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One of the highest honors a Filipino can receive, the Presidential Merit Award is given to those whose work has greatly contributed to ‘nation-building’
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to award four female icons who passed away in 2025 with Presidential Medals of Merit, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced on Wednesday, April 23.
Nora Aunor, Pilita Corrales, Gloria Romero, and Margarita Fores will each be honored posthumously with the medals in a ceremony on May 4.
“Ang Presidential Merit Award ay isa sa pinakamataas na parangal na iginagawad ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas sa mga indibidwal bilang pagkilala sa kanilang kontribusyon sa nation-building,” PCO director Sheryl del Mundo explained.
(The Presidential Merit Award is one of the highest honors awarded by the president of the Philippines to individuals to recognize their contributions to nation-building.)
Aunor, a National Artist who excelled in both singing and acting and earned the “Superstar” title, passed away on April 16 at 71 years old due to acute respiratory failure. Corrales, an OPM legend known as “Asia’s Queen of Songs,” died just several days prior on April 12 at 87 years old.
Romero, a veteran actress touted as the “Queen of Philippine Cinema,” died on January 25 at 91. Fores, who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016, was also an acclaimed restaurateur who founded the Cibo chain of restaurants. She died on February 11 at the age of 65 due to a cardiac arrest.
Other notable figures who have received the Presidential Medal of Merit include musician Francis Magalona, theater icon Lea Salonga, bowler Paeng Nepomuceno, and boxer-politician Manny Pacquiao, among many others. – Rappler.com
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