Five Years of TOGA, A New Generation of Voices

For five years, JCI Manila’s Ten Outstanding Guro Awards (TOGA) has recognized the teachers who quietly shape the country’s future, one classroom at a time.

The milestone was announced during a recent JCI Manila gathering, where members celebrated TOGA’s 5th year as a flagship education initiative. The program’s decade-long run is a testament to the chapter’s sustained commitment to educators and nation-building, a commitment that has also earned recognition in the Philippine Star.

JCI Manila’s own records describe TOGA as a major education initiative that has, since its launch, trained thousands of teachers nationwide in partnership with the Department of Education, while recognizing exemplary educators for their dedication and impact. DepEd has likewise issued official memoranda supporting the implementation of TOGA and its accompanying advocacy talks.

The program has evolved beyond an awards ceremony. Its advocacy talks have included subjects such as financial literacy, health protection, AI tools for productivity, and teacher empowerment, reflecting JCI Manila’s broader goal of giving educators practical tools alongside recognition.

But on this particular evening, the focus shifted from honoring teachers to developing another kind of leader: the trainer.

After the TOGA announcement, the gathering moved into a lively public speaking workshop led by Commissioner Jhabes Monzones and special guest Senator Lec Toribio.

What followed was less a traditional lecture and more an exercise in doing.

Participants took part in a series of public speaking activities, testing their ability to communicate ideas, engage an audience, and deliver their message with confidence. After dinner, attendees were given the opportunity to put those lessons into practice through their own presentations.

Then came the feedback.

Senator Lec Toribio and Director Vjohn Dizon listened to each presentation and offered their observations, guidance, and advice. Rather than simply pointing out what could be improved, they shared practical lessons drawn from their own experience as public speakers and trainers.

Their feedback covered the fundamentals that can make the difference between simply speaking and truly connecting with an audience: confidence, delivery, clarity, presence, and the ability to make an idea resonate.

For the participants, it was an opportunity to learn directly from two practitioners who have spent years developing their craft.

But the deeper value of the evening went beyond public speaking techniques.

It was about passing knowledge forward.

JCI has always placed leadership development at the center of its mission. On this night, that philosophy took a very literal form. Experienced trainers stood before aspiring speakers, shared what they had learned, challenged them to improve, and gave them the confidence to step up to the microphone.

The lesson was simple: expertise becomes more meaningful when it is shared.

The same principle that has allowed TOGA to reach teachers year after year was visible in the room. JCI Manila’s work is not simply about recognizing people who have already made an impact. It is also about preparing the next generation to make their own.

For ten years, TOGA has celebrated the educators who shape young minds. On this evening, that legacy continued in another form, as experienced JCI speakers helped shape the trainers who may one day stand before the next generation.

The night began by celebrating a decade of honoring teachers.

It ended by reminding everyone why those ten years matter.

Because leadership is not measured only by what we know, but by what we choose to pass on.