With joy and deep gratitude, I accept this international Award which I shall always treasure for the great man it honors and for the recognition it gives to the Awardees.

Individuals who learn and derive their inspirations from the lives of others, cannot but draw inspiration from the life of our late President who commanded the respect and deep affection of his people because he was simple, selfless, understanding and humble, cared for people as individuals, and believed in their dignity and importance.

On March 16, 1957, the day before his demise, President Magsaysay, in a brief address at the University of the Visayas in Cebu City, spoke of the "limitless capacity of the Filipino parent for self-abnegation, his readiness to part with his last material possessions, in order that his children may look forward to a better life than it has been his lot to live."

A number of institutions and organizations and even individuals, strive to enrich the lives of the children of our land, through education, in the sciences and art, through provision of their bare necessities or their needs or even of some amenities. It has been our great privilege to contribute our share to the enhancement of the health and well-being of our children through the Children's Medical Center Foundation and its social action arm, the Institute of Maternal and Child Health. I am particularly grateful that I should be a 1977 Awardee as November 1977 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Medical Center and the 10th of the Institute of Maternal and Child Health. For this event we are re-editing a book for parents entitled Baby and You in Tagalog and in English, a compilation of a 20-year column in a local Sunday magazine. Earlier this year, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges officially launched the first Philippine medical textbook entitled Textbook of Pediatrics and Child Health for which it was my privilege to serve as Editor-in-Chief, perhaps a landmark of my 31 years on the faculty of two medical schools in the Philippines.

I am fortunate to have had many occasions to share my opportunities with others. It is a fact that developing countries present numerous problems of which children bear the brunt. The Philippines, as a developing country with 22 million children, presents many challenges, particularly in remote and under-served areas.

Hence in the past 15 years the Medical Center and the Institute have become socially committed and involved, seeking through traditional and innovative approaches to meet some of the health needs of our children. Pediatrics teams were sent to stay and work some months in various provinces where their services were needed. The establishment of 103 rehydration centers in rural communities fortuitously preceded an alarming cholera epidemic. In cooperation with the Training Office of the Department of Health, two-week courses in maternal and child health and family planning were conducted in five regions. We have been able to serve and train others in a variety of community health activities and participate actively in the population program of the administration. Thus today's occasion gives me a very special harvest of these tangible fruits of my professional life.

To the Board of Trustees, I am most grateful for their generous recognition of services rendered to our people through the children. I am grateful also to my nominator for efforts exerted, but more so for his confidence, faith and trust in me. I take this occasion to thank my parents, my mentors, my co-workers and colleagues for their continued support and encouragement.