Ex-President Duterte set for induction into APPCU’s Hall of Fame

FILE: Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over the 54th Cabinet meeting at the Malacañan Palace on May 30, 2022. ALBERTO ALCAIN/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte will be inducted into the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding’s (APPCU) Hall of Fame in 2023 for “strengthening friendly ties and promoting mutual understanding” between the two countries.

During a press conference on Monday, Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) president Sixto “Noy” Benedicto said Duterte will be honored with the award during the June 8 ceremony at the Manila Hotel.

The Hall of Fame category acknowledges the prestige and stature of the individual, and the immense effort of work the individual has done over time, as may be evidenced by the extent of reach, impact and reception of the work/s by communities and societies.

Aside from Duterte, former Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador Carlos Chan was also named as this year’s APPCU Hall of Fame awardee.

“The laureates of this year’s APPCU awards are the embodiment of the openness of the Philippines and China to go beyond the limiting constructs of politics, ideologies, and even ethnicities if only to accommodate, promote, and instill the more valuable aspects of amity, cooperation, and understanding, between the Filipino and Chinese people,” Benedicto said.

The ties that bind the Philippines and China revolve around the friendship and cooperation established since 1975 by then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and reinvigorated by President Duterte in 2016.

Duterte has considered China as a “friend and a partner for peace and development.”

Benedicto said the APPCU is a joint initiative between the APCU and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines to reinforce relations between the two countries, and raise the awareness and reappraisal of the Filipino-Chinese historical roots and ties.

“This award giving body in many ways has been successful in making headway in honoring and paying tribute to the Filipinos who have made efforts through time to strengthen friendly ties and promote mutual understanding between Philippines and China using their respective advocacies and expertise in various fields and disciplines of mass media, public service, trade and commerce, arts, culture, and the sciences,” he said.

The awardees for the APPCU Outstanding Contributions are Ambassador Rigoberto D. Tiglao, a columnist at the Manila Times and the former Philippine Ambassador to Greece and Cyprus, and Dr. Jaime T. Cruz, former Special Envoy to the People’s Republic of China, Trade and Investments.

Meanwhile, the awardees for the Major Contributions category are Regina Rosa D. Tecson, the Director of the Satellite Office of Vice President Sarah Duterte in Davao City, and Jose Ong Tajan, the Former President of APCU Baguio and also the former chairman of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Baguio City.

The Outstanding Contributions category recognizes individuals who made notable contributions in promoting and strengthening Philippines-China bilateral relations, friendship, cooperation and understanding.

The Major Contributions category, on the other hand, acknowledges works that had “reach and impact” on the lives of specific groups or communities at the grassroots level.

During the same press conference, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines Ji Lingpeng congratulated the newly honored awardees who will become part of the APPCU Laureate Circle.

“The laureates’ valuable and unparalleled contributions keep our centuries long friendship more vigorous than ever and prevalent up to this day,” Ji said.

Ji stressed that China views the Philippines as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, adding that it will continue to carry forward with the goals and ambitions of the China-Philippines friendship.

“As we celebrate another year of APPCU, coinciding with China-Philippines friendship day on June 9, may our unbreakable bond and mutual understanding become stronger and further develop in the years to come,” he said.