By CBCP News
August 26, 2021
Manila, Philippines
The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan on Thursday announced a new award in honor of its former archbishop, Oscar Cruz, a year after his death.
Cruz served the archdiocese for 18 years until his retirement in 2009.
He was also known for his campaign against gambling, and his fight against corruption and other evils of society.
The former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines died of complications of Covid-19 a year ago today at the age of 85.
The archdiocese is committed to continuing Cruz’s legacy.
“The nation needs heroes. Our youth need role models,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
He said the annual “Gawad Asin tan Silew Oscar V. Cruz Award” honors the values embodied “by contemporary saints such as him”.
“[It] recognizes persons or institutions whose works teach the path of justice and righteousness, of truth and goodness, with joy and hope and with holy anger tempered by love and contagious courage,” Villegas said.
He said the award will be given to “an individual or institutional prophets in this contemporary world who stand for integrity, justice, and charity”.
The nominations are ongoing until November 21, 2021. The awarding rites will be held on Nov. 17.
Below are the complete guidelines and dynamics of the award:
GAWAD ASIN TAN SILEW
Oscar V. Cruz Award
I. OVERVIEW
The Gawad Asin tan Silew is an annual award that honors the legacy of the late Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz and the values embodied by contemporary saints such as him. It recognizes different individuals or institutions whose works teach the path of justice and righteousness, of truth and goodness, with joy and hope, and with holy anger tempered by love and contagious courage.
II. NOMINATION
1. Nominees for the Gawad Asin tan Silew are personal or institutional prophets in this contemporary world who stand for integrity, justice, and charity. They are visible faces identified by their commitment to such core values. They are audible voices in the public forum advocating for the cause of the poor and the marginalized. They are “salt of the earth” who endeavor to rid the world of malice and malevolence. They are “light of the world” who are beacons of hope and leaders by their way of life.
2. Any person and any institution can make a nomination of any person living or deceased or any active Philippine based institution.
3. No self-nomination will be entertained.
4. A nomination is formally made when a profile of the person or institution and their work is submitted to the Chairperson of the Gawad Asin tan Silew.
5. In particular instances, a person’s body of work may speak for itself, or an institution’s reputation precedes it; in such cases, that nomination will be simply a formality.
III. AWARDEE
1. Under normal circumstances, only one award will be given yearly, unless the Selection Committee opts to give both personal and institutional recognitions at the same time, on account of the nominee’s truly outstanding contribution to social change. The cash prize will be divided between the two awardees in this case.
2. While the criterion is the nominee’s prophetic stand for integrity, justice, and charity, the award is open to non-Catholics in the spirit of ecumenism and to any Filipino citizen or Philippine based institution.
IV. SELECTION PROCESS
1. The selection season opens on August 26th annually commemorating his death anniversary.
2. The award is announced on November 17th annually commemorating his birthday.
3. The Selection Committee must encourage wide ranging nominations from all sectors of society such as professionals, educators, youth, social workers, laborers, family and specially the unknown from the peripheries.
V. THE SELECTION COMMITTEE
1. The Selection Committee of the Gawad Asin tan Silew is headed by the Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan with committee members composed of two clerics, one religious woman and one lay leader.
2. The nominators submit fully to the final decision of the Selection Committee and the decision cannot be contested or appealed in any other forum.
VI. AWARD
1. Awardees will receive a miniature replica of the bust of Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz that is present at the Santuario de San Juan during a public ceremony on the date indicated above.
2. The awardee will receive a cash prize which the Selection Committee will donate to the charitable institution of the awardee’s choice.
