The Diplomat
The Embassy of the Dominican Republic has announced the winners of the seventh edition of the Padre Billini Awards, corresponding to the year 2025. As every year, the winners have been chosen in two categories after a rigorous process of deliberation:
- Solidarity: Asociación Cultural y de Cooperación al Desarrollo Biblioteca República Dominicana (ACUDEBI).
- Excellence: Dr. Luis Esteban Abreu García, gastroenterologist.
The jury was composed of Raúl Jiménez, director general of the Centro de Participación de la Comunidad de Madrid (CEPI); Thelma Kundhart, dentist; Julio De Castro, director of the PhD programme at IE Business School; and writer Virginia Read. The jury’s secretary was Minister Counselor Carmen Amelia Cedeño, in charge of Community Affairs at the Embassy, with administrative support from Victor Figuereo.
Dr. Abreu García, born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, is a leading medical professional with extensive experience in Spain. He is an associate professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and head of the Gastroenterology Service at the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital in Majadahonda. He has been distinguished with the Order of Merit Duarte, Sánchez and Mella for his contribution to science and his role as a reference for the Dominican medical diaspora.
For its part, ACUDEBI, founded in 2007, is a non-profit association that promotes Dominican culture in Spain through a specialized library, literary activities and cultural cooperation projects. Its work has strengthened ties between the Dominican Republic and its overseas community, promoting access to reading and intellectual exchange.
The Padre Billini Awards were instituted in 2015 in memory of Francisco Xavier Billini, a 19th-century Dominican priest, educator and philanthropist who pioneered the creation of social institutions in the country. This award recognizes individuals and institutions whose charitable actions or professional achievements contribute to the well-being and prestige of the Dominican community in Spain.
The award ceremony will be held in Madrid and will be attended by the Dominican Ambassador, Tony Raful Tejada, on a date to be announced shortly.