Program director Ben Liboro discusses the significance of the LAAThirthy-three participants representing eight companies joined the Lopez Achievement Awards (LAA) road show held at the ABS-CBN compound on April 8.

The represented companies— ABS-CBN, Adtel Inc., Asian Eye Institute, Energy Development Corporation, First Gen Corporation, First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), Knowledge Channel and SKY Cable—and other Lopez Group organizations are expected to submit entries and be LAA “ambassadors” to encourage nominators to submit their entries.

LAA road shows are halfday meetings where company representatives and interested nominators get more information on the LAA, particularly innovations and enhancements, and have the chance to give feedback and suggestions to the LAA program management team. 

In welcoming the participants, LAA program director Benjamin Liboro gave a brief background of the LAA and the Unsung Hero Awards.

“The awards have meant different things to different people. For many, it means a form of recognition. To others, the LAA represents a way of being able to show the rest of the Lopez community what they do and what their companies do and the good things that they do. It’s a way of showcasing their activities and achievements to the rest of the Group. For the Lopez family, it’s their way of recognizing and thanking in a very personal way the people who work for and have given their best in their companies,” he said.

He also called on nominators to submit their entries and encourage others to do the same.

“The lifeblood of the whole process is the nominators. Without the nominators and the nominees, there will be no awards. We cannot force it upon companies. We need full support from everyone to encourage nominators to submit the LAA and Unsung Hero nominations,” Liboro said.

Rosendo Hamo Jr., the new LAA program manager, conducted the road show. He urged the attendees to be LAA ambassadors by helping identify outstanding teams and individuals and to get them nominated in a way that will win the nod of the screening committee and judges. Several participants shared their key takeaways from the road show.

“I had a better understanding of the LAA and the Unsung Hero Awards and their corresponding criteria and qualifications; also the specifics, such as the theme and deadlines that we need to disseminate to our employees,” said Claudine Tolentino of First Gen.

“I learned about the essence of the LAA and the Unsung Hero Awards and the recognition of individuals or teams who passionately and religiously demonstrate the Lopez Values, among other criteria,” Adtel’s Melinda Licuanan said of her learning.

“The Lopez family and the Lopez Group executive committee, through the LAA program management team, work towards recognizing outstanding people in the conglomerate in the hopes of encouraging more people to perform and excel like them. In addition, the LAA team is constantly improving the program to allow greater inclusiveness, such as honoring other outstanding achievements like in the Unsung Hero Awards,” observed Alexa Cancio, a member of the FPH Sustainability Group. (By: Ross Hamo Jr.)