■ Ofelia C. Empian
The search for the most outstanding citizens from Benguet is open as the annual Benguet Awards is set in time for the 123rd foundation celebration of the province and Adivay Festival in November.
There will be three categories open for nominations: Outstanding iBenguet Award, the Adivay Global Icon (AGI) Award, and the most coveted Adivay Everlasting Award.
For the Outstanding iBenguet Award, nominees must be born in Benguet; for those born outside of the province, they must be a member of the indigenous peoples of Benguet as certified by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; a person legally married to an IP of Benguet; or an individual who has resided in the province for a minimum of five cumulative years and made significant contributions to the community.
Employees of the Benguet Capitol can be nominated as long as their achievements are unrelated to their work responsibilities or official duties.
Awardees must be known for their integrity and good moral character and whose achievements benefitted the greatest number of people for a long period of time; consistent demonstration and practice of exemplary conduct, morality and ethical behavior, demonstration of competence of the highest degree; outstanding achievement in the field of expertise or interest thus projecting a good image for the province; and demonstration of qualities of leadership in their chosen field.
For the AGI Award, nominees must recognize themselves as iBenguet, known for their good moral character; can either be an individual, group, or entity; and must have served at least five years as migrant or an overseas Filipino worker.
Nominees must also have contributed significantly to the advancement and development of the province, promoted the interests of Filipino communities abroad, or displayed excellence and distinction in the pursuit of their work or profession abroad.
For the Everlasting Award, nominees may either be an individual, group or an entity and must have voluntarily rendered social, economic, and infrastructure services benefiting the province, or two or more municipalities and/or its people.
Nominees for all the categories shall be selected from various fields of endeavor, but not limited to social, good governance, environment and economic aspects.
Nominations must be submitted to the Provincial Legal Office at the third floor of the Capitol until Oct. 13.
The annual awards is among the highlights of the series of events lined up for the 123rd Benguet Foundation Day and Adivay Festival with the theme, “Benguet: Gateway to unforgettable getaways.”
