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As part of its strong support to strengthen families, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint honors individuals whose contributions help families through the Family Values Awards. For 2017, the prestigious award is conferred on Fidel V. Ramos, twelfth president of the Republic of the Philippines.
His niece, Ms. Lynn Sherman, accepted the award on his behalf in an awarding ceremony held at the Marco Polo Ortigas on 26 October 2017. Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Philippines Area President, and his counselors, Elder Allen D. Haynie and Elder Evan A. Schmutz presented the award to Ms. Sherman.
Haidi Fajardo, Philippines Area director of public affairs for the Church introduced the awardee. "In 1992, President Ramos signed Proclamation 60, declaring the last week of September of every year as National Family Week. This reinforced the importance of families as stated in Section 12, Article II of the Constitution of the Philippines wherein it states, 'The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution,'" she said.
Fidel V. Ramos also signed Executive Order No. 241 in 1995 creating the national steering committee, now called the National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF). This committee leads the observance of National Family Week in order to ensure a wider and more active participation of the private and public sectors.
In 1996, Fidel V. Ramos, once again, signed Proclamation No. 847 declaring every fourth Sunday of September as Family Thanksgiving Day. As Sunday is considered a special family get-together day in Filipino households, the proclamation encourages families to set aside every fourth Sunday of September as an occasion to forge family unity.
Ms. Cherry de la Rosa, who was vice chairman of NCFF for 10 years, addressed the audience and shared her experiences working through the process of instituting the National Family Week. She was very involved in that process more than 25 years ago.
President Shayne M. Bowen spoke about the emphasis the Church places on strong families. He quoted an excerpt from The Family: A Proclamation to the World, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded on the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." He also mentioned the loving and attentive care President Ramos gives to his aunt as was related to him by President Ramos' niece.
In accepting the award for her uncle, Ms. Lyn Sherman thanked the Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for honoring him with the Family Value Award. She expressed gratitude for the Church's focus on building strong families not only in the church, but also in the community. She explained, "The concept of a united family that lives and progresses together is at the heart of their beliefs. The family is the most important unit of society and it is crucial for all of us to be involved in activities that support and build strong families in our country." She shared her love for her uncle and his love for his family. She said that he is the one who brings us together and always has an anecdote to share about each individual at their birthday celebration. She concluded her acceptance speech by singing a blues song "Feeling Good."
Even after 25 years, National Family Week is celebrated in every local government unit throughout the Philippines with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as strong partners.