City honors 2010 Local Achievers
Mayor Celso Lobregat will lead city government officials tonight (Feb. 25) in paying tribute to winners in this year’s Search for Local Achievers highlighting the 73rd Dia de Zamboanga festivities which will culminate tomorrow, February 26.
The awardees, who were chosen by a screening committee, include the Revelation Band (special recognition), Dr. Simon Chua (Mayor’s Award), the late Thelma G. Saavedra (Top Individual Taxpayer), ZC Mega Shop O-Rama (Top Corporate Taxpayer), Maybelyn Pablo (Sports), Architect Domingo Abarro III, FUAP, PhD. (Visual Arts), WMSU Jambangan Cultural Dance Troupe (Performing Arts) and Myrna’s Bakeshop (Investment Promotions).
Posthumous awards will be given to DP3 Pearlie Taub Panangui, who perished while serving as a peacekeeping contingent in Haiti when an intensity 7 earthquake hit the country last January and Cpl. Venancio V. Ancheta Jr., who lost his life after saving the lives of his distressed countrymen at the height of typhoon Ondoy in Laguna last October.
Dr. Chua, Zamboanga Chong Hua High School principal gets the mayor’s award for his commitment to lift the standard of education especially science and mathematics. Through his guidance, ZCHHS students obtained impressive feats as champions and winners in national and international competitions.
The late Mrs. Saavedra was the owner of Cecille’s Pharmacy and has been a consistent awardee for the same category since 2007. She gets the top individual taxpayer award for she represents not just an image of an honest and well-meaning citizen but she was also an example of integrity.
The top local corporate taxpayer awardee is ZC Mega Shop-o-Rama, a business establishment founded in 1976 and offers quality goods ranging from grocery items to RTWs and many more.
The Revelation Band, composed of the Calisang siblings gets the special recognition this year because of its unparalleled talent in music and for consistently bringing respect and positive reputation.
The awardee in the Investment Promotions is Myrna’s Bakeshop, a business establishment that offers delightful pastries founded by Myrna Caliolio-Inocencio, an outstanding artist of the city for culinary arts- pastry.
The awardee in the Sports category is Maybelin Pablo, a student at the Universidad de Zamboanga Technical High School where she garnered several awards in weightlifting. She is a consistent winner in national and international competitions, the latest of which was the Open Youth Secondary Division and Open and Youth division where she won gold and silver medals respectively.
Architect Abarro is the awardee in the visual arts category because of his contributions to the city’s thrust for progressive development not only as an academician but as a practitioner as well. He is the dean of the WMSU College of Architecture and was the 8th placer in the PRC Architecture Board, while the WMSU Jambangan Cultural Dance Troupe gets the award in the performing arts category for its efforts in promoting the Filipino culture specifically the Zamboanga culture through dance repertoire like ethnic dances and Spanish influenced dances. It has been an Ambassador of Goodwill in dance since its founding in July 1969.
The awarding ceremonies will be held at the Garden Orchid Hotel convention center. It is one of the pre-Dia de Zamboanga activities which culminate tomorrow with a civic military parade and commemorative program to be keynoted by former Sen. Franklin Drilon.
Mayor Lobregat has hailed local achievers as people who work hard to make a difference.
Members of the City Council will join the chief executive in presenting the awards to the local achievers. (Sheila Covarrubias)