From a rigorous regional and overseas search where 7 came out as winners, Ms. Maricar A. Docyogen, was unanimously chosen by the search committee of the 2020 Marilag Awards headed by Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac and Deputy Administrator Arnel A. Ignacio.
The awards took place at the Jose Rizal Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center on March 29, 2022.
The Annual Marilag Awards aims to recognize the Filipina Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW)-Regional Community Leaders and Family Welfare Officers all over the country as an acknowledgement and appreciation of their relentless efforts in providing assistance to the OWWA and its clientele. The recognition coincides every International Women’s Month.
Maricar Abad Docyogen was a nurse at the King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital from 2006 to 2009 in Saudi Arabia . She turned her passion for reading into a business that gave birth to Bookends Bookshop located at the T. Claudio St. Baguio City. “It is not only business, though,” said Docyogen. “It is an advocacy enterprise that aims to “bring back the reading habit of Filipinos.”
In 2015 she was awarded the Golden Globe Awards for Business Excellence. She supported dozens of book drives sending books for community libraries especially under the flagship program entitled “Libro mo, Inspirasyon ko”. Her bookshop eventually became a venue for other advocacies including the 2017 staging of the “petition for free dialysis” where she spoke on the importance of free dialysis for those who needs it. Through this program, artists in the community banded together to help her via an Art Fund dubbed Sketch mo Buhay Ko which successfully gave the community a chance to reach out and give help to dialysis patients.
She eventually founded the Pasa-Kalye Group of Artists, Inc. This group is the first ones to propose creative activities during Sunday Pedestrianization of Session Road with chalk arts and exhibits of art and crafts. Because of her advocacy works, she was awarded one of the Outstanding Woman Leaders of the City of Baguio in 2020.
As a health worker, she actively participated in the early fight against COVID19 by rallying friends and members of her various women groups to manufacture PPEs and distribute the same to frontliners. When mass vaccination was opened, she volunteered as a vaccinator in various vaccination sites in the city through Baguio Red Cross. She is also a member of the Baguio – Benguet OFW Association (BBOFWA) an OWWA Tulong PUSO recipient with a business project of OFW Hub and Cafe.
As an entrepreneur, when people thought no one read books anymore, her business is still thriving after 10 years and even in these trying times, Bookends continues to serve the community’s literary needs.
Maricar Docyogen, an alumni of Easter College is the wife of PLTCOL Allan Domaneo Docyogen, the current RACU Chief of PRO-9. They were blessed with four children, namely; Austin, Aliza, Asher and Angelo. The family lives in Pinsao Pilot Project, Baguio City.
When asked about her plans, she says “she is brewing a program with other former nurse OFWS that will benefit the elders of the city needing home health support.”
This year’s National Winner for Entrepreneurship, is a multi-awarded woman entrepreneur who belongs to various women and creative organizations including the ALPHA, a police wive’s organization where she is the adviser, the Outstanding Women Leaders of Baguio for being the OWL awardee of 2020, the Baguio Everlasting Lions Club, The Order of the Eastern Star as well as member of the Baguio Tourism Council, The Council for Baguio Creative City and founding member of BACCI. – CCT
