Two uniformed personnel from the Cordillera are now part of the roster of Outstanding Filipinos honored and recognized by Metrobank Foundation since 1985.
T/Sgt. Jake P. Belino of the Tactical Operations Group 1 of the Philippine Air Force is one of the three recipients of the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Soldiers, while Lt/Col. Jonathan P. Pablito of Mountain Province and Baguio who is currently assigned at the Police Regional Office-6 (Western Visayas) is one of the three recipients of the Outstanding Filipino Police Officers award.
For his expertise in disaster response and management, Belino has been dubbed the vanguard of the PAF’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
His operational experience and technical expertise have landed him in commanding roles of several disaster or incident response activities, primarily in the management of missing persons and those who departed, as well as in search, rescue, and retrieval operations.
Among his notable stints were leading the organized teams during the Marawi strife and mass casualty landslide in Itogon, Benguet due to Typhoon Ompong.
Many local government units have also tapped Belino to share his knowledge in emergency response and disaster risk reduction and management.
His reputation as an expert in disaster response and management has reached the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which later adopted his tactical innovations in developing the country’s first training package for management of dead and missing persons which was cascaded to different regions.
Belino has been with the PAF for 18 years and now specializing in civil military and tactical operations.
Pablito, on the other hand, is the deputy chief of the Regional Police Strategy Management Unit at PRO-6 and is the lead strategist in the organizational and community transformation in the Western Visayas.
He is known for his expertise in institutional reforms and strategic communication, which served as critical foundations when he took on the responsibility of ensuring institutional buy-in and ownership of the Philippine National Police’s integrated transformation program, dubbed as Patrol Plan 2030 or the Peace and Order Agenda for Transformation and the upholding of the Rule of Law.
As chief of strategic communication, he took the lead in developing, implementing, and monitoring the program’s communication plan, thereby promoting understanding as well as inspiring support among PNP personnel and community stakeholders.
He also initiated stakeholder-oriented interventions when he took the helm of Iloilo City Proper and Malay-Boracay police stations – steering his units in drastically reducing crime volume while engaging with the community that proved effective for peace and order management during critical incidents.
Pablito has been in service for 19 years now.
Other recipients of the award are Lou Sabrina S. Ongkiko, Jason B. Albaro, Maria Minerva P. Calimag, Iris Thiele Isip-Tan, as Outstanding Filipino Teachers; Lt/Col. Elmer M. Boongaling and Col. Augusto N. Padua, Outstanding Filipino Soldiers; and Sr. M/Sgt. Mary Joy B. Ylanan, Lt/Co. Gerard Ace J. Pelare, as Outstanding Filipino Police Officers.
Each awardee will receive a gold medal, “The Flame” trophy, and P1 million incentive.
Conferment ceremony will be via Zoom on Sept. 2 as part of Metrobank’s 59th anniversary celebration.
The awardees underwent a rigorous selection process and were chosen from hundreds of nominations. A board of assessors, composed of members from the government, academe, military, and non government organizations, identified the semi-finalists through a review of documents submitted and conduct of online interviews, including virtual teaching demonstrations for teacher semi-finalists.
Eighteen finalists were chosen and interviewed by a multi-sectoral final board of judges chaired by Sen. Nancy Binay-Angeles and co-chaired by Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang.
The other members were Quirino 1st District Rep. Junie E. Cua; Civil Service Commission Chair Alicia Dela Rosa-Bala; Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso, Alliance Global, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Andrew Tan, and United Print Media Group president Barbie Atienza.
Since 1985, the Metrobank Foundation has honored a total of 675 outstanding Filipinos. – Rimaliza A. Opiña
April 20, 2024
