The conferment of award was made by FAO Director General Jacques Diouf in a simple ceremony at Malacañang a few hours before she left for Zambales to resume her campaign, along with her running mate and the 12 senatorial candidates of the administration coalition.
"I accept it with great pride as well as with deep humility. I am humbled as well to be in the company of first luminaries who previously received this award," the President said in accepting the award that made her the first Filipino woman to receive it.
The Ceres Medal, named after an ancient Roman goddess believed to have taught mankind to plough the land, plant seeds, and harvest food, is the feminine equivalent of the prestigious Nobel Prize or the Oscar Award for food and agriculture.
Mrs. Arroyo joins the ranks of other distinguished women leaders, such as Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Prime Minister Helen Clarke of New Zealand, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh.
Diouf cited the President for "setting the goals for a liberalized economy, a modernized agricultural sector to enhance social equity, and economic growth to favor the disadvantaged groups." He also cited her for her "important initiatives" to improve the delivery of essential services and social justice.
"Your noteworthy accomplishments in poverty alleviation, protection of the environment, and natural resources, economic growth, and development of the infrastructure are brilliant testimonies of your determination and success," he said.
"To alleviate poverty, you have given priority to food security, affordable housing, agrarian reform, secure jobs and livelihoods, health, education, and special services," he said, adding that the FAO is "proud to assist" Mrs. Arroyo in her agrarian reform program.
In response to the conferment of award, the President said her administration is implementing a P20- billion agriculture modernization program, as mandated by the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act principally authored by Sen. Edgardo Angara.
She also said that to attain the country’s food security, she is pushing for the propagation of the so-called Gloria hybrid rice variety which, she said, will double or even triple rice harvests in the country.
"I humbly accept this award as a form of recognition of our efforts to fight poverty, provide food on every table. An honor I share with the many good women and men of my administration," she said.
"You have my solemn pledge that, in return, I will continue to do what’s right, to do my best to help eliminate hunger and mass poverty in my country, in our region, and in the world," she added.
Int’l confidence
In another proof of international confidence in her leadership, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has conferred the prestigious Ceres Award on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the first Filipino to have been honored for successfully waging the fight against poverty and hunger.
This was disclosed by Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. yesterday as he noted that Mrs. Arroyo will now join the ranks of Ceres awardees who include the late Mother Teresa, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and Queen Sirikit of Thailand.
Lorenzo said the President was given the Ceres Award, which honors distinguished women of the contemporary period, for her unparalleled efforts to develop "Gloria Rice," the high-yielding hybrid of palay that has more than doubled the production of rice farmers nationwide.
FAO Director General Jacques Diouf presented the award to Mrs. Arroyo yesterday morning at Malacañang. In the award ceremonies were members of the diplomatic corps, the Senate, and House of Representatives.
"This is another recognition of our efforts to put food on every table of the Filipino. And this is what we offer anew to our people," Mrs. Arroyo said during a press conference in Zambales where she and the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K4) senatorial ticket went on a campaign sortie yesterday.
"The FAO bestowed the Ceres Medal on President Macapagal-Arroyo in recognition of her longstanding commitment to agricultural and social development in our country and her contribution to the fight against hunger and poverty in Asia and around the world," Lorenzo said.
Established in 1971, the Ceres Medal recognizes the role that women play in seeking to resolve problems inherent in the task of increasing food production and express the solidarity of eminent world figures with millions of people suffering from hunger.
