THE Metrobank Foundation, the organization responsible for the Search for The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT), and Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS), seeks to pick its awardees for each of the searches from the widest selection possible.
For The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), in particular, Foundation representatives and some of their 2015 TOPS awardees are currently going around even to the riskiest and remotest military camps in the country to encourage military units to nominate their personnel who meet the qualifications set by the foundation for the annual search.
On Thursday, November 26, TOPS awardee Petty Officer 3 Dennis Gurrea of the Philippine Navy spoke before military personnel at the 104th Brigade in Camp Luis Biel in Tabiawan, Basilan and at the 4th Special Forces Battalion in Cabunbata, Isabela City, Basilan. Gurrea is a native of Basilan. In the afternoon, the group proceeded to the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NAVFORWEM) for a similar information drive.
As of press time, Metrobank Foundation Representative, Mr. Third Salang, and the TOPS awardees are set to proceed to Sulu for the same information drive at the 2nd Marine Brigade headquartes in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu and at the Joint Task Group Sulu headquarters at Camp Bud Datu, Indanan, Sulu. Widening the scope and reach of the search is a welcome move on the part of the Foundation as there are many soldiers who, despite their outstanding deeds and accomplishments, do not get recognized principally for lack of information.
The TOPS is an annual Search jointly undertaken by the Rotary Club of Makati Metro and the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. to realize their shared conviction to honor excellence among the men and women in the military as an expression of the civilian sector’s appreciation and gratitude for the soldiers’ selfless acts of gallantry in preserving the nation’s sovereignty.
Two Enlisted Personnel and one Commissioned Officer from each of the three military branches, namely the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force, will be selected as winners. One winner will also be declared from the Technical Support Group of the military, i.e., the medical corps, the corps of professors and the Judge Advocate Group Office.
The T.O.P.S. is supported through a ten million endowment fund set up by Metrobank and Metrobank Foundation Chairman George S. K. Ty in 1999. Each TOPS awardee will receive a trophy and a prize of P500,000. BEEN THERE DONE THAT/JOSEPHINE JARON-CODILLA
