San Lorenzo Ruiz Award 2010

(A project of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) and the Association of Filipinos in Thailand (AFT, UFT, CFC, etc) in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy)

Awarding will be held at the 5pm mass on September 26, 2010 (Sunday), Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila.

Selection Criteria, Process and Scoring

The annual award is given to outstanding migrant Filipino workers in Thailand in recognition of their: 1) outstanding professional and personal achievements that give honor to the Filipino people and country; 2) unstinting dedication and commitment in service of humanity, especially the less privileged and marginalized segments of Thai society; 3) distinguished contributions in fostering closer relationship between Filipino and Thai individuals, groups and societies at large; and 4) exemplary life integrating their faith with their personal life, profession and service according to Gospel truths. In essence, these are  outstanding individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of others.

Instituted in 2009, the first recipient was Dr. Dominica P. Garcia who distinguished herself in helping the poor, refugees, prisoners and other less privileged people in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos through her medical profession and altruistic service.

Read more from the Selection Criteria, Process and Scoring booklet (downloadable PDF file).

Download the Nomination Form and send to:

Fr. John Tamayo, Parish Priest
Mary Help of Christians Church
32 Krungthep Kritha Road, Hua Mark, Bangkok
Tel: 02-731-7100 to 11
Fax: 02-731-7120
Email: jtamayosdb@hotmail.com

The Philippine Embassy
c/o The Office of the Ambassador
760 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok
Tel: 02-259-0139 to 40

Or any leaders of the many associations of Filipinos in Thailand, i.e.:

• AFT, Association of Filipinos in Thailand
• UFT, United Filipinos in Thailand
• CFC, Couples For Christ in Thailand

Where God Wants Me

Dr. Dominica P. Garcia, San Lorenzo Ruiz Awardee 2009 

Dr. Dominica P. Garcia is a physician from Pampanga province, Philippines, who has served as the director of medical services at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok since 1987. She is a graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas, College of Medicine, in Manila. She also works for the Asia-Pacific Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), a non-profit organization that serves Indochinese refugees and detained illegal immigrants in Bangkok. 

Over the last 3 decades, she has done her ministry in Thailand. In 1974, she was hired as the medical director of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the U.S. bishops’ official overseas relief and development agency, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was the year prior to Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge’s regime. The evacuation in 1975 led her to move to Bangkok, then back to the Philippines. She later returned to Thailand after a year to work with Laotian refugees at the Thai border in Nong Khai province. During this time, she also briefly helped in building medical services for Vietnamese boat people in Malaysia. Then in 1979, due to a desperate need of medical attention, she decided to return to work in the Thai-Cambodian border at the Khmer Rouge camps under the Christian Missionary Alliance, where the number of Cambodians coming from Phnom Penh was growing rapidly. This was right after the Khmer Rouge genocide, and the arrival of the Vietnamese force. A year later, the Swiss Red Cross asked her to become the chief of its tuberculosis program in all the border camps. She also worked with a medical mission sister to raise funds for the refugees. When she resigned from the Red Cross, she began to freelance for many different organizations. 

When she left the border, intending to be a full-time mother to her daughter, she was then again asked by a high-ranking Filipino official at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to work part-time at the Immigration Detention Center in Suan Plu. She took over the position of the physician who was transferred to Africa and became the outpatient doctor for Vietnamese in transit. And this opened a window of opportunity for ministry at the detention center. 

With very minimal staff and volunteers, Dr. Garcia dealt with many problems. There was overcrowding and, therefore, a higher demand for food at the detention center. There were a growing number of HIV/AIDS-infected detainees. Money was spent on travel costs, rather than food, for those who were repatriated. Yet, many detainees still stayed because they had no country to go back to. Even so, Dr. Garcia continued to serve to help meet the needs of the people. 

When asked why she had chosen to take such course in her life, she said that the best place for her to be was exactly where God puts her. She believes God has equipped her to do what needs to be done. 

Dr. Dominica P. Garcia is a symbol of hope to many, especially those she had helped in the past. Her acts of compassion, obedience and humble service are worth sharing, and worth living for. May her life be an inspiration to many, and a challenge to those who seek purpose and meaning in life.