The Chamber of Loulé gave Medals of Honor to the "heroes of the pandemic", as well as to other people "who stood out in their professional and social career, thus contributing to the notoriety and prestige of Loulé and serving as an example to the citizens of this municipality" , in a ceremony of the Agraciados as part of the program commemorating the municipal holiday, which took place on the 13th, Thursday.
According to Loulé, the awarding of the Medal of Honor to health professionals in the municipality was "a moment full of symbolism, in a year marked by the pandemic."
“There are more than three hundred health professionals in this territory – health centers, public and private hospitals, clinics, laboratories and Drive-Thru – and who are now being honored. To receive the Medal, the health delegates from Loulé, Hermenegilda Domingos and Armindo Queza took to the stage, who made a point of thanking the Municipality for its involvement.
«It was not possible to do what we did without the help of the Chamber, together with INEM, security forces and civil protection. I wasn't alone, nor my colleagues, the Municipality helped from the first moment. If there were medals to be awarded to chambers, this would be the first one to receive», stressed Hermenegilda Domingos.
Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, recalled the "daily danger" to which these professionals were subjected "for months on end, many of them separated from their families, in long and exhausting working days."
“These professionals can be considered, in all fairness, the heroes of the times that are passing by. In fact, dealing daily with the unknown, in conditions of precarious security, to care for and save other human beings, as we see in our homes for the elderly throughout the county, deserves our utmost respect and admiration», observed the mayor.
As noted by the official, few times in the history of the Agraciados the highest degree of Medals – Honor – was awarded, «having been awarded only to top figures in the country, as is the case of former Presidents of the Republic Mendes Cabeçadas, Mário Soares and Cavaco Silva, by the former minister of Public Works, Duarte Pacheco, by the writer Lídia Jorge, and by the popular poet António Aleixo». Vitor Aleixo took advantage of the ceremony to speak about the recent death of former councilor João Martins, a victim of COVID-19.
«Let me here evoke the memory of the loss of a citizen friend, a well-known figure who for years served the public cause with total dedication and generosity. João Martins, a man of strong convictions and kind actions that served so many, left, but his example will continue to inspire us and in time the Municipality will pay him due honors», he said.
At the same ceremony, personalities from the areas of culture, magistracy, medicine, music, crafts, social action and politics were honored.
João Miguel, Judge Counselor of the Supreme Court of Justice, "a man from Querença who has held the highest positions in the magistracy at national and international level", was awarded the Gold Medal, according to the Chamber of Loulé.
The same distinction was given to musicians Dino D'Santiago, «a native of Quarteira who is one of the main faces of the cultural movement “Lisboa Criola”», and Mário Laginha, «with a career of more than three decades, dedicated especially to the musical spectrum of Jazz”, as well as doctor João Barros Madeira – posthumously – disappeared this year, “but who left a huge legacy in community life and local politics, a good man of values, who left a mark as a doctor”.
The Medal of Merit – Silver Degree was awarded posthumously to three Loulé residents: «Joaquim Guerreiro, former councilor of the Loulé Council, mentor of events such as the MED Festival and the Noite Branca, also a driver of initiatives in the area of sports such as candidacy “Loulé European City of Sport 2015” or the Sports Gala of the Municipality of Loulé; Luís Guerreiro, “the Engineer of Letters” who held the position of director in this Municipality in the areas of culture, communication or tourism, researcher of local and regional history, president of the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro de Querença Foundation, his native land, and who collaborated actively in various cultural projects in the Algarve; and Hermes Alberto, who as president of ASCA, developed a vast and relevant social, cultural and artistic work in this institution of social solidarity in Almancil».
Portuguese international beach soccer player Rui Coimbra, the former provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Loulé, Manuel Filipe Semião, Henrique Fantasia, founder of Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Boliqueime, and Mário Venda, also received the Silver distinction. he is one of the founders of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Boliqueime, the institution of which he was the provider.
The Medal of Merit – Bronze Degree was awarded to Maria Cremilde Lourenço, one of the artisans who are part of the Casa da Empreita collective and who is one of the symbols of popular culture and wisdom, and to Valentim Filipe, the musician from Boliqueime, «great promoter of Fado no Algarve, creator of several competitions and galas dedicated to this musical genre and mentor of projects such as the group “Al-Mouraria” or “Amália Semper”».
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