The Quezon City government has honored six individuals and four organizations for their significant contributions to the city during the 23rd Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal on October 28.
Mayor Joy Belmonte said the Gawad Parangal is an occasion to celebrate excellence and a reminder that the city’s progress is built by people who serve with purpose and lead with heart.
“What inspires me most about our awardees is that none of them set out to be recognized. They simply saw a need and chose to act. That’s the kind of culture we want to nurture in Quezon City. We want to live in a city where people and organizations uplift others genuinely without expecting anything in return. When you have people like that working in every corner of our city, real progress naturally follows,” she said.
The awardees included Lorelei Vinluan, a mental health advocate; Rogelio Antonio Jr., a 13-time Philippine Open Chess Champion; Gerald Piad, a developer of the Computerized Evacuation System; and Kuya Center for Street Children, a city-based non-government organization providing shelter, education and care for over 300 orphaned, neglected, and runaway children, for their human and social services.
For environment and climate change, the awardees were Arlyn Guillermo, a barangay kagawad behind the “SANA Oil” program; and Partnerships for Sustainability Education, a network of schools, organizations, and communities advancing sustainability and climate education through its Integrated Regenerative Education Ecosystem.
For economic development, the awardee was Fruitas Holdings Inc., a food and beverage kiosk operator with over 800 stores nationwide.
On the other hand, Gerard Rey Lico, an award-winning professor of architecture at the UP Diliman College of Architecture and director of the Heritage, Theory and Criticism Lab, was feted for urban development.
For institutional development, the awardees included Nestie Bryal Villaviray, founding chair of the Model Sangguniang Kabataan Network; and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
The Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal is one of the city’s highest honors, recognizing individuals and organizations whose work promotes excellence, integrity, and inclusive progress for every QCitizen.
This year’s awardees were selected for their achievements aligned with the five pillars of good governance: Human and Social Services, Environment and Climate Change, Economic Development, Urban Development, and Institutional Development.
With the theme “Sama-sama sa Tagumpay, Tulong-tulong sa Pag-unlad,” this year’s Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal highlighted the power of collaboration and shared responsibility in driving the city and nation’s development.
