President Elpidio Quirino Foundation honors 11 outstanding teachers

 
In celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of the 6th President of the Republic, who started his journey to greatness as a barrio school teacher, the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation in coordination with the Department of Education recently recognized the extraordinary efforts of 11 teachers who have contributed significantly to the development of the Filipino youth in the past year.

Through the inaugural presentation of the recently concluded Guro to Pangulo Awards, the foundation aims to honor teachers from the 18 elementary schools, 10 high schools, and one state university bearing the name of Elpidio Quirino all over the country who embody the highest ideals in the field of education, youth welfare and development.

The Awards was held at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacanan Palace. “The Guro to Pangulo Awards is the foundation’s own little way of giving back to these outstanding educators, our everyday heroes, who make sure that our children are prepared to be future leaders and responsible citizens of society,” says attorney and foundation president Aleli Angela Quirino.

The first set of winners of the Guro to Pangulo Awards are: Orden Cayso from Irisan, Baguio City; Evangeline Dasalla from Sultan Kudarat; Maria Concepcion Domingo from Cabarroguis, Quirino; Mary Jane Donesa from Davao City; Rita Imbang from Irisan, Baguio City; Val Gawi from Quirino Province; Gemma Jarata from Aringay, La Union; Edwin Llavore from Agoo, La Union; Vilma Quirog from Sultan Kudarat; Rodel Rivera from Project 3, Quezon City; and Daisy Santos from Project 3, Quezon City.

The 11 awardees will each receive a Guro to Pangulo medal minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, a scholarship for continuing studies through the Israeli MASHAV, and other incentives.

“President Elpidio Quirino reserved his highest esteem for our nation’s teachers. In fact, one of the things he made possible during his presidency was to increase the minimum wage for teachers because he knew all too well the demands of the job, that the job of a teacher never just ends in the classroom,” adds Quirino.

Representing the roster of winners, Domingo has this to say: "Teaching is not just filling the minds of the students. It is giving your life, attention, tender, loving care, understanding, and patience so that you could transform them into better and productive individuals. Thus, teachers are said to be the unsung heroes and the architects of the nation."

The Guro to Pangulo Awards is part of the year-long celebration the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation has lined up for its EQ 125 campaign, which commemorates the President’s 125th birth anniversary. The awarding ceremonies will coincide with a special EQ 125 lecture on “Transformative Education for Social Justice” by Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., President of Ateneo de Davao University and a well-respected educator and social justice advocate.

Press release from the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation