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. Madyaas Pen will published who are they with their respective fields in three parts:

Ms. Ruth Tagala Palmani started her career as a broadcast journalist in 1964 when she was only 15 years old (the youngest broadcaster Aklan ever produced). As a fourth year high school student, she started first at DYKR and later at DYRG with the following positions: Staff announcer, Chief Announcer and Director of Live shows.

In Queensland, Australia she presented the Filipino Program at 4EB from 1991 – 2005 and ACCESS Service Inc. from 1997 – 2004. She interviewed politicians and prominent leaders in Brisbane and Logan along with her husband Jim who was the Convenor and son Rino who did the panel operation and program presentation. She was the Editor of Ang Batingaw (The Bell) Newsletter of the Filipino Community Council of Queensland, Multicultural News, newsletter of Logan City Multicultural Neighborhood Centre and RIPPLES newsletter; editor/consultant of Living and Working in Logan (Resource Booklet) of Ethnic Communities Council of Logan; founding editor of Ang Binhi (The Seed) newsletter of Filipino-Australian Chaplaincy of Brisbane.

Mrs. Palmani is a recipient of several prestigious awards. In 2007 she was awarded as One of the Ten Outstanding Women of Australia by the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcast Council of Australia. She was conferred the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in Multiculturalism particularly in service to the Filipino community in Queensland and included in the Queen’s Honour List Awarded by Queen Elizabeth of England (the highest award any Australian can get from the Queen) through Governor General Michael Jeffrey of Australia. This 2008 she will be awarded as Who’s Who of Australian Women by Crown Content of Australia and her biography to be included in the book of outstanding Australian women.

Mrs. Palmani is a native of Joyao-Joyao, Numancia, Aklan and married to Mr. Jim Palmani. Presently, she is residing in Australia.

Dr. Peter M. Ureta is a registered Civil Engineer/Structural Engineer graduate at Mapua Institute of Technology in 1966. He finished his Master of Science in Management Engineering at Adamson University in 1986. He also took Postgraduate Research Fellowship in Industrial Engineering at the Ohio State University, USA in 1995, and graduated his Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Adamson University in 1998. He is likewise an APEC engineer and ASEAN engineer.

Dr. Ureta participated in technical training and trips abroad. He is a member of the CHED Benchmarking Team for Study Mission on Curricular Equivalency, Policies, Standards of Priority Discipline in Australia on March 22-24, 2004 and in Japan on December 3 – 7, 2003. He is also a member of the Philippine Delegation for APEC Engineer Register Workshop and 4th Engineer Coordinating Committee Meeting in New Zealand on June 10-15, 2003. He had also visited in line with his profession Thailand, Taiwan, Germany, Malaysia, Cyprus, Singapore, and Ohio and Indiana USA.

Presently, he is the Dean of the School of Engineering of the Lyceum Institute of Technology. He is also a University Consultant for Academic Affairs of the Adamson University; a Civil/Structural Engineer-Partner of P.M. Ureta and Associates; an Accreditor of Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities or PAASCU; a CE Program Specialist of Centers of Excellence & Centers of Development (COE/COD) for Engineering Education and Panel for Engineering, Technology and Architecture, Commission on Higher Education (TPETA, CHED); a National Assessor of Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (IQUAME), CHED; a Specialist, Chairman of CHED University Assessment Team; a Specialist, member of CHED NCR Quality Assessment Team (QAT); and an Evaluator of Peer Process Evaluation (PEP), FEED. Engr. Ureta was Dean of Garcia College of Technology from May 1969 to May 1973 and Executive Vice President from June 1972 to May 1973.

Dr. Ureta is a member of various Professional Organizations in the National Level and served as Chairman in some of these organizations. He is also a recipient of various prestigious awards and a structure designer/manager of many projects.

PSupt. William S. Macavinta was born on January 13, 1964 to spouses Rosendo Jimenez Macavinta (Deceased) and Favelonia Macavinta Constantino of Laguinbanua East, Numancia, Aklan. He is married to Anna Maria Altarios-Macavinta. They have two children Yana Marie and Adrian Macavinta.

He was assigned in our province of Aklan as Provincial Director of the Philippine National Police for almost 2 years. He is now the Chief of Police of Caloocan City.

Col. Macavinta graduated elementary education in Laguin-banua Elementary School. He finished high school from Aklan College and his tertiary education was from the Philippine College of Criminology with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology. He continued his higher education in Philippine National Police Academy, with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Safety, and his Bachelor of Laws at Far Eastern University. He also graduated in Master in Public Administration at Manuel L. Quezon University. Presently, he is pursuing his Doctor in Public Administration in the same school.

As a productive and hardworking Philippine National Police officer, he has been receiving more awards and commen-dations in serving people in various capacities more than equal to the task of the position he is occupying in the service and some of them are the Medalya ng Kagalingan, Medalya ng Kasanayan, Medalya ng Papuri, Outstanding Policeman of Valen-zuela and Outstanding Lakan of PNPA.

On August 13, 1939, Ernesto Irao Templonuevo was born at Bulwang, Numancia, Aklan to parents Jose Peralta Templonuevo, Sr. and Esperanza Roldan Irao. He is married with five (5) children namely: Jeserel, Jose Jay, Jozyl Isidore, Jona Marie Grace, and Jan Ernest Patrick. He is a loving husband, a devoted father, and an inspiration to his nine grandchildren.

Ernesto Irao Templonuevo is a three-termer Mayor of Numancia, Aklan. During his term as Mayor, Numancia was persistent in addressing problems on Solid Waste Management that bestowed the honor to Numancia as the cleanest and greenest municipality in Aklan for three consecutive years since 2005. His advocacy for a clean, healthy, and life-conducive environment saving our dying mother earth started in 2005, when he began to explore available viable technology to address the solid waste management problem of the municipality. The wonderful promise of the technology in vermi composting and vermi-culture gained his interest. His passion had grown tremendously when he attended the international and national trainings, workshops, and symposia on vermi culture. The reason of acceptability and viability of Vermicast Organic Fertilizer, the Local Government of Numancia thru his initiative had chosen vermin product as ONE TOWN ONE PRODUCT in compliance with the program of the Department of Trade and Industry.

With his interest and love for farming, he put up the EI EARTHWORM FARM in Bulwang, Numancia, Aklan. The farm produces three types of organic fertilizer as he developed and formulated which has been tested by the Bureau of Soils and recommended its use to the farming community. On the other hand, with the shredder machine bought by LGU-Numancia which was ineffective in its shredding process of wastes feed in the machine, he studied the mechanics of a rice thresher and inputted his observations in designing and manufacturing the VERSATILE SHREDDER MACHINE., an improved version of the machinery.

Observing likewise, the rice milling process, he incorporated its mechanics in designing and manufacturing the SHIFTER MACHINE to hasten the screening of harvested vermi-compost and protect the vermis from stress when being screened manually. The designs have been submitted to the Intellectual Property Rights Office for patenting. The farm with its facilities and mini-vegetable garden has become a Lakbay-Aral destination among national, regional, and local officials as well as from the members of the academe and various stakeholders which support the Organic Farming Program of the Department of Agriculture.

Judge Ibabao was born on September 28, 1938 at Numancia, Aklan to Conrado Reyes Ibabao and Panfila Enero Ibabao. He is married to Miriam Pacifico Ibabao and a father of an only son, Konrad Stephen.

He graduated his elementary at Numancia Elementary School in only three years and his secondary education at Madyaas Institute also for three years. He completed his Associate in Arts (Pre-law) at the Aklan College in 1953 and earned his Bachelor of Laws degree at Manuel L. Quezon University in 1957. He passed the 1957 Bar Examination with only 18 passing percentage at the young age of 19. He took his oath as a lawyer on September 29, 1959 upon reaching the age of 21.

He practiced law from 1968 to 1994. He handled several cases which included Criminal, Civil, Special Civil Actions, Special Proceedings, Labor, Maritime, Land Registration, and Administrative cases. He has entered appearances and submitted pleadings, briefs and memoranda before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals; has appeared in the Sandiganbayan, the Court of First Instance/Regional Trial Courts of Manila, Makati, in the cities of Davao, General Santos, Cotabato, Butuan, Iligan, Oroquieta, Dipolog, Suriagao, in the Provinces of Aklan, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Misamis Occidental; and before the Municipal Trial Courts in the cities of Davao, General Santos, and Dipolog; in the municipalities of Panabo, Tagum, Kapalog, Sto. Tomas, all in Davao del Norte; and in Digos, Sulop, and Matalam, all in Davao del Sur; in Mati and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental; in Polombok, and Tupi in South Cotabato; in M’lang, Makilala and Kidapawan in North Cotabato; and in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.

Judge Ibabao has also appeared before the Office of Ombudsman (Mindanao), the Office of the Provincial and City Prosecutors of Davao City, General Santos City, Pagadian City, the provinces of Davao, Davao del Sur, and South Cotabato.

Likewise, he has appeared before the National Labor Relations Commission, other labor agencies and tribunals, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Police Commission, the Bureau of Lands and other government agencies and bureaus.

He was a former Area Representative of DRB Marketing for Visayas and Mindanao for Credit and Collection from 1965 to 1968 and a District Manager of First Nationwide Credit Corporation with assignments in Batangas City, Roxas City, Ormoc City, Tacloban City, and Suriagao City from 1962 to 1965.

He was appointed Regional Trial Court Judge by President Fidel Ramos for RTC Branch 33, Davao City on April 15, 1994. Judge Ibabao has been cited for his diligence and perseverance in the speedy and prompt resolve of cases based on intelligent and well studied decisions. He is highly regarded for his competence, honesty, integrity and impartiality which endeared him to his fellow court workers and court users.

Judge Wenceslao E. Ibabao was a special awardee in the Supreme Court Search for Centennial Judges and Court Employees in 2001 during the Centenary Celebration for the “Effective Implementation of Total Quality Management in a Regional Trial Court”. He has successfully harnessed the full support and cooperation of his court personnel in providing consistent and quality administrative services to various court users, thereby contributing to the development of an effective and efficient judicial system worthy of public trust and confidence. (to be continued next issue)