Japan confers decoration on Sanvictores

November 3, 2017

The Government of Japan announced Friday the conferment of The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette on Philip Sanvictores, president of the Nihongo Center Foundation (NCF) and trustee (and former president) of the Philippine Federation of Japan Alumni (PHILFEJA).

This is in recognition of Sanvictores’ contributions to the furthering of good relations between Japan and the Philippines through his work in NCF and PHILFEJA, the Embassy of Japan said in a statement Friday.

As head of NCF, Sanvictores has worked tirelessly and continues to dedicate efforts toward the promotion and advancement of Japanese language (Nihongo) education and training in the Philippines, resulting in a significant increase in Japanese-language student enrolment rates and graduation, as well as a steady rise in the number of capable Filipino teachers of Nihongo.

Sanvictores actively immersed himself in activities of the Philippines-Japan Society, notably the establishment of the Philippine Institute of Japanese Language & Culture in 1991 and the NCF in 1997.

In 2014-2016, Sanvictores served as president of PHILFEJA, the umbrella organization of the different groups of former Filipino students in Japan.

In 2015, under his leadership, PHILFEJA hosted the 21st Conference of the ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA).  In January 2016, during the state visit to the Philippines of Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, Sanvictores played a key role in organizing the meeting of Filipino former students to Japan and Japanese government scholars with Their Majesties, which was an integral part of the visit.

The Government of Japan extends its sincere congratulations to Mr. Sanvictores and his family on this conferment, and hopes that he will continue to be an indomitable force in maintaining friendly Japan-Philippines ties. DMS