Philippine Embassy in Madrid Hosts Inaugural Ceremony of Premios Tanglaw in Commemoration of the 77th Anniversary of Philippines-Spain Diplomatic Relations

H.E. Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier with the Premios Tanglaw awardees held at the Instituto Cervantes on 10 October 2024. 

MADRID, 11 October 2024 – The Embassy of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain hosted the inaugural ceremony of the Premios Tanglaw on 10 October 2024 led by Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier to commemorate the 77th Anniversary of Philippines-Spain diplomatic relations. 

Remarking on the bilateral relations between the two countries, the Ambassador stated, “this evolving relationship would not have reached its present heights without the tireless efforts of remarkable individuals and institutions—visionaries and advocates who have dedicated their lives to building bridges between our cultures. Today, we honor those who have worked relentlessly ensuring the light of mutual respect and understanding continues to shine brightly.”

“The awards we bestow represent a moment of celebration and serve as a source of inspiration for all who strive to bring us closer,” Ambassador Lhuillier further stated.

The Premios Tanglaw is a distinguished award presented by the Philippine Embassy in Spain to honor individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to fostering solidarity and cooperation between the Philippines and Spain. Named after the Filipino word “tanglaw,” meaning “guiding light,” the award celebrates those who serve as luminaries of unity and progress. Inspired by Juan Luna's iconic painting, it symbolizes the illumination of the path toward a brighter future, with both nations equally contributing to their shared aspirations. This year’s inaugural Premio Tanglaw marks the beginning of the historic milestone leading up to the 80th anniversary of Philippine-Spain bilateral relations in 2027.

This year's Tanglaw awardees were the late Senator Edgardo J. Angara; Jorge Manuel Domecq Fernández de Bobadilla; Isabel Preysler; Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga; Fernando Zóbel; Alexandra Eala; María Dolores Elizalde; Antonio Molina; Instituto Cervantes; National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP); Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes; Aboitiz and Company; CASA ASIA; Bodegas Fundador and Emperador Properties; ACCIONA; Jollibee Madrid and Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).

Among those who attended were Tamara Isabel Falcó Preysler, 6th Marchioness of Griñón and her husband Íñigo Onieva; Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs Diego Martínez Belío and Laura Mayoral of the Ministerio de Asunto Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación; Fernando Heredia Noguer of the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación and former Consul General of Spain to the Philippines; Amaya Cal Linares of the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes; José Herrera, Director General of International Relations of the Ayuntamiento de Madrid; Ambassador Vosita Vorasaph of Thailand; Ambassador Doan Thanh Song of Vietnam; Ambassador Danat Mussayev of Kazakhstan; Ambassador Dinesh Kumar Patnaik of India; Mohd Farhan Mohd Areffin of Malaysia; Bárbara Martínez of the Ministero de Economía, Comercio y Empresa; Harry Hwang Director for Asia and the Pacific and Yang Li, Programme Officer of UN Tourism; Carlos Navarro of Museo Nacional del Prado and many others.

The soprano Manila Adap sang the Spanish version of the song Maalala Mo Kaya entitled Dulce Princesa and her rendition of Mutya ng Pasig during the intermissions.

The ceremony, which took place at the headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid, was attended by several personalities and representatives from government, the private sector and international and cultural institutions based in Madrid. END

Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier with the Premios Tanglaw awardees

The ceremony was live streamed via the YouTube page of the Instituto Cervantes through the following link: https://bit.ly/3zSOh1i