On Thursday April 15, 2010, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo received the Don Quixote De La Mancha award for promoting Spanish language and culture in her country of the Philippines. The award was named after the 17th century novel by Miguel De Cervantes.
Spain’s King Juan Carlos (pictured above with Arroyo) presented the award to Macapagal Arroyo at a ceremony at the Zarazuela Palace in Madrid. Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Lhosa also received the Don Quixote award on Thursday.
Arroyo was praised for her desire to bring the Spanish language back to Philippine schools after it was dropped as an official language back in 1987 and reduced to a optional subject in schools. Filipino (Tagalog) and English are the official languages of the Philippines.
Leave a Reply