Solid @40 years

Exactly a week ago today, I attended the confirmation of the country’s 10 outstanding Filipinos, an annual recognition program by the Metrobank Foundation, which is now in its 40th year.

- FIL C. SIONIL

The grand ballroom of the posh Grand Hyatt Hotel in BGC was teeming with people dressed in their best. The 10 awardees wore their Barong Tagalog, Filipiniana attire, service whites, and ceremonial dress uniforms.

It was a beautiful sight to behold. Guests from various sectors—the diplomatic corps, the academe, the military, and banking—gathered to celebrate not only the foundation’s 40th anniversary but, more importantly, to give a toast to the outstanding men and women who “come from different fields” yet are “united by a common thread—service beyond self.”

As Metrobank President Fabian Dee put it: “We celebrate not only the individuals before us but also the four decades of public service excellence and stories that define the Filipino spirit.”