FORMER Senator Anna Dominique “Nikki” Marquez-Lim Coseteng, described as a “distinguished public servant, educator, and cultural and sports advocate,” will be honored next week as the lone Hall of Fame laureate of the 5th Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding (APPCU).
Coseteng leads 11 other laureates to be honored in three other categories, announced at a press conference by Chairman Raul Lambino of the Association of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU).
The awards night will be held at the Manila Hotel on June 3, Lambino said, marking the fifth year since the award was founded.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, the runaway top-notcher in the recent senatorial election, will grace the event as guest speaker.
The event also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic ties between the Philippines and China.
Lambino said APPCU is a joint undertaking of APCU and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Manila and was founded in 2021 by former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the inauguration of the Manila Forum for China-Philippines relations.
The other APPCU laureates honored for Outstanding Contributions, Major Contributions and the newly-created Amity Award were chosen, Lambino said — for the impact of their achievements and contributions In promoting Philippines-China understanding and enhancing bilateral relations.
Outstanding Contributions awardees are Dominic Edgard Cabangon, chairman of ALC Group of Companies, and Maynard Ngu, special envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for trade, investments, and tourism.
Ma. Josefina Tanya Go Belmonte Alimurung, Quezon City mayor; Ng Siu Seng, president of Asahi Hi Quality Food Mfg. Inc.; Joaquin Sy, multi-awarded writer-translator in Filipino, English, and Chinese; and Teodorico Nebres Dofiles, executive assistant of the city mayor of Digos City on international affairs, are the Major Contributions awardees.
The five laureates for the new Amity Award category are: Marianne Lourdes Leonor, a Filipino English teacher in China; Nelson Garcia Santiago, a Philippine National Police (PNP) staff sergeant who perished while rescuing Chinese citizens (posthumous); Eden Batangoy Accad, a PNP chief master sergeant injured in the rescue of Chinese citizens; Shirley Agrupis, Commission on Higher Education Commissioner and former president of Mariano Marcos State University; and Justin Clarence Lao Tembreza, a TikTok content creator who produces videos promoting the Minnan dialect.
Commenting on current Philippine-China relations, Lambino stressed that APCU’s role is “non-political and non-government” and is limited to “cultural and people-to-people exchanges. “
“We’re just focused on bridging the divide between the Filipino and Chinese peoples,” Lambino said.
He noted further that relations between the Philippines and its giant neighbor have turned icy in recent years, a stark departure from 2016 to 2022 during the term of President Duterte.
