding record of hiring, employing or promoting persons with disabilities for at least three years.”

The result of the winners of this year’s Mabini Awards was released last October 3, 2017 spearheaded by the Awards Committee Chairperson, Mrs. Lourdes Dela Llana Pimentel and the Screening Committee Chairperson, Arch. Jaime G. Silva, together with the support of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Megaworld Corporation.

The Apolinario Mabini Awards usually takes place at the Malacañang Palace, with the ceremony of the 29th edition scheduled last October 2017. However, the annual celebration has been delayed because of complications with the venue.

“Hindi po kami nabigyan ng appointment of list ng schedule ng Malacañang kaya napagdesisyunan ng Board na ituloy ang awarding [sa Club Filipino] kahit hindi na lang sa Malacañang. ‘Yun ‘yung dahilan kung bakit kami na-delay,” Madeth Sagun from PFRD said in a phone interview with The Benildean.

Due to the said delay, the opening of nominations for the 30th Apolinario Mabini Awards will be moved from 2018 to 2019, with the hopes of setting the awarding rites by 2020.

The list of the awards categories and the winners for each is as follows:

Mabini Presidential Award:

• Jocelyn Rosemarie Cris Cevallos-Gacia (Chief Operations Officer and EVP, Tahanang Walang Hagdan)
• Hans Sy (Director, SM Prime Holdings Inc.)

Apolinario Mabini Special Recognition Awards:

• Sonny Angara (Politician)
• Martin Romualdez (Politician)

PWD Filipino of the Year:

• Maria Elena Delgado-Molina (President, Association of Differently-Abled Persons of Antique)

Media Advocate of the Year:

• Romualdo San Pascual, also known as ‘Bulagkaster’ (Blind professional broadcast media practitioner of 22 years for his radio show)

Rehabilitation Volunteer of the Year:

• Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity
• UAP- Makati CBD Chapter
• Arch. Michael Frederick Lazo

PWD Group of the Year:

• San Fabian (Pangasinan) Alliance of Differently-Abled Person (SFADAP)

Local Government Units of the Year:

• Provincial:
  • Camarines Norte
  • Iloilo
  • Romblon
• City:
  • Bislig
  • Naga
  • Puerto Princesa
  • Quezon
  • San Juan
  • Santiago

Employer of the Year:

• De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
• ANZ Global Services and Operation Inc. (Special Award)

Accessible Website of the Year:

• Manila Christian Institute for the Deaf College of Technology (MCCID)
• Area 1 Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC 1)

PWD-friendly Establishment of the Year:

• Gold: QualiMed Bulacan
• Silver: SM Seaside Cebu Mall
• Bronze: Glorietta 1 BPO, Glorietta 2 BPO, Glorietta 5 BPO, Ayala Center Cebu Tower, BGC Corporate Tower, eBloc 3 Cebu, eBloc 4 Cebu, Park Triangle BGC, Montecito Subd Laguna, SM City Cabanatuan, SM City Clark, SM City Cauayan, SM City BF Paranaque, SM Store Sucat, SM Store Cabanatuan, SM Store SJDM, SM East Ortigas, SM Store Trece Martires, SM Seaside Cebu Supermarket, Robinson Place General Trias, and Robinson Place Antique
• Special Award: Ayala Center Estate, Abrio Grove Estate Nuvali, Abrio Subd Estate, Madela Grove Estate Bulacan, SM City San Lazaro, SM City Rosario, SM Makati Dept. Store, Robinsons Place Jaro

Established in 1949, the awards was named after Apolinario Mabini, the paraplegic legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government and Prime Minister of the First Philippine Republic. Nicknamed the “Sublime Paralytic,” Mabini proved disabilities are not a hindrance to contribute to the society, hence the very essence of the Apolinario Mabini Awards.