Gawad Ulirang Pilipino*
Delivering the speech at the 61st FCG anniversary gala
Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio, Archbishop Anthony Apuron, Phil Consul General Marciano de Borja, my dear FCG** community thru the leadership of FCG President Nita Baldovino and officers, FCG Board Chair and Directors, honored guests, mga kababayan***, and as kids say these days - my fellow Guammies -- Buenas Noches! Good evening! Magandang Gabi****! Maayong gabii sa inyong tanan*****!
I can go on and on for maybe another 10 minutes or so saying good evening in every Filipino language thre is to ably represent everyone here tonight... but I won't. According to Wikipedia, there are about 120-175 Filipino languages, depending on how it's classified and I definitely don't know all of them.
First of all, congratulations to FCG and all members on your 61st anniversary! What we have here tonight is not just a celebration of how far the community has gone from its inception 61 years ago, but also a monumental task of recognizing among all of us, truly exemplary Filipinos who are making a huge impact to the Guam community. It is monumental because I am sure there are many others who have made such huge contributions but we are only able to recognize a few outstanding ones tonight. And on behalf of IT&E****** and our sister company IP&E*******, I am humbled and honored to be here.
Both IT&E and IP&E are service-oriented companies and it is but fitting that we support endeavors that uploft our island community and correspondingly, recognize the people behind it. This Gawad Ulirang Pilipino was a brainchild of the last Ben Lorenzo, a beloved executive of the group. The vision was to have a platform by which recognition is given to those who tirelessly work and contribute to the community - very much aligned to how we, as companies, strive to contribute to this community. Therefore, we continue this tradition as it is a testament to both our commitment not just to the Filipino community but to the whole island as well.
FCG has been a key partner over the years and I thank the current and past officers and members for always being open to working together with us - be it for fundraising efforts to send help back in the Philippines, regular FCG events, the exclusive FCG membership - Lucky 7 loyalty card with bonus benefits from IT&E and IP&E, and many others.
We are Filipinos, but Guam is our home... we have chosen Guam to be our home. And therefore, it is but fitting that we all actively participate and contribute to its betterment. I have been given the privilege to be one of the judges as well so I have read very inspiring stories about all the nominees this year. My only wish is to have more of these stories, more of us truly passionate about giving back to the community that has welcomed us and given us opportunities for ourselves and our families. The judges had a difficult time this year. I challenge every one to make it even harder in the years to come.
To the awardees, as well as the nominees -- congratulations! To everyone else here, I challenge you. Can you be part of the nominees list next year? You have the remaining 12 months to try...
Thanks you very much.
*Gawad Ulirang Filipino: Distinguished Filipino Award, an award given to outstanding Filipinos on Guam
**FCG: Filipino Community of Guam, the umbrella organization for Filipinos on Guam
***Mga Kababayan: Filipino (Philippines' national language) term for my fellow countrymen
****Magandang Gabi: Filipino term for good evening
*****Maayong gabi-i sa inyong tanan: Cebuano (one of the Philippines' languages) terms for good evening to all of you
******IT&E: a leading telecommunications provider on Guam
*******IP&E: a leading petroleum provider (Shell) on Guam
I can go on and on for maybe another 10 minutes or so saying good evening in every Filipino language thre is to ably represent everyone here tonight... but I won't. According to Wikipedia, there are about 120-175 Filipino languages, depending on how it's classified and I definitely don't know all of them.
First of all, congratulations to FCG and all members on your 61st anniversary! What we have here tonight is not just a celebration of how far the community has gone from its inception 61 years ago, but also a monumental task of recognizing among all of us, truly exemplary Filipinos who are making a huge impact to the Guam community. It is monumental because I am sure there are many others who have made such huge contributions but we are only able to recognize a few outstanding ones tonight. And on behalf of IT&E****** and our sister company IP&E*******, I am humbled and honored to be here.
Both IT&E and IP&E are service-oriented companies and it is but fitting that we support endeavors that uploft our island community and correspondingly, recognize the people behind it. This Gawad Ulirang Pilipino was a brainchild of the last Ben Lorenzo, a beloved executive of the group. The vision was to have a platform by which recognition is given to those who tirelessly work and contribute to the community - very much aligned to how we, as companies, strive to contribute to this community. Therefore, we continue this tradition as it is a testament to both our commitment not just to the Filipino community but to the whole island as well.
FCG has been a key partner over the years and I thank the current and past officers and members for always being open to working together with us - be it for fundraising efforts to send help back in the Philippines, regular FCG events, the exclusive FCG membership - Lucky 7 loyalty card with bonus benefits from IT&E and IP&E, and many others.
We are Filipinos, but Guam is our home... we have chosen Guam to be our home. And therefore, it is but fitting that we all actively participate and contribute to its betterment. I have been given the privilege to be one of the judges as well so I have read very inspiring stories about all the nominees this year. My only wish is to have more of these stories, more of us truly passionate about giving back to the community that has welcomed us and given us opportunities for ourselves and our families. The judges had a difficult time this year. I challenge every one to make it even harder in the years to come.
To the awardees, as well as the nominees -- congratulations! To everyone else here, I challenge you. Can you be part of the nominees list next year? You have the remaining 12 months to try...
Thanks you very much.
*Gawad Ulirang Filipino: Distinguished Filipino Award, an award given to outstanding Filipinos on Guam
**FCG: Filipino Community of Guam, the umbrella organization for Filipinos on Guam
***Mga Kababayan: Filipino (Philippines' national language) term for my fellow countrymen
****Magandang Gabi: Filipino term for good evening
*****Maayong gabi-i sa inyong tanan: Cebuano (one of the Philippines' languages) terms for good evening to all of you
******IT&E: a leading telecommunications provider on Guam
*******IP&E: a leading petroleum provider (Shell) on Guam
About this speech: I delivered this speech last October 2015 as a welcome address for the FCG 61st anniversary gala, representing sister companies IT&E (where I was concurrently the General Manager for Guam, and Executive Director for Marketing) and IP&E.