7 outstanding Filipinos honored at the 2024 Traditional University Awards

On 6 November 2024, Ateneo de Manila honored seven outstanding individuals across different sectors of Filipino society at this year’s Traditional University Awards. For 2024, the Board of Trustees has chosen to award the following, all exemplars in their respective fields:

• Ricardo G Abad†, Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi, for his transformative work as teacher, social scientist, and artist;
• Raissa H Jajurie, Government Service Award, for her work in shaping the future of the Bangsamoro and dedicating her life to promoting peace, justice, and empowerment for its people;
• Maria Fatima Garcia-Lorenzo, Ozanam Award, for her work with Kythe Foundation in transforming pediatric care in the Philippines, offering children and their families hope, comfort, and a path toward emotional and physical healing;
• Alberto M Malvar, Lux-in-Domino Award, for his dedicated stewardship in protecting the forests of the Upper Marikina Watershed and the Dumagat that he has been adopted into; 
• Florencio Louis Antonio C Quintos II†, Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi, for the sheer breadth and brilliance of his works that expanded Philippine modern theater and enriched the Filipino audience’s appreciation for arts, entertainment, and history;
• Flaviano L Villanueva SVD, Bukas Palad Award, for championing the healing and rehabilitation of the families of victims of the extrajudicial killings brought on by the War on Drugs, as well as the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized; and
• Leila M de Lima, Honorary Degree, Doctor in Sociology, in recognition of her “remarkable courage, faith, and love of country; her extraordinary contributions to human rights; her steadfast advocacy for social justice; and her unwavering commitment to the rule of law amidst adversity.”

Read more about their work here. 

Held regularly since the late 1930s, the awards recognize the life and work of men and women who exemplify the values of the University, and who have been catalysts of social change in the Philippines and beyond. 

Previous honorees include Hon Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (Government Service Award, 2023), Cardinal Luis Antonio G Tagle (Honorary Degree, Doctor of Philosophy, 2023), Dr Maria Lourdes A Carandang (Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, 2015), Eva K Galvey (Ozanam Award, 2022), Nick Joaquin (Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi, 1997), Mari-Jo P Ruiz PhD (Lux in Domino, 2014), and Br Armin A Luistro FSC (Bukas Palad Award). 

Senator de Lima’s honorary degree will be conferred at next year’s Commencement Exercises.

Watch the full ceremony of the Special Academic Convocation: