Zamboanga City (February 9) -- Five outstanding Zamboangueño young leaders will be conferred with the Sen. Roseller T. Lim Award today as a highlight to the "Dia de R.T. Lim" today, February 9.

The Awarding rite, set at 7 p.m. at the Astoria Regency in Pasonanca, is one of the activities prepared by the city government in commemoration of the late Sen. Lim, who holds the distinction of being the first Zamboangueno elected into the Philippine Senate.

Mayor Celso Lobregat will lead city government officials and employees in the observance of the Dia de Roseller T. Lim that will kick off with a commemorative mass at the St. Joseph Church at 8 a.m. followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the R.T. Lim monument located in Baliwasan.

The Roseller T. Lim Award is a joint project of the city government and the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Zamboanga and the City Tourism Office.

The award will be given to five deserving young student/ community leaders who display the attributes of leadership, excellence, civic responsibility and community service as typified by the late Senator.

Each awardee will receive a P3,000 cash award and a plague of recognition.

The late senator was born in Zamboanga on Feb. 9, 1915. He was elected congressman for the Province of Zamboanga at the age of 34 and re-elected in 1953.

In 1955 he was elected senator for two times that made him retain the post until 1963. Three years after he was elected Constitutional Delegate to the 1970 Constitutional Convention. In 1973 he was appointed Justice of the Court of Appeals, a position he held until he passed away on July 5, 1976.

Lim, who is the uncle of Councilor Rodolfo Lim and brother to former Vice Mayor Roberto Lim and former National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Gil Lim, brought honor and pride to the Zamboanguenos during his stints both in Congress and the Senate.

He authored the bill that later became Republic Act 711 dividing the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. At the senate, he is well remembered for delivering a speech for a record breaking 18 ½ hours that earned him the title "the Great Filibuster".