Friday, May 16, 2008

Aklan Honors 14 Outstanding Citizens


As one of the highlights of the 52nd Aklan Day celebration, the provincial government of Aklan recognized 14 of its citizens as outstanding in 14 different fields of endeavors. (last of three parts)

Atty. Daniel Y. Martelino is in government service since 1972. He was Municipal Councilor of Kalibo from 1972 – 1986, and Asst. Branch Attorney of the Development Bank of the Philippines for ten years. In 1987, he worked with the Ministry of Human Settlements and served as its Area Manager in Western Visayas. A year after, he was appointed as Area Manager of the Presidential Management Staff for Region VI.
From 1988 to date, Atty. Martelino is the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II of the Department of Agrarian Reform. His performance in the department has practically moved the program in a steady phase. His tireless efforts in diplomacy and resource mobilization were rewarded with the outpour of assistance from various stakeholders. Through his representation, DAR Aklan was able to generate over P201.58 million worth of infrastructure projects such as farm to market roads, bridges and irrigation system. This is by far the biggest assistance received by DAR-Aklan in the history of agrarian reform implementation.
Martelino is a recipient of various national and regional awards in the field of CARP implementation and provision of support services designed to uplift the status of marginalized farmers, farm workers and rural folks of Aklan. The local government units of Makato, Buruanga, Madalag, Ibajay and Altavas declared him as adopted son for facilitating the implementation of high impact development projects in their communities.
Atty. Martelino was born in Kalibo, Aklan to Judge Florentino Martelino and Esperanza Yap. He is married to Ofelia Barrios of Kalibo and has four children.

John Guidon Macciri Icamina Dela Cruz is the youngest of the seven children of Dr. Beato Aguirre Dela Cruz (+) and Mrs. Josefina Mirasol Icamina who was born on February 4, 1961 at Kalibo, Aklan. He is married to Dra. Cynthia Cerrada – Dela Cruz and a father of six children.
John Guidon graduated valedictorian, Class 1971 of Pook Elementary School, Kalibo, Aklan and completed his secondary education at the University of the Philippines-Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo. He earned his BS in Commerce major in Marketing at the De La Salle University and graduated his Masters in Entrepreneurship in the Real Estate Industry with Distinction at the Asian Institute of Management.
For 23 years now, John Guidon Dela Cruz is the President and Chief Executive Officer of his own company, the Macciri Business Group and a boss of more than a hundred employees. He is the President and the General Manager of the following business units under Macciri Business Group:
• Bakers Best Marketing (Bread and Butter Company Stores) with 9 company stores all over Panay Island serving its satisfied customers with delicious and affordable bakery products;
• Filbake Food Corporation (Bread and Butter Commissary), the production unit of Bread and Butter operating 2 Commissaries;
• Bakersdream Franchise Corporation (Bread and Butter Franchise Stores) which operates 20 Franchise Stores in Northern Panay;
• Blue Star Business Center Etc. (BS BCE) with six areas in Panay Island
• Overseas Money Express which is the counterpart of the Rural Bank of Malinao in its Micro financing program; and
• Microsavers Bank (RB Malinao Inc.), the oldest business unit of the company with branches at Malinao, Aklan and Cabatuan, Iloilo.
John Guidon is presently the Regional Governor of Phil. Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Western Visayas and an active leader/member of various civic organizations both in past and present. He is an entrepreneur with various awards and nominations at the local, regional and national levels and one of Aklan’s Top 10 Tax payers for 2006 and 2007.

Mrs. Mary Jane Pajarillo-Tupaz was born in Puis, New Washington on March 7, 1966. She is happily married to Mr. Noli Tupaz of Bulwang, Numancia, Aklan.
She graduated her elementary education at the Kalibo Pilot Elementary School and her secondary education at the Aklan College. She earned her degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Saint Gabriel School of Nursing and took her Master of Arts in Education at Aklan College.
Mary Jane has been working in Saudi Arabia for fifteen (15) years. She is presently the Nursing Director of Mohammad Dossary Hospital in Al-Khobar. She has been actively organizing medical missions and other activities in aid of her fellow Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
With her dedication to work, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred her "Natatanging Bayani" Award, one of the twelve awardees. Her socio civic works and her immediate response to an airline emergency, earned for her the highest honor, the Blas F. Ople Award which set her apart from her other co-awardees.

Mrs. Marlyn Refol Bagacay is the Municipal Assessor of Altavas, Aklan since 1987. Under her able leadership and management, the Municipal Assessor’s Office was chosen as the Most Outstanding Municipal Assessment Office in Region VI for three years (2006, 2005 and 2003) and the Most Outstanding Municipal Assessment Office in Aklan (2006). Her dedication to work made it possible for her to earn several awards at the national, regional and local levels. She was awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Municipal Assessors of the Philippines on March 27, 2008 by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.
Aside from the regular functions of her office, Mrs. Bagacay has initiated the "Handog Titulo" distribution in Altavas on Nov. 14, 2007 in coordination with the Land Reg. Authority and the Registry of Deeds. She has also supported the Department of Agrarian Reform in the Land Reform Program and assisted the Bureau of Land Personnel in their campaign for Free Patent Application of agricultural land.
Mrs. Marlyn Refol – Bagacay was born in Altavas, Aklan to spouses Luthero and Maria Refol. She is married to Mr. Rodrigo C. Bagacay. They have two children, Jude Benedict and Abygail.

Mr. Raymundo C. Cawaling is presently connected at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist. He plays a key role in Natural Resource Management, Fishery Law Enforce-ment and livelihood particularly the imple-mentation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program (ICZMP) where his technical expertise contributed much in the implementation of the program in the 12 coastal municipalities of Aklan.
He finished his Diploma in Fishery Technology at Aklan National College of Fisheries in New Washington, Aklan (1972-1975) and his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries at Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology, Zamboanga City (1990-1991). He took his advanced education in Master in Public Admi-nistration at ASU, Banga (1991-1995) and his Master in Marine Affairs at the University of the Philippines (1999-2000).
Mr. Cawaling has been awarded many citations here and abroad. His technical expertise in project feasibility studies preparation was highly commended by Caiyang, Magubahay and Camaligan (CAMACA) Multi Purpose Coope-rative, Inc., Batan, Aklan with more than 500 household members who availed financial grant worth Php 4.3 million from the Philippine Australian Community Assistance Program (PACAP).
In the implementation of Asian Development Project (ADB-ADP), he was commended for having served the most number of beneficiaries in the province of Aklan. One of his great achievements and pride of Aklanons, Mr. Cawaling is one of the UN volunteers from the Philippines who helped revived fisheries in East Timor.
He was born on October 16, 1956 to spouses Juan Nepo-muceno Cawaling and Estelita Dela Cruz of Kalibo, Aklan. He is married to Engr. Julie Macahilig-Cawaling . They have two children, Denise Pardilla and Shira Bea Cawaling. /MP

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