NONO GARCIA The Longest Serving Governor of Aklan

by ODON S. BANDIOLA

Some 20 years ago on March 30, in 1992, the late Roberto “Nono” Q. Garcia, the longest serving Governor Aklan ever had, succumbed to a lingering illness, ending an era of political leadership in this province under his baton.

He served Aklan as Governor since 1972 until early 1986, shortly after the People’s Power Revolution at the EDSA which enthroned the Cory Aquino presidency.

To honor “Nono’s” memory, his children and grandchildren, relatives and close family acquaintances will gather at the St. Peter Church of Poblacion, Ibajay, Aklan on Friday, March 30, 2012 for a Memorial Mass, on the former Governor’s 20th death anniversary.

For a long 14 years, Nono presided over a provincial leadership which established the corner stones and framework of Aklan’s social, political and economic development.

Together with his then political ally, Aklan Board member and Banga Mayor Sergio “Serging” Rigodon who served as Director of the National Irrigation Administration early in the term of Nono as Governor, they transformed Aklan into a surplus rice producing province. It was during their time when massive construction of irrigation system throughout the Province’s rivers system, notably the Aklan River, and the Panakuyan River in Ibajay. Many thousands of hectares of rainfed riceland areas were irrigated for farmers to engage in two or three croppings a year.

The turnaround in rice production in Aklan was coupled with Aklan’s participation to the Masagana ’99 program of the national government.

Together with another political ally, former Assemblyman Jose “Soñing” Tumbokon, massive infrastructure projects were implemented in Aklan, notably the asphalting of the Kalibo - Nabas road, the penetration of the Nabas mountains to complete the Nabas - Caticlan road, the cement paving of the Kalibo Airport runway and tarmac.

Farm to market roads constructions were likewise massive linking remote barangays in the different parts of the province to the mainstream road networks of the province, through the Rural Roads Improvement Project (RRIP).

Together with his other political ally, the late Lawyer Ben Hur Z. Mobo, who, together with him won as Vice Governor of Aklan in the November 1971 elections, they established and fortified the Aklan provincial government as truly a local government unit operating on its own while getting its just share of the internal revenue.

Nono and Ben Hur caused the participation of Aklan to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)–NEDA funded Provincial Development Assistance Program (PDAP), enabling the provincial government to develop and train its manpower compliment, established the Provincial Engineer’s Office and its corresponding Provincial Equipment Pool, constructed and upgraded provincial roads through the Rural Roads Program (RRP), Barangay Waterworks Program (BWP) installing piped water systems in many clusters of barangays in the province, and the Panay Unified Services for Health (PUSH) which installed health facilities like sanitary toilets and water pumps in thousands of marginalized households in Aklan.

Later, Nono and Ben Hur caused the participation of Aklan to the World Bank-funded Rural Roads Improvement Project (RRIP) further beefing up the equipment in the provincial equipment pool and the engineering capability of the PEO.

USAID–NEDA funded PDAP program further added a project, the Upland Access Project (UAP) to Aklan, enabling the provincial government to construct roads linking mountain barangays to the main road network.

The late Governor Garcia could well be remembered as the “Father” of the then Science Development High School of Aklan, the forerunner of the now prestigious Regional Science Development High School of Aklan.

Nono, Ben Hur, Soñing Tumbokon, the Venuzes, Toti and Berting of New Washington, the Zaldivars of Nabas, supported by the late Godofredo P. Ramos, then Aklan Governor, Cong. and Court of Appeals Associate Justice, strengthened the Liberal Party in Aklan during the 1971 elections. Together, they reversed the political domination of the Legaspi clan of the political landscape in Aklan.

Nono Garcia, aside from being the longest serving governor, in his prime was one among the “handsome” governors of the country, always invited to social functions in Malacañang.

I served Gov. Garcia and the province of Aklan since 1977, starting as casual employee, appointed later as Information Officer, Training Officer and the latest as Senior Development Projects Analyst in the Office of the Provincial Development Staff. Nono wanted me to be appointed as Assistant Provincial Planning Development Coordinator but I declined to give way to another senior employee. /MP