DUBAI, UAE: When he was 20 and a homeless college drop-out, a friend gave him $20 for food.

“Yet, I was having this urge to buy what I had always wanted but couldn’t afford, which was a canvas,” Jad Cordero, self-taught multimedia artist, told Rappler in an interview from Amman, Jordan where he is based in.

“And that’s how it all started,” said Cordero.

“I painted, and the next day somebody saw it and bought it from me for $50. That was the sign I needed to know: The risk I took in doing what I believe in was worth it; and I’ve never stopped believing since.”

That was in November 2020.

These days, Cordero’s paintings have been selling online for as much as $2,000 apiece. He has his own art gallery, has held two exhibitions and has 11,800 followers on Twitter – something that, he said, “helps me believe in myself more.”

“Knowing that I have quite a base established in no time showed me that my hard work did pay off,” said Cordero, now 21 and second of five children born to a Filipina.

The family moved to Jordan from the Philippines when Cordero was three years old.

 Art as a journey

“What drove me into doing art is my urge to share the lessons that life has taught me during my journey: to help people overcome obstacles by simply embracing what they’re passionate about. I believe it’s the fastest way to grow. Art was also a tool for me to heal myself.

“If I could label my theme, it would be ‘growth.’ I’m growing and learning more about myself with every art piece I finish; I learn one thing about myself and I deliver a message from that piece. That is the journey of my art and of myself,” said Cordero.

Adobo

Cordero, who has grown to love adobo that his mother, who grew up in Quezon City, would always prepare along with other Pinoy comfort foods, said he “feels great” having a Filipino blood in him.

“I’m really happy about the fact that I’m half-Filipino. It shaped me into being curious about life, and honestly, it’s a privilege to me,” he said, adding that he has currently been learning to speak the language.

Cordero said there have been ups and downs.

“But I won’t stop making art; I never will. At times, I go days without eating just so I could afford buying materials; at times too, I can pay the rent and buy food to spoil myself,” said Cordero, who was pursuing a degree in management information systems, that his father had wanted for him, at Al al-Bayt University when he dropped out to pursue art instead.

“I dropped out on my third year because it wasn’t something that I have ever imagined myself doing (in my life),” Cordero said.

Cordero said he paints 10 to 16 hours a day, explaining that “my urge to create (works of art) and help people is what fuels me to accomplish all these things in a short time.”

“That’s how I was able to have two exhibitions and my own art gallery with the fact that I started out just very recent,” he said.

Cordero goes by the name, “Jad Maq.” Cordero is his mother’s maiden name.

DUBAI: Five years ago in May 2016, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) opened a seafood restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Today, the establishment, which has grown to become a popular dining destination not only among Filipinos, but for locals and tourists as well, has eight branches, the ninth set to open in April this year.

“Nang pumunta ako dito,” said Rolly D. Brucales, managing director at Off The Hook Seafood Restaurant, “nasa mindset ko na na hindi ako magiging empleyado forever.”

(“When I came here, I already had this mindset that I will not be an employee forever.”)

Brucales, 46 and fifth among nine children born to merchant parents who own a meat stall at Albay Public Market, needless to say, grew up with keen familiarity in business and developed acumen such that he was already running his tailoring shop in Abu Dhabi at 36 years of age – or nine years after he arrived in the city in 2004.

“I was raised sa palengke. Karnehan…may pwesto parents ko. Bukas po ‘yun hanggang ngayon,” Brucales said. (“I was raised in a public market. My parents have a stall there selling meat. It is still open today.”)

Before that, Brucales, an accounting graduate from Divine Word College in Legazpi City in Albay, worked in a medical company also in Abu Dhabi, during which he learned the ropes of the trade and started selling medical supplies at hospitals across the city.

“I got bored staying in the office the whole day, so I tried to learn about doing sales and soon I was going out selling supplies,” Brucales said in a mix of English and the vernacular.

First branch

Brucales found a local businessman, and with help from six other OFW partners, including his wife, Angie, opened casual dining Off The Hook (OTH) seafood restaurant in May of 2016.  

Two years later in 2018, the second OTH would open in Deira; the third and fourth would open in Al Ain and in Abu Dhabi’s “tourist club” district also in the same year – for a total of three branches in a year’s time.

The fifth OTH opened in an Abu Dhabi Mall a year later in 2019.

Despite the pandemic’s stifling impact on businesses with its quarantine measures and restrictions on movements of people last year, three OTH branches were set up in March and December, where two more opened in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai Mall.

The ninth is set to open in south Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall in the first week of April, according to Brucales.

Each OTH restaurant has 11 tables. The restaurant chain employs a total of 86 employees – all OFWs.

Brucales said there were plans to open an OTH branch in the Philippines but this was sidelined by the pandemic.

International

Brucales said that up to 70% of OTH’s customers were non-Filipinos. “I was surprised. The customers were of different nationalities,” he said, also in a mix of English and the vernacular.

Notably too, is OTH’s positioning, where branches were located not only in areas frequented by Filipinos but in those visible to other market segments.  “I want to compete with the international brand, not the Filipino brands,” said Brucales, father of three kids, the eldest of whom is a 22-year-old lad.

Brucales said he owes OTH’s success to its staff and on the company’s incentive plans like giving a certain percentage of the sales whenever the month’s quota was met.

“Lagi kong sinasabi sa mga monthly staff meetings namin: ‘Uuwi tayo ng meron, depende na nga lang sa inyo,’” he said. (“I always say during our monthly staff meetings: ‘We will not go home empty-handed, but that depends on you.”)

Brucales said he is grateful to the UAE government for giving business-friendly opportunities to people of other nationalities.

Dubai, UAE – Amid the backdrop of a record-high 18 Covid-related deaths reported by the government and daily new cases breaching the 4,500-mark early this week, Filipinos, who have had brushes with the infectious disease, share their ordeal to remind everyone that complacency could cause their life.

A number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) interviewed said they had no idea they were already infected, explaining that they thought the malaise and colds they were experiencing were merely caused by the cold weather.

‘Just the weather’

 “I was not considering that it was Covid-19 because it was the same week that the weather suddenly got very cold. So, I thought, maybe it was just the weather,” said Joanne Rico of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, who heads the sales and marketing department at the healthcare company she is working at.

For her part, Jona M. Lewis said she first dismissed it as something caused by fatigue – until she noticed she has lost her sense of smell.

“Nuong January 21, naramdaman kong sumakit ang katawan ko. Nung una, akala ko pagod lang ako. A day later, nagkalagnat na din ako at shortly after, hindi ko na maamoy yung paligid ko. Dito ko na naisip na baka may Covid na ako,” she told GMA News Online.

Beniflor G. Quilang, accountant who hails from Cabagan, Isabela, said she did not have symptoms at all and was working from home because an officemate has tested positive.

“After a week, the company’s Human Resource Department (HRD) advised me to undergo PCR test just to make sure I am safe from Covid before returning to work,” Quilang said.

Quilang was staying with a friend, who was also working from home because a fellow employee has tested positive. “Eh, umuubo-ubo na sya sa bahay. Since we were in the flu season, di naman kami nag-alala na baka may Covid sya and also because seldom go out— besides, it has been a week na naka-kulong lang sa bahay,” Quilang said.

Both tested positive the next day.

Rico meanwhile got feverish and had a PCR test on doctor’s advice. The hospital where she had it called at 1:00 am to inform her she was positive. She said she informed everyone who needed to know – colleagues, superiors and close friends. She said she only told her mother and other loved ones back home in the Philippines through video call when she was already feeling better “so that they will see my exact condition and will not worry.”

Surreal

“Napaka surreal,” said Lewis. “Hindi ako makapaniwala na may Covid ako dahil sobra kong ingat. Kina-usap ko pa nga last year ang manager ko na mag-iiba muna ako ng shift dahil ayaw ko sumabay sa rush hour ng metro. Aside from that, lagi din ako nagsa-sanitize and lagi ako nakadouble mask,” she added.

Quilang said the first thing that went her mind was their two other housemates who were not infected. “Kinabahan ba ako? Hindi ko alam! But I was a bit worried kasi may dalawa pa kaming kasama and both were negative,” she said.

Quilang said she told her siblings, but asked them not to tell their parents. “Alam ko kung paano mag-alala ang mga parents ko kaya di ko muna pina-alam since alam ko naman na I will be okay,” she said.   

Virgie Sarabia (real name withheld on request) of San Pedro, Laguna who runs a restaurant in Dubai, described her bout with Covid as something that made her “very sick.”

“Iba ang dating ng Covid,” she said, adding that she was scared when the PR test result came out.

Vaccine

All four OFWs luckily made it.
Asked why they have not taken the vaccine beforehand, Sarabia said she had planned to but Covid got her sooner.

“Nagpang-abot yung PCR test ko sa pa-vaccine. Nung ni-require ng company na all employees should take the vaccine, tsaka naman kailangan kong magpa-test muna. Wala ng choice and no one to blame,” said Quilang.

Rico said she has a medical condition while Lewis said, “Hindi pa ako convinced.”

Dubai and the rest of the country has been having daily average temperatures of 19°C dropping to 10°C at night. Experts say the coronavirus survive and is transmitted more easily in cold air.

Numbers

There has lately been a significant rise in the number of  Covid fatalities. According to the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), there were 10 deaths on Feb. 4; 14 deaths on Feb. 5 and 12 on Feb. 6. There were 17 on Feb. 9 and 18 on Feb. 11. Previously the numbers would range from five to nine deaths.

 Active cases were at 19,113 also as of Feb. 10. On Feb. 1 it was 24,070 active cases.

DUBAI, UAE – A jobless overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who spent 10 years of her savings on a milk tea store that coincidentally opened just as the Covid-19 pandemic was creeping in last year, has managed to pull through despite the odds and recently opened a second store, with plans to operate a third before the end of the year.

Vin Jimenez, who hails from Angeles City in Pampanga, said she and her husband were also planning to open franchising opportunities by April 2020.

“The business went smoothly until the most challenging part came when the government announced a temporary closure of the Dubai Metro due to pandemic,” recalls Jimenez of the milk tea business’ initial days.

The milk tea store, named “Joy Bubble,” opened on March 12, 2020 in Al Qusais, an area in the outskirts of north Dubai. On April 4, 2020, the government put strict quarantine measures in place.

“It prevented our employees from reporting to work; also, the sterilization programs halted business operations to a shorter run of 8pm due to the curfew imposed,” Jimenez told GMA News Online.

Silver lining

Jimenez, who has a degree in finance and managerial accounting from Holy Angel University also in Angeles City, said opportunity presented itself when people started working from home.

“It was a silver lining that spiked the demand in food deliveries including our bubble teas,” she said. “My husband rolled up his sleeves and said, ‘We have to run the business by ourselves, literally,’” Jimenez added.

And so husband and wife buckled down to work, managing the store – from taking orders, preparing them, delivery and customer service.

“We immediately added rider services partnering with us to reach more customers on time and we were able to hit our targets. It was really a very humbling experience serving our customers who did not know they were dealing with the store owner themselves,” Jimenez said. 

 After 10 months of opening their flagship store, the couple were able to open their second one in Bur Dubai, an area in the center of the city and otherwise known as “Old Dubai.”

“We employed people who lost jobs due to the pandemic,” said Jimenez.

Visit visa

Jimenez came to Dubai in March 2007 on a visit visa acquired with money that her auntie loaned her, which also covered plane ticket. Her husband and two children joined her in 2010.

Within a week upon arrival, Jimenez got a job as site secretary for a construction company. She moved to a reputable trading company, which however closed by end of 2019.

“Being unemployed for some time triggered my brave decision to open up my own venture in Dubai,” said Jimenez, whose plans were further bolstered by an eight-week, intensive business course program for OFWs organized by the non-profit, non-government Philippine Business Council – Dubai & Northern Emirates (PBC-DNE) operated by OFWs themselves.

“It was timely for me to attend the program (which was called Genbiz) as trainors were reputable and long-established Filipino businessmen in Dubai sharing their insights right from A to Z of setting up,” said Jimenez.

“Having the right product and business trainings, I was ready to start my own business in Dubai so I used all my decade-earned savings being an OFW and downgraded our car for additional funding,” she added.

Jimenez said she thought of a bubble tea store because “it is a booming business in Southeast Asia.”

She said she actually went to Taiwan in October 2019 to do research in the highland tea farms of Nantou County and then to Kaohsiung for formal training in milk-tea making.   

 PH embassy UAE vows justice for missing OFW who was found dead last month

ABU DHABI, UAE – The million-strong Filipino community in the United Arab Emirates is mourning the death of a Filipina receptionist who was reported missing in March last year and whose remains were found last month.

Social media have been flooded with messages of sympathies and condolences to relatives of Mary Anne Daynolo, who, according to local media, was a receptionist at an island resort and was reported missing since March 24. There were also cries for justice.

This developed as the Philippine Embassy said all efforts are being done to ensure justice for Daynolo.

The embassy, in a statement, said her remains were found by UAE police authorities on Jan. 19, 2021. It was flown home and arrived in Manila on Jan. 30, 2021, the embassy said.

“The Embassy of the Philippines expressed deep sadness and extended condolences to the family of Ms. Mary Anne Daynolo,” read the statement, which was issued on Monday this week.

Ambassador Hjayceelyn M. Quintana assured the relatives that the embassy will “spare no effort in seeking justice for the death of Ms. Daynolo.”

“The embassy lawyer is now closely assisting the family in taking all necessary legal action to make sure justice is served,” the statement further read.

Citing Abu Dhabi police authorities, the embassy said a suspect, who was Daynolo’s work colleague, has confessed to the crime and is now under police custody.  

“The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi is in close coordination with the family and the Abu Dhabi authorities on the ongoing criminal investigation surrounding the death of Ms. Daynolo,” statement said.  

The embassy has been coordinating with UAE authorities since Daynolo was reported missing in March last year, the statement also said.

DUBAI: A total of 99,465 applications for the Department of Labor and Employment’s Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP) program was received by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here as the coronavirus pandemic halted business activities across the city last year.

This, according to POLO data obtaine from Labor Attaché Felicitas Bay, which also showed that 32,253 were approved of which 25,869 has received their AED730 one-time financial assistance under the AKAP program.

Total amount disbursed was AED 18.88 million, still according to the data.

“The allocation was for 27,000 OFWs,” said Bay. “POLO-Dubai had the most number of applications received and the most number of cash assistance recipients among all POLOs,” she added.

Dubai has approximately 500,000 OFWs before the pandemic occurred, according to various official estimates. The bulk of this number are in the services sector, mostly in the hotels as well as food and beverage companies, which were hardest hit when quarantine measures were imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In a separate report meantime, POLO-Dubai said it had 758 distressed OFWs under its care last year of which 584 had been repatriated by the Philippine government; 83 had left UAE on their own; and 73 had been endorsed to POLO-Abu Dhabi.

The distressed OFWs were mostly household service workers (HSWs) who have run away from their employers over allegations of abuse. Oftentimes they were victims of human traffickers who promised them office jobs or employment as restaurant staff but turned them over to licensed companies providing cleaning services upon arrival in the city.

Related link:

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/772594/close-to-100k-dubai-ofws-applied-for-dole-s-covid-ayuda-in-2020-says-polo/story/?amp&fbclid=IwAR1PeZyLlv2yobZTO-vFaN3iZEiuWKJfmhYYFnNl3LELkGp2iQEVmUm8Z5w

DUBAI: While most people infected with the coronavirus would be sulking, praying that they make it, a 60-year-old overseas Filipina worker (OFW) in Abu Dhabi instead took it in stride, dancing on TikTok to “entertain” her loved ones back home and allay their anxieties.

Emma Wenceslao Sentones of Isabel, Leyte, who lives alone in the city, spent the recent holidays in the hospital, finally pulling through on the eighth day of confinement after having her second negative test result on New Year’s Eve. She was admitted a day before Christmas Eve and was officially declared fit and was discharged on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I was on my second day (when I danced on TikTok). I was still positive and vomiting,” recalled Sentones, who went to the hospital by herself on Dec. 22, 2020 to be checked due to symptoms – vomiting, slight fever, shortness of breath, coughing, diarrhea and back pain. In short, a textbook case. She was admitted on Dec. 23.

Sentones said she did the TikTok gig “to show my family that I was okay, though I was still fighting.”

“Kasi, ayoko na malungkot sila,” said Sentones, a prominent figure in the Filipino community, being in the leadership of major organizations whose day job is being an administrative officer at a conglomerate here, where she has been employed for the past nine years.

Wenceslao, a mother of four and grandmother to five kids, the eldest being 14 years old, recalled how weak she was when she took a taxi for the hospital that day.

“On Dec. 23, I got a text message from the authorities that I was positive.  I also received a call from the hospital at 10 in the morning confirming that I’m Covid positive and was advised to proceed to the hospital soon as I was ready.

“I brought a few clothes, managed to take a taxi alone and was very weak. I had no food to eat because I couldn’t manage to cook anymore and I have totally lost my appetite. At 3pm I was brought by ambulance to the Covid recovery center,” Sentones said.

Sentones said she took comfort in the thought that three doctors were responding to her case while nurses kept an eye on her.

“I was always asking the nurses about my blood pressure and I also learned how to operate the oxygen…because I was very curious,” said Sentones, adding that she had never been hospitalized in her entire life.

Now back to work, Sentones has this piece of advice: “Always wear facemask, clean and disinfect. Know the symptoms and be a responsible individual. Kapag alam mo may sakit ka, umiwas ka na. Immediately do the swab test para may agarang gamutan.”

The UAE has, in the past several days, been seeing an upswing in the number of new daily Covid-19 cases. There were 1,506 new cases, two deaths and 22,307 active cases on Dec. 29, 2020, according to the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Number of tests done was 153,157, also according to MOHAP.

On the other hand, there were 3,432 new cases, seven deaths and total of 26,962 active cases on Jan. 16, 2021. There were 151,096 test done on this day, still according to MOHAP. Total number of deaths was 740.

Related links:

https://www.facebook.com/messenger_media?thread_id=769592998&attachment_id=456477415728378&message_id=mid.%24cAAAAABzCSBF9B_PDRl21q4qvwB_f

https://www.facebook.com/messenger_media?thread_id=769592998&attachment_id=227479825538537&message_id=mid.%24cAAAAABzCSBF9CACgYl21rq7xo4f2

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/772148/60-year-old-dubai-ofw-lola-dances-on-tiktok-while-under-covid-19-treatment/story/

DUBAI: The Philippine Consulate General’s (PCG) office here was temporarily closed for two days from yesterday, Sunday, Jan. 17 to “undergo extensive sanitation procedures after possible exposure to Covid-19.”

This, even as a travel advisory has been issued on Friday, Jan. 15 by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi advising Filipinos travelling to the Philippines to be “prepared for entry protocols and the required 14-day quarantine period upon arrival” in light of the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the list of some 34 countries subject to travel restrictions due to the new Covid-19 variant. The restrictions took effect also on Jan. 17.

The UAE, late last month, confirmed detection of the variant, which has a faster reproduction rate, in the country.

Earlier last week on Jan.13, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said a Filipino who flew in from Dubai on Jan. 7 has tested positive for the new Covid-19 variant.

Meantime, PCG also urged all clients who availed of consular services to get tested “as soon as practicable.”

“All clients who availed of consular services today (Jan. 17, 2021) are strongly encouraged and advised to get tested for Covid-19 as soon as practicable,” stated the PCG advisory.

It also stated that PCG premises “will thoroughly be disinfected (during these) two days to ensure the health and safety of our clients.”

It was not immediately made clear whether any of the PCG staff has tested positive or exhibited symptoms that prompted the shutdown. 

In its advisory meantime, the embassy said the entry of Filipino balikbayans or former Filipinos as well as non-Filipino spouse and non-Filipino children of Filipino citizens, will be restricted along with other non-Filipino travelers from the UAE.

It likewise stated that Filipino minors must be accompanied by their Filipino parents when traveling to the Philippines. “Unaccompanied Filipino minors may only be allowed boarding if they are being repatriated by the Philippine government,” the advisory said.

The embassy said the advisory will remain in place till further announcements are made on Jan. 31, 2021.

DUBAI: Despite the restrictions imposed on the movement of people at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, nearly 30,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) received aid from the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in the form of a one-time financial assistance or food support, while 3,500 more were repatriated.

Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said 2020 was PCG’s busiest year, with the challenge being how to proceed with the services in the midst of a quarantine imposed to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

“The need for physical distancing and crowd control was also a constraint,” Cortes said.

In his recent New Year’s Day message, Cortes cited the difficulties they were faced with last year in ensuring that implementation of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP) program, which provides for a one-time financial assistance of AED 730 (P10,000), was unimpeded.

As well, repatriation was a concern as flights home were often cancelled by Philippine authorities, further aggravating the situation of jobless OFWs who have nearly lost most of their savings weathering the lockdown as companies temporarily closed.

“Itong 2020 po ay naging very challenging para sa ating lahat. Yung pandemic… may crisis, nagkaruon ng lockdown. Kung kayat marami rin ang di makapunta ng konsukado at naging very strict din tayo sa physical distancing,” Cortes said.

There were 88,600 OFWs in Dubai and the neighboring northern emirates who have either lost their jobs, were on a no-work-no-pay arrangement or have had their salaries adjusted by as much as 50% because of the pandemic applying for AKAP in June, according to the Filipino Human Resources Practitioners Association in the UAE or more popularly, FilHR, citing data obtained from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) at the time.

Aside from the financial assistance, POLO also had a food assistance drive, and the challenge was how to distribute the food packs. To address this, POLO welfare officers made arrangements with certain supermarkets such that distressed OFWs could just present confirmation from POLO for them to get their groceries.

POLO likewise visited work sites and company accommodations for OFWs where they handed out food packs as well.

In all, almost 26,000 distressed OFWs, including 252 Covid-19 patients, received their DOLE-AKAP money for a total of AED18.88 million; while more than 3,300 got food assistance, officials said.

Cortes said they were also able to send over 3,500 Filipinos, including children and the elderly, home through PCG’s Assistance to Nationals (ATN) desk in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which has launched a global repatriation program.

DUBAI: A Filipina nurse working at a care home in the United Kingdom (UK) was among recipients of the coveted British Empire Medal (BEM), bestowed upon her for her contributions in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. — a feat that has qualified her to be on Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honor List.

Hailing from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Charito Romano, a mother of three, was cited for her perseverance at work at Arbrook House in Esher, a facility that provides specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses and are therefore vulnerable to the coronavirus. It is located in Surrey, southeast England.

“It’s quite humbling,” Romano said. “I am honored to have received this meritorious award of excellence. You don’t get this every day. I  consider this as the finest moment of my nursing career,” she added.

Romano said she felt lucky to be part of the care home’s family, “who have trusted me and allowed me to lead my colleagues in ensuring the safety of our residents.”

“Nakaka-proud talaga. I was also overwhelmed with the congratulations from our kababayans. Truly an achievement,” said Romano, who arrived in the UK to work as a nurse back in 2002.

Romano obtained her bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University-Philippines in 1994. She passed the board exams in the same year. Her three children are aged 17, 16 and 13. Her husband also works at a care home facility in the UK.

Daniel Pruce, the UK’s ambassador to the Philippines congratulated Romano.   

“Many congratulations to Staff Nurse Charito Romano, from the Philippines, (she had been) awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours for her outstanding work at Arbrook House Care Home in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the envoy said in a tweet.

Romano was also commended by Wesleyan University-Philippines President, Judge Benjamin D. Turgano, who said she “exemplified the university’s ideal of service above self.

Founded in 1917, BEM is being given for meritorious actions by civilians or military personnel. Around 300 recipients are bestowed the award every year.