The Outstanding Filipino Awards (TOFA) has announced its third group of 2026 Florida honorees, recognizing 10 Filipino and Filipino American leaders whose work reaches from operating rooms and nursing classrooms to concert halls, public murals, film festivals and small businesses.
The announcement is the third batch of honorees for the 16th Annual TOFA Awards, which will be held Oct. 24 at the Terry Theater of the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the program scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The ceremony will be hosted by Dr. Boy Abunda. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
The new honorees will be recognized at TOFA 2026 Florida for achievements that reflect a common thread: using professional success to serve communities, preserve culture and create opportunities for others.
For composer Cecile Azarcon Inocentes, music has become part of the Filipino soundtrack across generations. The San Francisco Bay Area-based songwriter has spent more than 45 years shaping Original Pilipino Music with songs including “Lift Up Your Hands,” “I Think I’m in Love” and “How Did You Know.” Her work has been performed by some of the Philippines’ most recognizable recording artists, while her current work as music director at Faith Bible Church of Vallejo and as a private instructor continues to support younger performers.
Film also carries memory and identity for San Diego-based filmmakers Benito Bautista and Emma Francisco. Through San Diego Filipino Cinema and the San Diego Filipino Film Festival, the pair has spent more than two decades creating platforms for independent Filipino storytelling. Their documentary, The Road to Sydney, follows dancer and choreographer Sydney Loyola’s path through art, gender affirmation and community. The film was named Best Feature Documentary at the 2026 DisOrient Asian American Film Festival.
Visual artist Venazir Martinez brings similar themes of migration and belonging into public space. The San Francisco Bay Area-based Filipino American muralist and visual anthropreneur uses her Hilabana initiative and its recurring red-thread imagery to connect Filipino stories across generations and locations. Her mural, Between Memory and Bloom, received national Gold and Bronze honors in 2026.
Several of this year’s honorees have made care, mentorship and institutional leadership central to their work.
Dr. Philipp R. Aldana, a Jacksonville-based pediatric neurosurgeon, Nemours Clinic Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and specializes in treating complex brain and spinal conditions in children. Through the Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, he has helped bring neurosurgical training and care to underserved communities. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons honored him with its 2026 Humanitarian Award.
In Ontario, Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr. has broken new ground in nursing regulation as the first internationally educated nurse and first Filipino-Asian to chair the College of Nurses of Ontario Council. The council regulates more than 200,000 nurses. Lastimosa, who holds registration as both an RPN and RN, has also advocated for mentoring and stronger representation for internationally educated nurses.
Dr. Warly Remegio, system vice president of nursing education, professional development and practice excellence at Hartford HealthCare, has focused on building workforce pathways and leadership opportunities for nurses. Named to Modern Healthcare’s “40 Under 40” in 2024, he helped establish the Hartford HealthCare Nursing Leadership Academy for emerging nurse leaders.
The third batch also recognizes leaders who build community through diplomacy, enterprise and advocacy.
Grace Divina Valera, a former Philippine diplomat now based in Virginia, continues to connect overseas Filipinos through the Global Migrant Heritage Foundation USA and the Ilocano Society of America. Her diplomatic career included postings in Tokyo, Madrid and Washington, and her community work centers on culture, civic engagement and the arts.
In North Carolina, Agnes Higley-Herman has developed business and women’s leadership programs through the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of North Carolina and the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce. In the Seattle area, Sally Esmena has paired her work as founder and CEO of Beauté Me Skincare with advocacy for women entrepreneurs and Filipino American business growth.
Dr. Martin Miguel Amor, a Staten Island cardiologist and critical care specialist, rounds out the group. He leads the Coronary Care Unit at Staten Island University Hospital and served as grand marshal of Staten Island’s 2026 Philippine Independence Day celebration.
Together, the honorees reflect the many ways Filipino excellence takes shape: in a song that endures, a patient’s recovery, a public mural, a growing enterprise or a story brought to the screen.
