Senator Richard Gordon Receives Award at First Muslim Leaders' Tripartite Forum, July 21, 2009

21 July 2009

Below is a press release from the Office of Senator Richard Gordon regarding his being the recipient of an award from the Muslim community for his efforts in recognizing the contribution of Muslims in our nation's culture and history.  

Press Release
July 21, 2009

Gordon to receive award at first Muslim leaders' tripartite forum

Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) will be the recipient of an award at the first Muslim leaders' tripartite forum for undertaking efforts geared towards giving due recognition to the heritage and contributions of Filipino Muslim heroes to Philippine democracy.

Gordon, author of various Senate bills aimed at giving due recognition to the bravery of our Muslim heroes and spearheaded projects for the development of Mindanao, will be awarded at the First Metro Manila Muslim Leaders Tripartite Forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza at 6:00 pm today (July 21).

The forum is a project of the Markazzoshabab Al-Muslim Fil-Filibbin, a multi-sectoral group composed mainly of religious leaders and professionals, in coordination with the Office on Muslim Affairs-Metro manila Regional Office and the Liwanag Forum.

The event, which will adopt the theme: "Harmonizing the Rights and Responsibilities of Muslim Communities in the Context of Tolerance and Moderation within a Diverse Society," will also be graced by foreign dignitaries and Muslim leaders in Metro Manila.

Gordon authored SBN 2590 or the Ninth Ray Bill, which proposes to add another ray to the eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag that represents the eight provinces in Luzon who fought the Spaniards. The proposed ninth ray will represent the Muslims who also fought Spanish colonization.

He also filed Senate Bill No.. 3284 or Adlaw ni Lapu-Lapu, which seeks to declare April 27 a special non-working holiday to commemorate the victory of Lapu-Lapu and his men over the Spaniards led by Ferdinand Magellan in the historic Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521.

Gordon also fought to place the 40-foot statue of Lapu-Lapu, a gift from the Koreans, near the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal in Luneta. He tagged the two statues as the "Twin Statues of Liberty of Asia." Rizal is the first Filipino to break the colonial yoke while Lapu-Lapu is the first Asian to beat a foreign invader.

Aside from moving for the recognition of the contributions of the Filipino Muslims to Philippine democracy, Gordon also spearheaded projects aimed to develop Mindanao .

He launched the Fruits of Hope Project, which aimed to link producers of various agricultural crops from Sulu, Basilan, North Cotabato, and other areas in Mindanao to markets in Metro Manila and help them get a better price for their goods, thereby assuring them of better profits.

Several tons of fruits from various parts of Mindanao were flown to Manila using a C-130 plane and brought the fruits to Villamor Airbase in Paranaque, Metro Manila where they were picked up by two supermarket chains.

Gordon also pushed for the automation of the August 2008 election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was the first peaceful, speedy and orderly elections in ARMM where there were no election protests arising from the exercise.

It will be recalled that Senator Gordon filed a bill seeking the addition of a ninth ray to the sun on the Philippine flag in recognition of the significant role played by our Muslim brothers and sisters in securing our independence.  More on that in my previous post, Senator Richard Gordon Pushes Senate Bill No. 2590 Proposing a Ninth Ray to the Sun on the Philippine Flag — A Joyous Flag Day to All!