Ople Center to Confer ‘Pusong OFWs’ to Partners
MANILA – Four government officials, a private lawyer and an embassy are this year’s awardees of Pusong OFW organized by the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute.
“As we celebrate the joy of the season and bid goodbye to the year 2014, we want to give due recognition and appreciation to our partners in and outside the government who have looked after the needs and problems of our OFWs over and beyond the call of their duties,” Susan Ople, head of the Center, said.
The Ople Center will confer the award to Sen. Cynthia Villar, Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administrator, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) former Social Welfare Attache to Malaysia Bernard Bonina, Atty. Reynaldo Robles of the Chan Robles and Associates Law Firm, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
“On behalf of our OFWs and their families, we are once again giving out these modest awards as our way of letting them know that their efforts have not gone unnoticed but instead are fondly appreciated,” she added.
The awarding ceremony will be held during the annual Happy OFW Christmas party at the Club Filipino in San Juan City on December 16.
The criteria used in selecting the awardees include testimonials of distressed OFWs as well as the Center’s experience in tapping partners for the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers.
Previously, the Ople Center had honored some personalities in the public and private sectors in appreciation for exemplary deeds in protecting and promoting the welfare of OFWs and their families.
Among those who were given the Pusong OFW awards were Vice President and Presidential Adviser on OFW Affairs Jejomar Binay, Pag-IBIG through Alex Aguilar, vice-president, I-Remit’s chief executive Bansan Choa, hotelier James Concepcion, and Saudi-based OFWs Joseph Espiritu, founder of Patnubay, and Jebee “Kenji” Solis, as founder and leader of PEBA.