The value of hard work

Hard work never goes unnoticed. Five Filipino workers with exceptional stories of hard work, dedication and commitment were selected and awarded by the 555 Tuna brand during its Parangal sa Katawang Palaban event held at Annabel’s restaurant in Quezon City.

Dubbed as the Palaban 5, the winners were Lilia Miniano, Margarito Reyes, Juanita Dagumay, Adrian Cobardo and Joel Navarez.

Greg Banzon, Century Canning Corp. VP and GM, said, “Today marks the most important part of our campaign. In line with 555 Tuna’s goal to give back to all Filipino workers, we are here to recognize and give praise to the Palaban 5 for their hard work. More importantly, we are also here to draw inspiration from their life stories. We also hope that through this event, we may encourage more Pinoy workers to follow their lead.”

Present during the said affair was actor and 555 Tuna endorser Robin Padilla, who personally congratulated the Palaban 5.

What binds the Palaban 5 awardees is their desire to provide a better life for their families. Lilia Miniano is an assistant plant manager at Century Canning Corp. She maintains her dedication and loyalty to her work by making sure that she takes care of her health.

Margarito Reyes is Quezon City’s very own dancing traffic enforcer, who never fails to bring happiness to those who see him.

Juanita Dagumay is a 56-year- old widow, who, despite being solely responsible for raising her nine children, still finds time to serve others as a feeding volunteer at the Philippine Christian Foundation Technical College.

Adrian Cobardo is a teacher who founded a project called BangKarunungan, where he uses a motorized banca as a mobile classroom and travels to distant communities to bring knowledge to children.

Joel Navarez is an honest taxi driver, who immediately returned to his passenger the cash and other important documents left in his taxi.

The Palaban 5 each received a cash prize, a plaque and a gift basket of various Century Pacific Group’s products.

During the said event, the awardees were also introduced by short videos that showed snippets of their daily lives. Through the clips, the audience was familiarized with scenarios and challenges that the Palaban 5 has to face daily.