2017 Mayoral awardees set to be announced next week

By Jose B. Perez, Editor NAGA CITY --- Mayor John G. Bongat is set to announce next week the successful nominees to this year’s prestigious Mayoral Awards. Inside sources said at least 18 of the 30 nominees received by the Mayoral Awards Committee have made it to the elite list of successful nominees by the Board of Judges led by Dr. Elna N. Chia, M.D. The committee said it took the Board of Judges more than a month to validate, evaluate and finally choose the best among them for conferment by the city mayor. The mayoral awards and the annual search for outstanding citizens of Naga is one of the highlight activities of the city’s annual celebration of its charter day on June 18. Conferment of the awards, however, will be held on June 17, on the eve of the city’s charter day, at Avenue Convention Plaza. As presided over by the city mayor, the conferment rites will give honor to outstanding Naguenos/Naguenas or Naga-based organizations whose exemplary achievements in their chosen fields of endeavor have brought honor, pride and glory to their beloved city. To be conferred are four major awards and a list of mayoral recognitions. The four major awards are: 1. Juan Q. Miranda Award. Otherwise known as the Mayoral Distinguished Award, this is the highest mayoral award, named in honor of the Father of the City Charter of Naga. A World War II hero, he became a member of the House of Representatives after the war and authored House Bill 1255 which was signed and enacted as Republic Act 305 on June 18, 1948 by then President Elpidio Quirino. This award is given for outstanding performance, achievement or service for at least 10 years in the field of either government service, professional (education, law, banking, media, literature, engineering, etc.), or volunteer service. Only one awardee for this category is given each year. 2. Leon SA. Aureus Award. This is the second highest award named in honor of the first mayor of Naga as a Chartered City. A former guerilla officer, he accepted the gargantuan task of managing and rehabilitating the city from the ravages of World War II (Naga was flattened to the ground by American bomber planes to flush out Japanese soldiers holed in the different establishments in the city), where Aureus served as Commander Miranda’s executive officer of the Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit. This award is given for outstanding performance, achievement and service for at least five (5) years in the field of business, arts, literature, sports, medicine, agriculture, and other disciplines. No more than 5 awardees are selected each year for this category. 3. Jesse M. Robredo Youth Award. Introduced in 2013, this award is named after then former Naga City Mayor and DILG Secretary who was widely hailed as a servant-leader. The award recognizes the Nagueno youth, individual or group, who strives and perseveres in living the “tsinelas” type of leadership and the kind of governance that the dynamic and charismatic mayor had been widely known for. Maximum of three awardees are honored for this category each year. 4. Lt. Delfin C. Rosales Award. Launched in 2014, this award gives honor to a young brave soldier who plunged into a hail of bullets from the Japanese snipers to save a wounded comrade. This award is conferred to any citizen of the city who has shown extraordinary acts of heroism, valor and civic duty, including acts of honesty and service to others worth emulating. Mayoral Recognitions, on the other hand, are given to Nagueno individuals or groups who have brought singular honor, recognition, and positive impact to Naga City by the award given them on the national or international level during the year preceding the mayoral awarding ceremonies. Included in this category are those who landed in the Top Ten of any Board, Bar, and national examination, as well as, medalists in national and international sports and academic competitions, and national awardees on leadership, public service, volunteerism and other laudable human endeavors. Awardees traditionally receive plaque, medallion and cash awards.