10 Days Left: How to Nominate a Filipino in Singapore for the 2026 Presidential Awards

There are exactly 10 days left to nominate a kababayan in Singapore for one of the highest honors the Republic of the Philippines gives its overseas community.

The 2026 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO), the national recognition program administered by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), closes its nomination window on 29 May 2026. After that, the next cycle won't open for another two years.

If you've ever quietly thought *'this person deserves recognition'* about a Filipino in Singapore, the kuya running the Sunday outreach at Lucky Plaza, the *ate* organizing the Christmas drive for stranded OFWs, the entrepreneur flying the Philippine flag in a Singapore boardroom, this is the week to act.

Here's the practical guide.

What PAFIOO actually is

PAFIOO was established in 1991 by Executive Order 498 under former President Corazon C. Aquino. It's the country's highest recognition for Filipinos and Filipino organizations abroad whose work has either lifted up communities back home, served their fellow kababayans overseas, brought honor to the Philippines, or contributed to the Filipino diaspora as foreign allies.

Awardees are conferred the recognition by the President of the Philippines in a ceremony in Manila. Past honorees from Singapore have included community leaders, professionals in finance and healthcare, and Filipino-led organizations that quietly built infrastructure for the kababayan community here.

It is, in short, a big deal.

The four categories, and the kind of kababayan each fits

PAFIOO has four award categories. Knowing which one matches your nominee is the first step.

1. Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL) Award

For Filipinos or Filipino organizations whose contributions have measurably developed a sector or local community back in the Philippines, through livelihood projects, scholarships, medical missions, or infrastructure support funded from abroad. If your nominee runs an annual fundraiser for a barangay in Tacloban or Bohol from Singapore, this is their category.

2. Banaag Award

For Filipinos showing leadership, compassion, and service toward fellow Filipinos abroad. This is the most relevant category for community leaders in Singapore, the people running OFW support networks, mental health groups, financial literacy workshops, or distress-response WhatsApp chats. If your nominee is the one everyone calls when a kababayan loses a job or has a passport emergency, this is their category.

3. Pamana ng Pilipino Award

For Filipinos who've brought the Philippines honor through excellence in their profession. Doctors leading research at SG hospitals, finance professionals at top global firms, artists, scientists, athletes, and educators who carry the Pinoy name into rooms where it didn't used to be heard. Singapore has many of these. They just don't talk about themselves.

4. Kaanib ng Bayan Award

For foreign individuals or organizations (i.e., non-Filipinos) who've significantly contributed to Philippine development or the welfare of the Filipino diaspora. If you know a Singaporean employer, philanthropist, or NGO that has consistently championed Filipinos in SG, this category is for them.

How to nominate someone in Singapore

All nominations from Singapore must be coursed through the Philippine Embassy in Singapore for review and endorsement before being forwarded to the CFO.

The steps:

1. Download the official guidelines and forms from the CFO website at presidentialawards.cfo.gov.ph. There are prescribed forms specific to each award category.

2. Prepare the supporting documents. This typically includes a written narrative of your nominee's work, evidence of impact (photos, news clippings, beneficiary testimonials, financial records if applicable), and endorsement letters from credible community figures or organizations.

3. Submit through the Philippine Embassy in Singapore before their internal deadline. The Embassy's own cut-off may fall a few days before 29 May to allow time for review. Confirm directly with them.

4. Reach the Embassy via the 2026 PAFIOO advisory page on the Embassy website, or call their main lines for the assistance-to-nationals office.

Don't wait until 28 May. Embassies across the world have flagged that incomplete submissions are the most common reason worthy nominees miss out.

Why Singapore is full of PAFIOO-worthy stories

The Filipino community in Singapore is one of the most organized and high-achieving Pinoy diasporas in Southeast Asia. From the long-running ABS-CBN partnership networks to the many parish-based and barangay-based associations across the island, from financial professionals at MAS-regulated firms to F&B founders building Filipino food into the SG mainstream, the stories are here.

The gap is usually paperwork. Many deserving kababayans never get nominated simply because no one around them knew the process existed or thought *'someone else will do it'*. This year, let that someone else be you.

Your move this week

Think of three Filipinos or Filipino organizations in Singapore whose work you've quietly admired. Pick one. Visit the CFO PAFIOO page and the Embassy advisory tonight. Print the forms. Send your nominee a message asking for their permission and a short bio.

You have until 29 May. The next cycle is 2028.

Hindi tayo nawawalan ng bayani sa Singapore, minsan lang, kailangan natin sila banggitin sa wastong papel.