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MBFI Excellence Awards Programs

The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) 

 
   
About the Program
   
Important Dates
   
Nomination Forms
   
Past Awardees
   
Frequently Asked Questions
   
Inquiries
   
Emblems of Courage:
TOPS 2006 Awardees
 
Read More
 
 

The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS)

About the Program The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers is an annual Search jointly undertaken by the Rotary Club of Makati Metro and the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. The Search is the realization of the shared conviction of the Rotary Club of Makati Metro and the Metrobank Foundation to honor excellence among the men and women in the military as an expression of the civilian sector’s appreciation and gratitude for our soldiers’ selfless acts of gallantry in preserving our nation’s sovereignty.

In many respects, the current T.O.P.S. is a fusion of the rich experience of the Rotary Club of Makati Metro in conducting an annual search for outstanding soldiers since 1994 and the long tradition of technical and logistical expertise of the Metrobank Foundation in conducting the Search for Outstanding Teachers for more than twenty years. Whereas before, the Search focused on individual achievements within a single year in particular areas of expertise such as Combat, Technical Innovation and Community Service, T.O.P.S. now recognizes the total contribution of our soldiers during the entirety of their career in the military. Thus, winning in T.O.P.S. sets apart the awardees from ordinary soldiers as they serve as models of excellence, professionalism, integrity and nobility in the military services. As a distinguished batch, the winners do not anymore compete with their colleagues in future Searches.

Two Enlisted Personnel and one Commissioned Officer from each of the three military branches, namely the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force, will be selected as winners. One winner will also be declared from the Technical Support Group of the military, i.e. the medical corps, the corps of professors and the Judge Advocate Group Office.

The T.O.P.S. is supported through a ten million endowment fund set up by Metrobank and Metrobank Foundation Chairman George S. K. Ty in 1999.

METROBANK SALUTES
OUTSTANDING SOLDIERS
for 2008


The country’s top soldiers were recognized for their career achievements and service to the community with the culmination of the 2008 Metrobank Foundation Search for The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) at a ceremony in Malacañang Palace on May 12 with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferring the award.

Important Dates

Preparation/Coordination
meetings with RCMM and AFP

April - July 2007

TOPS 2007 Launching

August 20-24 2007

Information dissemination

September-October 2007

Deadline for submission of Nomination Forms and Documents

November 09, 2007

Pre-screening (Division level)

November 26-30, 2007

Selection process
(Major branch of service level)

December 10-14, 2007

Turn over of documents to MBFI

December 21, 2007

Briefing of Final Board of Judges

January 14-18, 2008

Final Judging

Feb. 18-19, 2008

Awarding Ceremony

March 24, 2008

Nomination Forms

Major Services:

Download the Philippine Army 2007 nomination forms and FAQs here.
(MS-WORD Document 188kb)

Download the Philippine Navy 2007 nomination forms and FAQs here.
(MS-WORD Document 187kb)

Download the Philippine Air Force 2007 nomination forms and FAQs here.
(MS-WORD Document 187kb)

Technical Services:

Download the 2007 nomination forms and FAQs for Technical Services here.
(MS-WORD Document 188kb)

Past Awardees
Please select a year:
2000  |  2001  |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006 2007


Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Who are the organizers of the Search?

  2. Who can join and win in the competition?

  3. What prizes will the winners receive?

  4. Who can nominate?

  5. How can one join?

  6. What clearances are required?

  7. Can a retired soldier join? Can one nominate a dead soldier?

  8. Can non-winning nominees/finalists join the competition again?

  9. What if the winner, after the awarding, committed acts in violation of the law and constitution?

1. Who are the organizers of the Search?

  1. The TOPS is a joint undertaking of the Rotary Club of Makati Metro (RCMM) and the Metrobank Foundation. The project was originally the idea of the Rotary Club of Makati Metro who established the Search in 1994 as an expression of the civilian sector’s gratitude to the AFP.

  2. The Metrobank Foundation, on the other hand, has been extending grants to the various military educational institutions since 1995. In 1999, Metrobank Foundation set up a P10 Million-endowment fund for a recognition program for outstanding soldiers. It was during that time that the Metrobank Foundation partnered with the Rotary Club of Makati Metro in the conduct of the TOPS.

  3. Utilizing its experience in running similar contests such as the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Foundation provided technical and logistical assistance to further improve and professionalize the competition. While the RCMM provided the insight it has gained in working with the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

2. Who can join and win in the competition?

  1. The competition is open to all Officers with a rank of Captain up to Colonel and Enlisted Personnel who have actively served in the AFP for the last seven years. The nominee must also meet the following criteria: 1) Must be of good moral character 2) Must not have been charged under a criminal information pending in court or must not have a pending administrative charge given due course by any government administrative body and 3) Must not have been adjudged guilty/liable in any administrative or criminal case.

  2. For the Commissioned Officer category, if the nominee is previously an Enlisted Personnel promoted to a Commissioned Officer, he/she should have served as a Commissioned Officer for at least (2) years to be eligible. For the Non-Commissioned Officer category, the nominee must not have been promoted to a rank of a Commissioned Officer until after the Final Judging Phase, which will be sometime in January 2007, to be eligible.

  3. One officer and two Enlisted Personnel coming from each of the three major branches of service of the AFP namely the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy may win in the competition.

  4. One winner would be an officer (Captain to Colonel) coming from the AFP General Services. (JAGO, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Chaplain Services, Academic Corps, and Engineering Corps.) Enlisted Personnel with concurrent duties in the General Services may compete for a slot allocated for their respective branches.

3. What prizes will the winners receive?

Each awardee will be receiving a cash prize of Php 200,000 and a trophy courtesy of the Metrobank Foundation. The non-winning finalists, aside from a certificate, shall receive an amount of Php 20,000 as financial incentive, also courtesy of the Metrobank Foundation

4. Who can nominate?

  1. Any of the following can nominate to the competition:

    1. Army: Commanding General, Division Commander, Brigadier Commander, Battalion Commander, Company Commander

    2. Philippine Navy: Flag Officer-in-Command, Commander Philippine Fleet, Commandant, Philippine Fleet, Commander, Naval Forces, Other Major Unit Commanders

    3. Philippine Air Force: Commanding General, Major and Separate Unit Commanders

    4. General Services: The Surgeon General (Medical Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Admin Corps), Chief Nurse, The Chief of Dental Services, The Chief Chaplain, The Judge Advocate General, The Chief Engineer, PMA Superintendent

     

  2. Soldiers who wish to join the competition need to secure the signature of any of the above nominator.

5. How can one join?

  1. Nomination forms are available at the Office of the J-1, AFP General Headquarters, all AFP Major Service Headquarters, and its major units. The forms are also available in all Metrobank Branches nationwide. The forms can also be downloaded from the Metrobank Foundation website: http://www.mbfoundation.org.ph or at the AFP website http://www.afp.mil.ph.

  2. The accomplished nomination form as well as the accompanying documents of Major Services should be submitted to their respective Major Service Selection Committee Secretariat on or before October 23, 2006. For the Technical Service nominees, the nomination forms as well as the accompanying documents should be submitted to the Technical Service Selection Committee, OTSG, GHQ, AFP also on October 23, 2006. The nominee shall submit seven (7) copies of the nomination forms as well as the documentary requirements with the latest 2x2 photo of the nominee in seven separate folders. All required supporting documents should be on long bond paper (8 1/2” x 13”). The required packaging of the documents is indicated on the Guidelines in Preparing the Required Documents.

6. What clearances are required?

  1. The nominee should secure clearances from any of the following:
    • All pertinent AFP bodies (i.e. Inspector General, Provost Marshall, Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability)
    • Commission on Human Rights
    • Ombudsman

  2. The nominee needs to submit only one copy of all the clearances. The deadline for the submission of the clearances is on October 23, 2006. Said clearances should be submitted directly to the Morale and Welfare Division, Office of J1, AFP-GHQ Camp Aguinaldo.

7. Can a retired soldier join? Can one nominate a dead soldier?
No. The competition seeks to raise models of excellence within the AFP which other soldiers could emulate. The organizers also seek to restore public confidence back to the AFP. As such the organizers are looking for soldiers who are still active in the service and who could serve as examples within the AFP.

8. Can non-winning nominees/finalists join the competition again?

Yes. Nominees are encouraged to join again in the next cycle of the Search. However, soldiers who made it to the final phase for two consecutive years but did not win should have a rest year before he/she can join again. If the nominee has been a finalist the third time, he/she shall be requested to rest for two (2) years before he/she becomes eligible to join again.

9. What if the winner, after the awarding, committed acts in violation of the law and constitution?

Winners should continue to be active and serve as a model soldier even after winning the competition. If in case after the competition, the military institution would deem that a winner would prove unworthy as a model of excellence, his/her name would be removed from the roster of awardees.

 
Should there be any other questions, please contact Khalid Bartolay or Diane Recinto of Metrobank Foundation at (63-2) 857-5525/818-5656/09188236378; email at foundation@metrobank.com.ph

You can also contact Albert Guevarra of RCMM at (63-2) 8184138
 

 

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Metrobank Foundation, Inc.
15th Floor, Metrobank Plaza, Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., 1200 Makati City, Philippines
E-mail address:
foundation@metrobank.com.ph
Direct Line: (63-2) 857-5918; (63-2) 898-8855; (63-2) 898-8898; (63-2) 750-0837 Telefax: (63-2) 818-5656