ZFF Receives Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award from Ateneo de Davao University
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On behalf of the Zuellig Family Foundation, Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit accepted the Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award from Ateneo de Davao University on February 14, 2026. In his speech, he honored the couple’s pioneering spirit in community health. He recalled how, as a young intern in Davao, he was welcomed into their home, where conversations over breakfast and dinner stretched from healthcare to community life.
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“They would welcome me, and it was just like yesterday when I recall we would be seated for dinners and breakfasts in their veranda dining room in Matina, and we would be discussing all sorts of things—from healthcare, to ordinary things that happen in the country, to community health.”
“Jess and Trining de la Paz were visionaries, and their legacy lives on,” he emphasized, noting that the recognition belongs not only to the Foundation, but to the mayors, health officers, youth leaders, and community workers who have walked with ZFF in advancing community health.
As he closed, Chairman Dayrit reaffirmed ZFF’s mission: “As we accept this award, we recommit ourselves to the values of compassion, service, and integrity.
Banner photo, from left to right: Benjamin Lizada, Chair of the Ateneo de Davao University Board of Trustees; Rev. Karel San Juan, University President; Alma de la Paz; Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Chair of the Zuellig Family Foundation; Dr. Joyce Viar, Rachel Paradiang, and Samantha Morales, ZFF Representatives; and Daniel de la Paz.
Photos from: Ateneo de Davao University