3rd Jollibee Family Values Awards: Honoring remarkable families who make a world of difference at home and overseas

LOVE for family is one inherent value which is true among Filipinos. Each and every member of the family give importance to the family. By putting importance to family, a member puts a high regards and concerns over the family before anything else. This is also one of the reasons why a father or a mother in will seek employment abroad just to earn decent earnings for the family, to meet its basic needs and want. But Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Glenda Duque of the United Kingdom have done more than that – by caring for thier extended families, the migrant and OFws in London. In 2003, Michael established the Philippine Nurses Association of the United Kingdom (PNA-UK) to address the challenges Filipino nurses face in the UK. The organization worked with the Philippine Embassy and various health and government sectors, as well as nursing and trade union groups, to develop what is now known as the Overseas Nursing Program (ONP). Through the years, ONP provides Pinoy nurses with workshops and trainings that tackle immigration and fair labor practices, finance and investment issues, and employment opportunities.

Other members of the Duque family also play an active role in the organization, taking on coordination, logistics planning and preparation of materials for the various talks. Glenda conducts baking workshops, while the Duque kids look after the younger children of the organization’s members, and arrange playgroups and cultural programs. For this unselfish concern and service for fellow Filipinos outside of the country, the Duque family has been chosen as the first recipient of Jollibee-Coca Cola Global Pinoy Family of the Year award. The Philippines’ leading fast-food chain, Jollibee, honored on Wednesday the Duque family and other outstanding Filipino families who made a difference in other’s lives during the 3rd Jollibee Family Values Awards held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pasig City. Hailed as this year’s most exemplary families, selected from among 1,400 nominations, were: Mr. and Mrs. Danilo and Jacqueline Rayo and family of Sta. Ana, Manila; Mr. and Mrs. Rex and Marissa Bernardo and family of Camarines Norte; Mr. and Mrs. Jose and Gloria Supanga and family of Camarines Sur; Drs. Egidio and Thelma Elio and family of Antique; and Mr. and Mrs. Anton and Marie Joyce Lim and family of Zamboanga City. A special citation for OFW family was also given to Carmona Family (Oriental Mindoro). “Year after year, the Jollibee Family Value Awards (JFVA) continues to show us that our cherished values are alive in many Filipino families, wherever in the world they may be,” said Jollibee Philippines President Joseph C. Tanbuntiong. “These families serve as an inspiration and reminder that all of us have what it takes to make a difference in the lives of others. They also prove that values begin and are truly nurtured at home,” he said during the awards night.

Rayo Family (METRO MANILA – Sta. Ana, Manila) The Rayo family is composed of Pastor Danilo and her wife Jacqueline together with their siblings: Jefferson John, Aaron James, and Dhaline Joy. The Rayos firmly believes that every child deserves a good education. Danny and Jacqueline offer scholarships to 10 students of God’s Little Light Academy, a school that they own and where they serve as the principal and a teacher, respectively. They also sponsor 10 public school students, giving them a monthly stipend. In addition, the family provides their scholars with a complete set of uniforms, shoes and school supplies. They also hold free weekly classes for out-of-school youth in their community. For 10 years, the Rayo family has also been active in feeding and outreach programs, funded by their own income and donations from friends. From helping 10 kids, the project has expanded to help 100 beneficiaries from 14 different barangays. In addition, Pastor Danny volunteers his services to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), conducting family development seminars to those living in the squatters’ area. He also offers values formation talks for new policemen and prisoners at the Manila Police Station 6.

Bernardo Family (LUZON – Daet, Camarines Norte) Rex and Marissa with their son Rexmar Christian composed the Bernardo family. Rex started a group called CODES, or Concerned Disabled Students, during his college days which worked to make their school more accessible and for the curriculum to accommodate PWDs for subjects such as Physical Education and ROTC. He has continued this advocacy for PWDs as a family man, with his wife and son supporting him in his endeavour. In 2010, he spearheaded lobbying for the establishment of the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) in their hometown, which was set up two years later. This year, he also worked with an NGO to provide underprivileged PWDs with 40 customized wheelchairs. Together, the family is part of the Gawad Kalinga and actively volunteers for the organization’s projects, including the Time to Share program which benefits close to 700 students. In addition, Marissa heads their local parish’s social ministry group and leads regular feeding programs for homeless children and elderly people in their community. As a student council officer, Rexmar Christian also encourages and mobilizes his schoolmates to get involved and do their share. Last year, he and his father organized the Jesse Robredo Youth Leadership Seminar, which benefitted 200 student leaders.

Supanga Family (LUZON – Cabusao, Camarines Sur) The Supanga family (Jose and Gloria together with kids Howel, Karl Clovis, Maria Angela, and Maria Shiela) believes that there are countless ways to help their fellowmen. Working with Gawad Kalinga, they regularly organize feeding programs in depressed areas in their community. The Supangas also have an annual clothes donation drive, which has been making Christmas brighter for underprivileged children of Cabusao. Apart from his family, Jose, who is a teacher, also encourages his students to get involved in the project. Last year, Jose and Gloria initiated the Lakaw Laban sa Dengue (Walk Against Dengue) campaign in their town, working with healthcare organizations and barangay officials to raise awareness about dengue prevention. The family also conducts values formation and leadership talks in their community, with the Supanga siblings teaching their fellow youth how to play musical instruments for free.

Elio Family (VISAYAS – Lau-an, Antique) Couple Egidio and Thelma Marie are both doctors, working as a urologist and an OB-Gyne, respectively. Dedicated to saving and making lives better for the less fortunate, they organize regular medical missions that focus on remote communities with limited access to healthcare, tapping likeminded health professionals, and various government and private organizations In 2002, they headed the Tabang Antique medical mission, which is said to be the biggest in Philippine history, and flew 280 doctors and nurses from Manila to Antique. The project lasted for almost five days and helped 10,000 patients, including those who needed cataract operations. Over the years, this medical mission expanded in the province and has provided multi-specialty medical and surgical missions, including ophthalmology, dental, urology and prostate healthcare, to the community They also took on several special cases, including that of a young patient whose brain was exposed, as well as cleft lip and cleft palate patients. To help their parents out, children Adrian Christopher, Patrick Bernard and Charlene Lorraine screen the patients and prepare their records, and are also in charge of packing medicines for them. This contributes to the easier facilitation of check-ups and enables their parents to attend to as many as 200 patients in two hours. Charlene also prepares presentations, posters and other materials to urge other kind-hearted people to help them out.

Lim Family (MINDANAO – Sta. Maria, Zamboanga City) The Lim family is united in their mission to reach out to those in need through projects geared towards education and providing medical assistance. In 2010, Dr. Anton co-founded the Yellow Boat Foundation, whose initial undertaking was the building of boats for children living in coastal communities so that they would not have to swim to get to school. Through the years, the organization’s projects also extended to providing educational assistance, livelihood opportunities and medical health programs. They have also built dormitories for deserving students, including those who had to hike for five hours each day. Dr. Anton and Marie Joyce are also the pioneer volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation in Zamboanga. This group provides medical and surgical missions, as well as educational programs to poor communities, especially the elderly and children. They also set up the Tzu Chi Great Love Eye Center for people who cannot afford eye treatments and surgeries, and has helped more than 2,000 patients so far. Dr. Anton also initially treated Kabang, the hero dog who rescued two children from a potentially fatal motorcycle crash. He sought help from various organizations to help Kabang, who had suffered severe facial deformities and infection, get much-need medical treatment and surgery outside the country.

Special Citation for OFW Family: Carmona Family (Oriental Mindoro) The Carmona family may be separated by physical distance, but they are united by their common desire to make a difference in the lives of others. For 12 years now, they have been bringing holiday cheer to poor communities in their native Oriental Mindoro, giving away special Christmas packages to various families. The Carmona children ( Glenn Cireneo, Cheselden George, Cirilo Jay, Ivan Willis, and Tullip Majette) who are working in Laguna, Spain, Bahrain and the US, fund the project, while their parents Cirilo and Vilma pack and distribute the packages. The Carmona family also harnesses the power of social media, mobilizing their Facebook contacts to help in their advocacies. They were able to collect encyclopedias, books and reading materials for five public high schools, as well as computer sets and school supplies for other schools in their hometown. Moved by the sight of Mangyan students who received their diplomas barefoot, the family also raises funds to provide indigenous communities with slippers. The five winning families from the Philippines and the recipient of the Global Pinoy Family award each received a cash prize of P100,000, a trophy designed by renowned brass sculptor Michael Cacnio, and other prizes. The recipient of the special citation took home a special plaque of recognition, P35,000 in cash, and Jollibee Padala vouchers . This year’s Board of Judges was co-chaired by Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman and Jollibee Group Foundation President Grace Tan Caktiong. They were joined by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Head Carmelita Dimzon; Jollibee Vice President for Marketing Harvey Ong; Jollibee Foods Corporation Global HR Head Theresa Jotie; ABS-CBN Chaplain and Chair of the Management Committee for Public Service Integration Fr. Tito Caluag, S.J.; broadcast journalist Karen Davila; parenting and relationship consultant Maribel Sison-Dionisio; inspirational speaker and corporate trainer Francis Kong; TV host Christine Jacob-Sandejas; and Coca-Cola Export Corporation’s Director for Public Affairs and Communications Atty. Adel Tamano.