A Filipina business leader based in the UAE has bagged two major awards from the Office of the President of the Philippines and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will present an award to Dr. Karen Remo, CEO and Co-Founder of New Perspective Media Group and Publisher of The Filipino Times—the biggest online news media for overseas Filipinos and the largest free newspaper in the UAE—as one of the recipients of the 2021 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO). She will be recognized along with other 55 distinguished and outstanding overseas Filipinos and foreign-based organizations.
Dr. Remo is set to receive a medallion from the Office of the President and a certificate of recognition from the CFO Chairperson for the ‘Pamana ng Pilipino Award’, a distinction given to overseas Filipinos who have brought pride and honor for the country—through excellence in the pursuit of their profession.
Meanwhile, Dr. Remo has also been recognized in the 2021 Migration Advocacy and Media (MAM) Awards for raising public awareness on Filipino migration, advocating for Filipinos overseas, and promoting a positive image of overseas Filipinos despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. She earned a distinction as one of the ‘Media Advocate’ awardees, a new category introduced last year to laud Filipino media migration personalities around the globe.
Under her leadership, NPM Group has promoted and marketed over 1,000 multinational brands, companies and governments in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana, said: “Dr. Karen Remo’s outstanding achievements in the fields of media, communications, marketing, and civic affairs make her an exemplary model of Filipino excellence and professionalism, values that are key for one to thrive and succeed in the international sphere.”
“Her recognition as one of the Presidential Awardees under the Pamana ng Pilipino Awards is a testament to the impact of Dr. Remo’s and her team’s programs and initiatives as visible source of Filipino pride for all Overseas Filipinos not only in the UAE, but across the entire Middle Eastern region as well.”
Among Dr. Remo’s most important contributions to advance Filipino excellence are The Filipino Times, The Filipino Times Awards, and Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition (PPIE), which have been serving Filipinos globally through publishing accurate and timely news, empowering financial literacy advocacies, and showcasing world-class talent and professionalism.
Commenting on her twin recognitions this 2021, Dr. Remo said: “These awards are testament to the unwavering dedication and commitment of both of our teams at NPM Group and TFT. For over a decade, we have witnessed a diverse yet cohesive group of professionals who went beyond their call of duty to share the company’s ethos and mission that aim to uplift the lives of Filipinos and their families no matter where they are in the world.”
“I am very grateful to the Office of the President of the Philippines and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas for these recognitions, which are very much dedicated to my fellow overseas Filipinos. Their sacrifices and dedication provide a better future for their families and in doing so, also boost the Philippine economy and help the economies of their host countries here, particularly here in the Middle East.”
A media and marketing advisor to governments and multinational companies, Dr. Remo was also named Entrepreneur of the Year in the UAE in 2020 by Gulf Capital SME Awards and Female Leader of the Year in the Middle East in 2019, by the Middle East Economic Digest Awards 2019. She became the first Filipino national ever awarded by two of this most prestigious award-giving bodies for businesses and business leaders in the region.
Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO)
Institutionalized in 1991 through Executive Order No. 498, the PAFIOO is a biennial search for overseas-based organizations or individuals who have dedicated their work in the service of Filipinos in the Philippines or abroad; selflessly supported relief, rehabilitation, and development programs in the home country; or excelled in their field of work or profession.
The awardees were selected from a total of 117 nominations received by the CFO-PAFIOO Secretariat since it opened the nominations in August 2019. The nominations came from 31 countries and endorsed by 39 Philippine Foreign Service Posts across Asia, North and South America, Europe, and Australia.
The awardees were thoroughly screened through a 4-stage evaluation process. The first stage consisted of an evaluation by the Awards Screening Committee established and convened by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts. Nominees endorsed by the Posts went through the second stage of the evaluation process by an eight-member inter- agency Technical Committee composed of senior representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Health (DOH), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), De La Salle University (representing the academe), Center for Migrant Advocacy (representing the migrant NGO), and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) as the Chair.
Nominees whose ratings met the passing rate were further screened by a multi-sectoral Executive Committee headed by the CFO and comprised of senior officials and representatives from the DFA, Office of the Presidential Protocol, Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Migrants, and Itinerant People (representing the religious sector), Dynamic Outsource Solutions 1 Inc. (representing the private sector), and GMA Network, Inc. (representing the media). A shortlist was then submitted to the Office of the President for final evaluation and approval.
The PAFIOO has four award categories – Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL), Pamana ng Pilipino, Banaag, and Kaanib ng Bayan.
Owing to the fluidity of the situation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the exact date and mode of conferment of the awards are still to be determined and coordinated with the Office of the President.
Here’s the link for the list of full winners of the 2021 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas: https://cfo.gov.ph/recipients-of-the-2021-presidential-awards-for-filipino-individuals-and-organizations-overseas/
Migration Advocacy and Media (MAM) Awards
The 19 Winners of the 2021 MAM Awards will be honored by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in a blended ceremony with CFO Secretary Francisco P. Acosta presiding.
This year’s winners were selected for raising public awareness of issues on Filipino migration, advocating for Filipinos overseas, and/or promoting a positive image of overseas Filipinos despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. A new category—Media Advocate was also introduced this year to laud Filipino media migration personalities around the globe.
Here’s the link for the list of full winners of the 2021 MAM Awards: https://mamawards.cfo.gov.ph/cfo-to-honor-19-outstanding-advocates-and-media-works-on-migration/
