FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte has been named one of the Hall of Fame awardees of the Awards for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding (Appcu) for strengthening relations between Manila and Beijing.

Former Joseph “Erap” Estrada was the Appcu Hall of Fame awardee in 2022.

Duterte and The Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao are among the six recipients of the 2023 Appcu awards.

This year’s Appcu Hall of Fame awardees are Duterte and his former special envoy to China, Carlos Chan.

The awardees for the Appcu “Outstanding Contributions” category are Tiglao, who was a former ambassador to Greece and Cyprus, and Dr. Jaime Cruz, also a former special envoy to China.

In the “Major Contributions” category, the winners are Regina Rosa Tecson, director of the Satellite Office of Vice President Sara Duterte in Davao City, and Jose Ong Tajan, former president of APCU Baguio and also the former chairman of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Baguio City.

“Their works’ prestige and endeavors in promoting and strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the Philippines and China are essentially the basis for selecting them as [Appcu] Laureates for 2023,” the APCU said in an earlier statement.

In a video message, Chan said that for almost 20 years, he had the privilege of serving as the country’s special envoy to China, allowing him to present the Philippines in various capacities.

He said his responsibilities included promoting trade and investment, fostering tourism and facilitating cultural exchanges between the Philippines and China.

“I’d like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to former president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the late president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and former president Rodrigo Duterte for their trust and confidence in appointing me as the Philippine special envoy to China,” Chan said.

Peter Lavina, Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) executive vice president, said the Appcu awards have become “one of the key activities in celebrating Philippine-China friendship.”

“In just three years, we have already involved four presidents of the republic. Of course, that includes our chair emeritus, PGMA [former] president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” Lavina said in a press conference formally announcing the Appcu 2023 laureates.

“We have an awardee last year in 2022, one of our Hall of Famers, former president Joseph Estrada, and our awarding ceremony last year [was] attended by Presidentelect [Ferdinand] Bongbong Marcos,” he said. “And this year one of our Hall of Fame awardees will be another president, former president Rodrigo Duterte. So, imagine within three years, we were able to involve already four presidents of the republic. The awards have become prestigious. In just three years, we have already awarded 27 laureates.”

APCU said the Appcu pays special tribute to Filipinos who have made efforts to strengthen friendly ties and promote mutual understanding between the Philippines and China using their respective advocacies and expertise in the various fields and disciplines of mass media, public service, trade and commerce, arts, culture and the sciences.

Since the launch of the third year of Appcu in January, the committee behind the awards have streamlined its search “for well-deserving individuals” to recognize their efforts in promoting understanding and the “reinforcement of amity between the Philippines and China,” APCU said.

It added that the six laureates have passed the 2023 Appcu Awards three-stage selection and judging process from a list of nominees beginning the early quarter of 2023.