Many overseas Filipino workers do not believe in the Bagong Bayani Awards and the Presidential Awards being given to some of them every year. The recipients of the awards, many said, were not really that deserving. The Bagong Bayani Awards are given annually by the Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc., which was founded by Philippine recruiting agencies, while the Presidential Awards are bestowed through the Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO). “In my whole life in Saudi and the Middle East, I haven't seen any true “Bayani” (hero) among OFWs. So the awards are just decorations and something like motivational strategies given by the government in order for the OFWs to continue to multiply,” said Dr. Eduardo Malagapo, CEO/Principal, Al-Andalus International School; Dean, PCU Graduate Extension Program Middle East; Professor, Ahlia University Bahrain; Co-Chair & CEO, REEM Management Consultancy, Bahrain; and Consultant, Bahrain International University. In his response to one of the aspiring presidential awardees who requested from him an endorsement, Malagapo said the awards do not give added values to the recipients. Malagapo said he runs a school for Filipinos, provides facilities for OFWs who wanted to pursue graduate studies, supports distressed workers, provides money for those in need, and extended and provided many support programs for the Filipino community. He said he does not consider these as his passport or accomplishment to be given an award. “For me a ‘Bayani Award is something that is ‘very special' like the way Jose Rizal did during his time,” he said. Malagapo said he was even asked by a former Philippine undersecretary of foreign affairs to participate in the CFO presidential award, but he refused knowing that what he had done did not measure to the “uniqueness” of the award. To the aspiring presidential awardee who requested for his endorsement, Malagapo said that what this candidate has done are “just common supports as well as hospitality acts done by a Filipino.” “Should there be awards for deserving OFWs, who are singled out, by government entities and community brokers, when in fact there are hundreds of thousands of them toiling overseas and sacrificing for their family and supporting their country who are also deserving as heroes?”a community leader who refused to be identified queried. He said he does not want to create enemies from those who have received the Bayani and presidential awards that is why he requested anonymity. He said most of the so-called Bayani and presidential awardees cannot even give convincing answers and credible reasons why they were given such an award. “Oftentimes they would fumble non-sense answers,” he said. Another community leader, an engineer, said that “only those known by and close with embassy and labor officials are tapped to be candidates for such awards. The selection is confined to a very limited unit of the community, and most often the candidates are known by the above officials.” “We have a saying in Filipino that only those near the kitchen will get the best of the foods. This is what is happening in these awards,” he said. Officials of the Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. have admitted that very few entries were submitted for the 2007 awards. Which is why, they said during their huddle after the awarding ceremony in Malacanang Palace last December, the foundation must have to upgrade the selection process seeing to it that only the deserving candidates are included in the selection. The officials said the kind of awardees is turning off interest among deserving OFWs __
