Gloria Romero is one of many Gawad Parangal sa mga Ginintuang Bituin ng Pelikulang Pilipino honorees.

A number of senior female stars—considered living legends of Philippine Cinema—will be honored, with their younger counterparts as presentors, by the La Consolacion College Manila (LCCM) on March 15 in celebration of the National Women’s Month.

The Gawad Parangal sa mga Ginintuang Bituin ng Pelikulang Pilipino honorees include Mila del Sol, Anita Linda, Lilia Dizon, Virginia Montes, Fely Vallejo, Delia Razon, Rosa Rosal, Noram Vales, Linda Estrella, Tessie Agana, Lolita Rodriguez, Gloria Romero, Sylvia la Torre, Rosita Noble, Marlene Dauden, Perla Bautista, Gloria Sevilla, Letty Alonzo, Emma Alegre, Caridad Sanchez, Bella Flores, and Rebecca del Rio.

The awards are said to be a “historic first in the field of cinema” that will pay tribute to “acting talents who not only contributed to the golden age of Philippine cinema but who also epitomize such values as dedication, discipline, excellence, and professional integrity. They are being extolled to provide models and exemplars for the new generation to emulate.

“Kung minsan kasi hindi nabibigyan ng pagpapahalaga ang mga senior stars natin,” lamented stage and movie director Nick Lizaso, who is also LCCM’s executive director of special studies in digital filmmaking and the theater arts, as well as the project’s initiator.

Lizaso told Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online in an interview that he felt sad to learn that not a lot of people, especially coming from the younger generation, knew actress Mila Ocampo, who recently passed away.

That’s why, he said, the Gawad Parangal sa mga Ginintuang Bituin ng Pelikulang Pilipino would also have a special feature on the dearly departed who used to share the limelight with the honorees.

He added that with the help of the Philippine Artists Managers Inc. (PAMI), younger stars would be invited to present the awards to the enduring female luminaries of cinema.

National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts Eddie Romero and Marichu Maceda, whose family owned Sampaguita Pictures, have also been asked to grace the event to represent the film producers of the ‘40s and the ‘50s, which were considered the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema.

The Gawad Parangal sa mga Ginituang Bituin ng Pelikulang Pilipino is spearheaded by LCCM president Sr. Imelda Mora, O.S.A., and LCCM Family Council head Atty. Lyn Moreno with the support of the college’s Mass Communications Department and the Centre for Theatre Education and Training to likewise serve as the school year’s culminating event.