PARAÑAQUE CITY – Recognizing exceptional contributions across various fields, the City Government of Parañaque celebrated the achievements of Parañaqueños through the prestigious Gawad Palanyag Awards. The awards ceremony was held on February 6, 2025, at the Grand Ballroom, Okada Manila.
The city’s Gawad Parangal para sa Natatanging Parañaqueño celebrates its residents who have brought honor and progress, including top taxpayers and personalities excelling in their respective roles in nation-building.
Among the honorees was Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera, a long-time resident of Parañaque, who was recognized for her contributions to public service and governance in the Philippines.
Atty. Devanadera’s exemplary career in public service continues to thrive in her current leadership position. As Solicitor General, she successfully defended the interests of the Republic before international arbitration tribunals. She subsequently headed the Department of Justice, the principal law agency and legal counsel of the government, ensuring adherence to the rule of law and the effective administration of justice. She also served as Chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body providing economic and technical regulation in the electric power industry.
Before her national roles, Atty. Devanadera served as a town mayor in Sampaloc, Quezon, for a decade. She then entered the national government as an Undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government. In her capacity as Government Corporate Counsel and later as Solicitor General, she led government lawyers in representing the interests of government-owned and controlled corporations, departments, bureaus, and various line agencies.
The CDC chief was among the honorees in the field of public service, alongside Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and Assistant Director General for the National Security Council Jonathan Malaya, among others.
The Gawad Palanyag Awards also recognized excellence in other fields. In music and the arts, Bernadette A. De Leon, Roselle Nava-Tan, and Ely Eleandre Buendia were recognized. Kristin Karen Davila-Sta. Ana received the media award. In law and justice, Associate Justices Emily San Gaspar-Gito and Gener Gito, along with Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, were recognized for their outstanding service.
A posthumous award was given to the late Rodolfo “Dolphy” Quizon Sr. for his lasting contributions to Philippine entertainment.
who received the award for Gawad Palanyag on behalf of his father Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. (CDC Photo)
Atty. Devanadera was appointed as the first lady president of CDC in September 2022. CDC is a government-owned and controlled corporation that acts as the estate administrator of the former US military base in the Philippines, hosting businesses for the past 31 years. Clark hosts multinational companies involved in semiconductor, manufacturing, aviation, business process outsourcing, among others.
Under her leadership, CDC was accorded membership in the “Billionaire’s Club” of the Department of Finance. The cash dividends remitted by CDC to the national government surged by approximately 157%, increasing from 700 million pesos in 2021 to 1.8 billion pesos in 2023.
CDC is also a top-ranking government-owned corporation in the Philippines, achieving an impressive 99% score in the 2022 Corporate Governance Scorecard. Her avowed mission as a leader is that good governance spells good economics.
