A Local Search for Greatness

A Local Search for Greatness
(A quick reflection on Bayambang's Matalunggaring Awards)

I recently joined a fruitful conversation surrounding the town's conferment of its highest official honor, called the Matalunggaring Awards, together with the town officials and the officials of LGU-Alaminos and Pangasinan State University-Alaminos Campus.

"Matalunggaring" is reportedly the Pangasinan word for "outstanding," but this, I learned, is not an exact translation, for the word, like so many Pangasinan words, has other shades of meaning.

It was an enjoyable exchange as we Bayambangueños shared what we have learned so far while giving out such awards every year, upon the latter's request for a "benchmarking activity" in view of their wish to confer a similar undertaking for "Alaminians."

It made me think of the lessons we've learned from it since we started giving it in 2018.

We tackled the various facets of this award, including history/backgrounder, laying out the selection process, choosing the judges or selection committee members from third parties to avoid politicization, institutionalization through municipal ordinance together with approval from the provincial board/council, budgetary allocation, etc. These subtopics are, of course, the expertise of our overall organizer, our quick-witted, often humorous, and indefatigable dynamo of a Sangguniang Bayan Secretary, Joel V. Camacho, and the founder and the brainchild of this award, our former mayor, the visionary Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao, together with our Municipal Administrator, Atty. Rodelynn Rajini Sagarino-Vidad.

I came to this meeting as a frequent nominator, for I strongly believe in the project, particularly in the power of personal stories of success to inspire an entire town, if not an entire nation. I go to great lengths to find potential nominees and exert effort to make in-depth research on my subject by way of a triangulation of sources or references.

What I've learned from my own end are the following:

- I would not have learned about many of the honorees if not for the senior citizens of our town. I am particularly indebted to the likes of former Museum head Gloria Valenzuela and former PSU-Bayambang dean, Dr. Clarita DG. Jimenez, as well as Mr. Joey Ferrer from overseas, who shared with me a number of deserving names.

- The award paved the way for us to discover, or rediscover, many individuals worth emulating who we didn't even know are from this town or have roots in it. Having a mother or a father (or even grandfather or grandmother) from the town -- or having lived here continuously for at least 10 years and made an exceptional impact, makes one eligible.

- Ever heard of the expression "the power of one?" While it's true that the success of a single individual is hardly ever his or hers alone (so many other individuals, in big and small roles, contributed to it), an individual's story of his or her rise to success has the potential to become synonymous with the name of an entire town. A single person has the capacity to "bring honor to us all."

- Even with a clear set of criteria, selection ultimately has a subjective aspect. Different people will have different judgments on who deserves to be honored with the town's highest official accolade.

- Not everyone I nominate is selected by the screening committee, so hard feelings are inevitable. It is always a difficult, because embarrassing, part of the process for me to break the negative news to the target recipients and their families.

- Nonetheless, this is a minor matter compared to my belief in the power of telling the whole world about someone's compelling life of passion, of dedication to excellence in whatever field, of living life to the fullest in the service of God, our town, our country, or humanity in general.

I believe each town should have its own award like our Matalunggaring Award. Who knows which overlooked individuals from across the years deserve the spotlight because they have the hidden capacity to inspire everyone to be the best they can be?