The leader in the Magsaysay Award

Title

Creator

Olivares-Cunanan, B.

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XVIII (No. 4) April 1966

Year

1966

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

A Filipino woman is here presented whose energy, objectivity, and ability have made possible the gradual development of a sort of an Asian Nobel Prize in this part of the world.

Fulltext

■ A Filipino woman is here presented whose energy, objectivity, and ability have made possible the gra dual development of a sort of an Asian Nobel Prize in this part of the world. THE LEADER IN THE MAGSAYSAY AWARD For a number of months each year, an attractive Fili pina with laughing but dis cerning eyes goes sleuthing around Asia — from Afgha nistan to Japan — in the finest fashion of Scotland Yard. But unlike Scotland Yard detectives who are usually out for criminals. Miss Belen Abreu scouts for spirit of service akin to the late Pres ident Magsaysay from any one, anywhere in Asia — be he a highland eye doctor, a woman educator, a labor leader or merely a prime mi nister. As executive trustee of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Miss Abreu is charged with the responsibi lity of examining on the spot the nominations for the coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award. Her findings and the material she gathers about nominees become the basis for the deliberations and final decision of the seven member board of trustees. Belen Abreu’s ability to distinguish chaff from the grain — an oftentimes pain stakingly difficult job as the chaff is frequently almost as good as the grain — has re sulted in a consistently high quality of awardees since 1958. Today the R.M. Award has come to be known as the Asian Nobel prize. As the "workhorse” of the foundation’s board of trus tees, Belen is its prime mover, it is she who gives direction and esprit to the foundation’s activities which promise to branch out in diversified in tellectual endeavours with the completion of the 14storey Ramon Magsaysay cen ter soon. Among the projects envi sioned by the foundation are the expansion of the Ramon Magsaysay Asian Library to 36 Panorama 50,000 volumes, making it the largest library of its kind in the country, the Vital Is sues Series, a sustained series of studies on national pro blems and the Magsaysay Papers and Memorabilia. At present, Miss Abreu is busy with her pet project in raising funds for the cons truction and establishment of the RM center. The fund campaign, headed by Col. Nicanor T. Jimenez, seeks maximum involvement of the barrio people in whose un selfish service the late be loved Chief Executive made his greatest mark. The fact that a woman should shoulder this varied responsibility is no wonder at all in Belen’s case, for she has brought to the job long years of training in respon sible positions, intense per sonal discipline, a good head and single-minded devotion — qualities exceptional even in the supposedly more effi cient male sex. This com bination of assets has drawn unqualified praise from ad mirers here and abroad. Belen’s training had its roots in her early years in Mexico, Pampanga. Her fa ther, Apolinar Abreu, a teacher of the old-school type, was a firm believer in the value of higher educa tion and personal discipline and sought to instill this be lief in his children. As a young girl, Belen wanted to study stenography instead of playing with other young girls soon after elementary school. In high school, this knowledge of stenography fared her well: summer va cations saw her working as secretary to the represen tatives of pre-war American companies such as General Motors and United Steel. Years later, studying for a de gree in public administration in New York University, Be len supported herself by ac cepting typing jobs for her American classmates at the standard rate of 25 cents a page. After high school, she de cided to take up law in U.P. which was interrupted, how ever, by the war. She took the bar immediately after the war, garnering a grade of over 90. During the war years, she assisted at the U.P.’s Marina Institute, a free school for poor but de serving students organized by the U.P. Alumni and April 1966 37 named in honor of Commis sioner Jorge Vargas’ wife, Marina. Belen taught steno graphy for free. From her secretarial jobs she moved on to the Commission on Elections as a stenographer. In the Comelec she fell under bosses steeped in the old school who, as she loves to relate to her staff, "would throw a piece of typewritten job in your face when it doesn’t come up to their standards.” She disliked them for it then, but soon discovered that she was the better for that kind of train ing. Doubtless she develop ed her keen sense of per fectionism from them. From stenographer, Miss Abreu rose to become chief attorney of the Commission on Elections. In that job, she was in charge of setting the machinery of elections in motion, following strict timetables which could not be disrupted without causing nationwide repercussions. It involved everything, from the simplest mechanical pre paration of election forms to actual troubleshooting. Be len Abreu’s name for years was on the lips of every Co melec worker in the country. In the commission, Belen’s good mind and sound judg ment became her staple stock and politicos learned to rely on her for advise. At present, years after she has left the commission, senators and congressmen still run to her during elec tion quandaries. In 1957, the Rockefellers, shopping around for an exe cutive trustee for the newly organized foundation, quick ly signed her up for a nineyear contract which was re newed in 1965. Belen Abreu had not known Ramon Mag saysay personally, but she had tremendous admiration for his performance in keep ing the 1951 elections clean and for his program of gov ernment. As executive trustee of the foundation she puts in re gularly more than ten, hours a day; during the March and August seasons, the death and birth anniversaries of the late President Magsaysay, she would ordinarily pack an 18hour day, only to go home for a quick shower and come back fresh and about her work. Her young female staff members (the founda tion has an all-girl staff) 38 PANORAMA feel squeamish about leaving at five on the dot, for their boss never leaves that early, not even when sick. Arriv ing for a long trip abroad, it isn’t surprising to find Belen catching a taxi at the airport and heading straight for the office, bags and all. Sundays usually find her making a quick trip to the office before proceeding to her farm in Tanay, Rizal. The foundation’s peekaboo efficiency, particularly during the climatic month of August, the award season, makes out siders wonder, especially when they find out how small the actual working staff is. At present, no cere mony of Malacahang or the department of foreign affairs could quite equal the flaw lessness of a Ramon Magsay say Award ceremony. A lioness for efficiency, Belen has cultivated intense personal discipline over the years. Her large spacious home on Samar avenue, Quezon City, is spotlessly clean, “like a hotel before the occupants arrive,’’ as one staff member described it. The gardens are well-attend ed under her personal super vision. About her person, she is neat and well-groomed, rather than stylish and fas hionable, although she can be so when she chooses to be. Every morning she takes her “constitutional walk” around the block before breakfast and then drives herself to work in Malate. When weight problems be gin to slow her down, it is time to take up her hula les sons at the YMCA. She re cently took to modern dan cing and her skills are usual ly displayed during office parties. Physical exercise is usually accompanied by dis ciplined dieting, consisting of meat without any season ing and some boiled greens. Gifted with a quick and curious mind which reaches out in long-range projections, Miss Abreu has strong opinions about almost any thing, from vocational edu cation to the Luneta beauti fication project of the First Lady. Once, passing in front of the St. Jude church on J. P. Laurel street, she com mented unfavorably about the way vendors have made a marketplace of the place of worship. Her female com panion remarked that this was part of the Filipino way April 1966 39 of life and that these ven dors had become an institu tion for the children. Where upon she turned around and exclaimed with full convic tion: "But we have change our way of life if we are to progress. Nor everything that is part of our way of life is good for us.” A mind as lively as hers needs sustenance, and Belen manages to insert at least an hour before retiring for the day to catch up on her read ing. The leading Asian dai lies are part of her reading material. To encourage in tellectual curiousity in her staff, she initiated an office practice whereby staff mem bers report on a book or a periodical of their choice on a rotation basis, one report per week. It is a tribute to Belen that male professionals of high standing regard her as a peer. — B. OlivaresCunanan, Manila Bulletin, Mar. 20, 1966. LOW RATING OF POLITICIANS The man who can make two ears of corn, or t}vo blades of grass, grow on the spot where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and render more essential service to the country, than the whole race of politicians put together. — Swift. 40 Panorama

pages

36+

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