OFWs have been endlessly called the modern day heroes of our country. Now, we have the chance to honor and recognize the deserving OFWs who have exemplified the value, the skill and the character worthy to become this year’s recipients of Bagong Bayani Awards (BBA) for 2005.

The awards pays recognition and tribute to OFWs for their significant efforts in fostering goodwill, enhancing and promoting the image of the Filipino as a competent, responsible and dignified worker, and for greatly contributing to the socio-economic development of their communities and their country.

Furthermore, the BBA recipients are figures to give inspiration and be worthy of emulation among other Filipino overseas workers.

Award Categories

Beginning 2005, there shall be four (4) award categories. The segmentation of awards into categories shall allow the proper recognition of specific contributions of OFWs corresponding to the different areas of their involvements. The Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bagong Bayani, shall be the highest honor given to an OFW who satisfied all requirements of other reward criteria.
The four (4) categories are:

1. Bagong Bayani Award for Most Outstanding Employee
   
2. Bagong Bayani Award for Community and Social Service
   
3. Bagong Bayani Award for Culture and Performing Arts
   
4. Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bagong Bayani
   

Awards Criteria

General Pre-Qualifying Criteria
Any Filipino working overseas, whether land-based or sea-based, and possessing the following qualifications, may be nominated for pre-qualificatiion

Must be or have been an OFW for at least two (2) years;

Has no past or present criminal or derogatory record;

Must be of good moral standing, or has received recognition from past or present employer for exemplary behavior or outstanding service; and

The employment contract must have been processed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).


Specific Criteria per Category
The following specific criteria must be very satisfactorily satisfied to qualify for any of the four (4) awards categories:

Bagong Bayani Award for Most Outstanding Employee

Must have earned the respect, trust and confidence of his or her employer, superiors and co-workers;

Has proven his or her competence by being promoted in status or in rank, or awarded citation or recognition for distinguished and outstanding performance of his or her work duties and responsibilities, which in turn contributed to the growth or well-being of the company he or she works or have worked for;

Manifested love for work, concern for the company and his or her co-workers; and

Bagong Bayani Award for Community and Social Service

Must have initiated or has been sincerely involved, whether in the country or abroad, in community or socially relevant services or activities aimed at either helping or extending assistance to fellow workers or their families, or promoting the Philippines as a business or tourism destination;

Have selflessly offered his or her time, skills and/or resources, in collective or personal capacity, to engage in such community services or activities that are beneficial to the people; or

Have performed heroic act or deed, or have saved life or property, the performance of which is beyond the normal call of duty.

Bagong Bayani Award for Culture and the Arts

Have worked or have been involved in the promotion, preservation and development of Filipino culture and the arts overseas; or

Have excelled in his or her work as an artist abroad thereby earning recognition, adulation or honor for Filipino artistry and talent.

Blas F. Ople Award para sa “Natatanging Bagong Bayani”
This is highest and most prestigious Bagong Bayani Award and shall only be given to the most outstanding OFW who have been nominated, qualified and excelled in at least two (2) of the above three categories mentioned above.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

Nominations may be made by the following:

The employer;

The deploying recruitment or placement agency;

Industry Associations;

Co-worker/s; or

Other reputable individuals or institutions

Requirements for Nomination
These requirements must submitted with the duly accomplished official nomination form:

An endorsement letter signed by the nominee’s employer;

A photocopy of passport;

Profile of accomplishments;

Photocopy of awards or citations (if available);

Copy of employment contract;

Manner of Selection

All nominations must be submitted to the Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. Secretariat in the Philippines on or before the scheduled deadline for submission;

All nominations will be pre-screened by the BBFI Board of Directors. The names of all nominees shall be published in national or regional newspapers and at POEA website. The public shall be encouraged to submit their feedback or comment on the nominees to the BBFI Secretariat.

A special Board of Jurors shall be duly constituted specifically for this purpose for the final selection of awardees.

Awardees shall be notified in writing and shall be published in newspaper of national circulation.

Awarding shall be done in Manila, Philippines. The awards shall be conferred by the President of the Republic of the Philippines or her/his duly appointed representative.

The official nomination forms may be obtained from any of the following offices:

The BBFI Secretariat
2nd Floor, Welfare & Employment Office, POEA Bldg. Ortigas Ave. cor. EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Or in any Landbank Offices in Singapore; Milan, Italy; Los Angeles, USA; Saudi Arabia

You can also download the nomination forms at the POEA website