| Gusi Peace Prize | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 2019 awarding ceremony | |
| Awarded for | To honor contributions toglobal peace and progress |
| Location | Pasay,Philippines |
| Presented by | Gusi Peace Prize Foundation |
| First award | 2002 |
TheGusi Peace Prize is a private award given by the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation, based inManila, Philippines.[1] The Gusi Peace Prize is given to recognize individuals and organizations who contribute to global peace and progress through a wide variety of fields.[2] It is conferred with the expectation that a recipient will continue working for peace.[3]
The awards ceremonies are held yearly atPhilippine International Convention Center inPasay inMetro Manila.[4] on the fourth Wednesday of November.[5]
This Gusi Peace Prize was founded by its now chairman, Barry Gusi[6] in 2002. He established it to pay special tribute to Captain Geminiano Javier Gusi, aWorld War IIguerrilla[7] who subsequently became apolitician and ahuman rights activist in the Philippines.[8] His work was subsequently supported and continued by his wife, Teodora Sotejo Gusi, who established and moderated many charitable projects to help persons in need (including abused children and wives, sick and unemployed persons, humiliated individuals, etc.) throughout the Philippines.[9]
The Gusi Peace Prize Foundation is a charitable,nonprofit,[10] secular organization[11] registered with theSecurities and Exchange Commission . The foundation recognizes the achievements of various individuals[12] in a wide range of fields[13] (includinghuman rights,peace,communal harmony,health,education,culture,politics andhumanity).[14]
Gusi Peace Prize Foundation receives more than 1,000 proposals every year, from which the 13-member committee (with international jurors fromAsia,Europe,Australia and United States)[15] selecting 15 winners. As per the award’s criteria,[16] all proposed nominations should be endorsed by their relevant organizations or local ministries who can subsequently certify their nominees’ worth and achievements.[17] The final list of winners also requires the approval of theSenate of the Philippines.[18]
The ceremony consists of several of pre-awarding sessions and post-awarding events for laureates,[19] including a wreath-laying ceremony atRizal Park,[20] a visit toManila City Hall for a ceremonial handover of the Golden Key of Manila byMayor of Manila, acourtesy call to thePresident of the Philippines atMalacañang Palace,[21] cultural music and dance performances,[22] a press conference at the National Press Club in Manila, and a farewell programme inTagaytay,Cavite, among others.[23]
The final awards ceremony is held atPhilippine International Convention Center[24] on the fourth Wednesday of November.[25] The average number of attendees of around 5,000, comprises representatives of the diplomatic corporations, local and foreign politicians, business leaders, celebrities, philanthropists, scientists and other prominent figures from the Philippines, Asia, and the rest of the world.[26]
The Gusi Peace Prize is referred to in Presidential Proclamation No. 1476[27] signed byPresident of the PhilippinesGloria Macapagal Arroyo on 17 March 2008,[28] declaring every fourth Wednesday of November as "Gusi Peace Prize International Friendship Day".[29]
Politician andprofessional boxerManny Pacquiao was shortlisted for the Prize in 2009, but was replaced with singer and actressLea Salonga.[30] According to the criteria of the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation, awardees must be present at the awards ceremony to personally receive the prize; instead of attending the event, Pacquiao designated his Canadian adviser, Michael Koncz, to receive the prize on his behalf. In following the “No Showing Up - No Award” policy, Gusi as chairman of the foundation not only revoked the nomination of Manny Pacquiao but also blacklisted him from all future awarding.[31]
Barry Gusi was scrutinized in 2011 for allegedly posing as a Philippine ambassador to both theFederated States of Micronesia and theNorthern Marianas Islands. Article 177 of theRevised Penal Code of the Philippines, under “Usurpation of Authority or Official Functions”, penalizes individuals posing as government officials, officers, or representatives with imprisonment[32]
Gusi admitted to not being a diplomatic envoy under theDepartment of Foreign Affairs, clarifying he was an “honorary ambassador”. This was in response to the DFA issuing a statement that he was never a diplomat, after a company looking to sponsor the award conducted a verification process and subsequently dropped their bid. Gusi claimed he would not appear in DFA records as an “honorary ambassador” for the Northern Marianas by appointment of the territory’sgovernor andsenate president, adding he held the post from 1996 to 1999.[33]
Media related toGusi Peace Prize at Wikimedia Commons