Polytechnic University of the Philippines
 

About the Gat Apolinario Mabini Awards

The Vision

Polytechnic University of the Philippines' (PUP) 10th President, Dr. Dante G. Guevarra envisions the GAT APOLINARIO MABINI  AWARD to become a prestigious award-giving institution in the country, which, befitting the name of its main campus - the Mabini Campus in Sta. Mesa - will be hosted by the University.

The idea dawned on the President when the house in which the "Sublime Scholars" breathed his last was moved from its location at the foot of the bridge near the Malacañang Palace to its place now in the Mabini Campus, facing the bust of the "Brains of the Revolution." It has always been noted by historians that Gat Apolinario Mabini's gift of intellect that is coupled with an iron-clad will to pursue social justice through the noblest quest for independence of his homeland was the enabling force that allowed him to put himself at the helm of the process of building the Republic in those turbulent early years of the Republic of the Philippines despite his physical infirmity.

The President believes that it is not despite but through his infirmity that Gat Apolinario Mabini became the revered, respected and sometimes feared leader of the Philippine Revolution.

Objectives

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines institutionalizes the Gat Apolinario Mabini Awards with the great optimism to:

  • Keep alive the legacy of Gat Apolinario Mabini in public consciousness such as (for his legacy) to serve as guiding principles of true statesmanship, personal courage and heroism in the face of adversity.
  • Draw a powerful parallelism between the journeys of PUP and Gat Apolinario Mabini, the former in her quest for freedom for the marginalized through education and the latter in his singular pursuit of national independence and a truly democratic government, and for this parallelism to inspire the young people of this country to work for meaningful social change.
  • Inspire leaders in their own spheres of work to remain just, principled, ethical and unyielding to all forms of corruption.
  • Make the award a powerful impetus for striving to excel in various categories of human endeavor such as to serve as an inspiration for Filipinos all over the world.