Outstanding Sillimanian receives Presidential Award

Engr. Elizabeth Merto Engle, 2016 Outstanding Sillimanian awardee for engineering, has been given the Pamana ng Pilipino award, a category of the 2018 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO). President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the award on Engr. Engle during ceremonial rites at Malacañang Palace on Dec. 5.

According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) of the Office of the President, the PAFIOO is the “highest honour given by the Philippine government to Filipinos and organizations based overseas.”

Ten other overseas-based Filipinos received the Pamana ng Pilipino award with Engr. Engle. They were among the 25 Presidential awardees selected by the CFO from 37 Philippine Embassies and Consulates in 28 countries in Asia, North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Australia. The Pamana ng Pilipino Award is conferred on Filipinos overseas who have brought the country honor and recognition through excellence and distinction in the pursuit of their work or profession and by exemplifying the talent and industry of the Filipino.

As the first female engineer registered in the state of Alaska in the late 1970s, Engr. Engle was recognized by the CFO for her pioneering work in the state, serving in various leadership roles and managing major pipeline projects. She was the former Director of Design and Construction in Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and held a lead position under Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. in the completion project of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Bypass, which supplies 25 percent of the oil needs of the US.

Engr. Engle completed high school in 1958 and her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree in 1963 at Silliman University. She is currently the President of the Silliman University Alumni Council of North America.

(Photos from the Filipino-American Society of Fairbanks, Inc.’s Facebook Page)