BAGUIO CITY – Two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the city were adjudged as wines in the sea-based and land-based categories while another OFW family from the city and one OFW family from Luna, Apayao won special awards on entrepreneurship and community projects during the 12 edition of the Cordillera Search for Model OFW Families of the Year Award (MOFYA) held at the Pines View Hotel here, Friday afternoon.
Evelyn Laranang, regional director of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in the Cordillera, named this year’s winner for the sea-based category as Robert D. Vizcarra and family of Guisad, Baguio city while she identified the winner in the land-based category as Saturnino T. Valenciano and family of Pinsao, Baguio city.
Laranang explained the Search for the model OFW family is a government program aimed at giving recognition to the significant contributions of OFWs in the economic and social development of the country and bestow recognition to OFW families who, despite the social cost of migration, maintain wholesomeness in family repaltionship and solidarity as well as gives importance to OFWs and their family members who were able to maximize the gains of overseas employment and help improve the lives of people and their communities.
Samson U. Agraan and family of Luna, Apayao bagged the special award for Ouststanding Achievement for Community Projects while Viola G. Miguel and family of Pinsao Proper, Baguio City won the special award for Oustanding Achievement on Entrepreneurship.
Vizcarra is married to Pcita G. vizcarra and the couple was blessed with twin daughters, Ma. Vanessa Erica, and Ma. Erica Victoria, both 28 and cum laude graduates of Bachelor of Science inNursing at the St. Louis University (SLU) and both are registered nurses in the United Kingdom.
From 2000-2009, Robert was a master in a ship based in Europe before transferring to a ship traverlling in Europe and the United States and Europe and Asia..
On the other hand, Valenciano is married to Angelica B. Valenciano, a former OFW, wherein the couple was blseed with two children, Joan V. Berger, married, a physiotherapist and Illis B. Valenciano, an information technology (IT) technician.
From 1973-1981, he was an electrician of the Western Minolco Corporation, Philippines before working as an electrical foreman in Qatar from 1982 to 2012. He was an OFW returnee since 2012.
He was one of the founders and advisers of the Benguet-Ifugao-Montain Province-Apayao-Abra-Kalinga (BIMAAK) in Doha, Qatar, resident of the Maria Pucay Extension Neighborhood Association (MAPENA), co-founder and investor of the Philippine Interntional School located in Ain Khalid, Doha, Qatar, which was established in September 1999 and officially operated on August 5, 2000 wherein there are 150 Filipino teachers employed with 3,000 enrolled K to 12 students composed of Filipinos and other nationalities, real estate lessor, and a player in the stock market.
In behalf of the winners, Valenciano expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the MOFYA, saying that the award bestowed to him is rewarding considering the difficulties of bgeing away from their fmailies and patiently hurdling the challenges of working overseas just to help improve the living condition of their families. By HENT
