A Filipino baking program which seeks to empower wounded and retiring soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) received an award at the 2019 International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Gold Quill Awards in Vancouver, Canada.
The “Noble Bakers: Bakery Management Training and Equipment Donation” program of the Aboitiz Group was one of the 86 entries from all over the world that was awarded the Gold Quill Award of Excellence last June 11.
Under the program, wounded and retiring soldiers of the AFP are empowered by providing them with a financially-sustainable bakery business, equipping them with the skills to run it profitably. AFP retirees underwent bakery management training with Pilmico to learn key baking topics including: wheat milling, bread & load production, bakery calculations as well as hands-on baking of bread, pastries, noodles, cookies and cakes. Aside from baking skills, they were also taught the basics of operating and managing a bakery business.
The program, the IABC Gold Quill Evaluators said, is “a well-executed and clear-minded project from start to finish.”
The evaluators also noted that the program had ”excellent use of storytelling to convey the objectives of the program and to win hearts and minds.”
Of the five Gold Quill winners from the Philippines, the program was the only one to be awarded the Gold Quill Award of Excellence. The other four entries received Merit Awards.
“Our Gold Quill Award for Noble Bakers is a clear testament of our determination to drive change for a better world by advancing business and communities — through service excellence. We will continue to work hard to implement communication initiatives that best reflect our purpose and values,” said Erramon I. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) President and Chief Executive Officer.
The IABC Gold Quill Awards is deemed as “as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the communication profession”.
“The IABC Gold Quill Awards celebrates extraordinary communication by recognizing innovative, strategic work that delivers significant business results,” said Gabrielle Loring, chair of the awards committee.
Originally posted by: Inquirer.net
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a baking livelihood program win a business communication award?
The Noble Bakers program earned the Gold Quill not for its baking outcomes but for how effectively it communicated the intersection of corporate responsibility, military welfare, and skills development. The evaluators recognized that the program succeeded in using the specific medium of storytelling — real soldiers, real bread, real rehabilitative impact — to communicate abstract values like partnership, dignity, and purpose in a way that resonated with a global audience. This is the precise function of high-quality strategic communication: making complex social impact legible and emotionally compelling.
What award did the Noble Bakers program receive and where was it presented?
The Noble Bakers program — formally titled “Noble Bakers: Bakery Management Training and Equipment Donation” — received the Gold Quill Award of Excellence at the 2019 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards ceremony held on June 11 in Vancouver, Canada. It was one of 86 entries from around the world to receive the award, and the only Filipino entry in that year’s competition to receive the Award of Excellence. The other four Philippine entries in the competition received Merit Awards.
What did the IABC Gold Quill evaluators specifically say about the Noble Bakers program?
The IABC Gold Quill evaluators described the Noble Bakers program as “a well-executed and clear-minded project from start to finish” — a statement that speaks to both the program’s design clarity and its implementation quality. They also specifically commended the program’s “excellent use of storytelling to convey the objectives of the program and to win hearts and minds” — recognizing that the human narratives of the wounded soldiers-turned-bakers were central to communicating the program’s purpose and impact to audiences beyond the direct participants.
What is the IABC Gold Quill Award and why is winning it internationally significant?
The IABC Gold Quill Awards is described as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the global communication profession. It recognizes innovative, strategic communication work that delivers significant business results — judged by a panel of international communication professionals. Winning the Gold Quill Award of Excellence places the Noble Bakers program in the company of globally recognized best practices in strategic communication, and it signals that a Filipino military rehabilitation and livelihood initiative was considered world-class in both its communication design and its social impact.
What did Erramon Aboitiz say about the significance of the Gold Quill recognition?
Erramon I. Aboitiz, then President and CEO of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., described the Gold Quill Award as a clear testament to the Aboitiz Group’s determination to drive change for a better world by advancing business and communities through service excellence. He framed the award not as a destination but as a commitment to continue implementing communication initiatives that best reflect the company’s purpose and values — signaling that the program’s recognition was a reinforcement of direction rather than a conclusion.
