The country’s number one fast-food brand, Jollibee, once again recognized distinguished Filipino families with exemplary advocacies in the 7th Jollibee Family Values Awards. The months-long search culminated in the Gabi ng Parangal para sa Pamilyang Pilipino held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Recognized for their selfless dedication toward creating a positive impact in their communities through various advocacies, the 7th JFVA winning families are: Mr. Ramon and Mrs. Auditha Dickson and family of Abra, for their dental and medical missions to the far-flung villages of their province; Mr. Simeon and Mrs. Agnes Felix and family of Pasay City, recognized for their 20/20 project of providing free eye check-ups and glasses to those in need; Mr. James Patrick and Mrs. Mylene Matti and family of Taguig City, for nurturing the environment and caring for the welfare of farmers with sustainable organic farming practices; Mr. Alvin and Mrs. Rina Macalintal and family of Oriental Mindoro, for their Balay-Lakoy project to house dedicated Mangyan students; Mr. Arcie and Mrs. Hazel Mallari and family of Rizal, for Silid Aralan, Inc, learning hubs dedicated to maximizing the potential of learners; Mr. Juvenal and Mrs. Erlin Castro and family of San Jose, California, named as Jollibee-Coca-Cola OFW Family of the Year, for breaking boundaries in bringing books and educational materials to Filipino children.
Jollibee also conferred special citations to families focused on specific advocacies. Recipients of the Special Citation for Education (co-presented with National Book Store) are Mr. Rey Dennis and Mrs. Janice Caballero and family of Negros Oriental, for bringing learning closer to the youth through the Gaba-An Youth Lead Foundation. Recognized for their feeding program for underprivileged children, the Special Citation for Children (co-presented with Children’s Hour and AIESEC) was given to Mr. Arnel and Mrs. Alma Borela and family of General Santos City. Mr. Leopoldo and Mrs. Fe Acula and family of Taguig City received the Special Citation for PWDs for their Future Vision Sighted, Inc., which provides care for the visually-impaired members of the community.
Aside from being recognized as 7th JFVA winners, the Matti family was also awarded with the Special Citation for Environment (co-presented with Maynilad).
The winning families each received a P300,000 cash prize, a brass trophy by sculptor Michael Cacnio, and P10,000 worth of Jollibee gift certificates. The special citation recipients were each given P50,000 in cash, a plaque, and P3,000 worth of Jollibee gift certificates.
“Recognizing these families is more than applauding them for what they have contributed in nation building, but for the positive impact of their advocacies in our society and for future generations. For Jollibee, the Filipino family is at the core of the brand, and we remain committed in reinforcing and in promoting these values we hold dear,” said Jollibee Philippines President JJ Alano. “It is our pride and honor to recognize these exemplary families who have made their communities better with their advocacies, but more than that, they serve as inspiration of how powerful Filipino family values can be in nurturing and contributing to building a better nation.”
The 7th Gabi ng Parangal para sa Pamilyang Pilipino centered on the theme of pag-uukit, an age-old tradition of the nation’s forefathers to capture beauty, immortalize legacy, and pass on heritage to the future generations. The guests were treated to world-class performances from Sarah Geronimo, Jed Madela, and Jona Soquite.
The selection committee that undertook the grueling process of reviewing through the submitted entries was composed of some of the country’s most esteemed personalities. This year’s selection committee was co-chaired by Senator Sonny Angara and Ateneo de Manila President Fr. Jett Villarin. They were joined by Coca-Cola Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications Atty. Adel Tamano, ANC news anchor Edric Mendoza, inspirational speaker Francis Kong, parenting and relationship consultant Maribel Dionisio, actress Dimples Romana, and columnist and children’s advocate Audrey Tan-Zubiri. Completing the selection committee are Jollibee Global Brand CMO and Jollibee Philippines Marketing Head Francis Flores, Jollibee Philippines Vice President for Human Resources George Wang III, and Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson.
The 7th Jollibee Family Values Awards is supported by Coca-Cola Philippines, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Holiday Inn, Devant, Hisense, Burger King, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Red Ribbon and Inquirer.net.