“Life is short, that death is unpredictable and inevitable! ”, to borrow a line from the homily delivered by Rev. Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD in the holy mass for our beloved Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer, Imelda Crisol – Roces, before she was finally laid to rest at the Albay Catholic Cemetery on 13 September 2006. Nana Mely, as she is fondly called, was an academician, having been a high school teacher and a college professor in Bicol College and Ago Medical and Educational Center (AMEC) in Albay before she joined politics. Commissioner Roces was a law graduate from Bicol College where she also obtained her master’s degree in education and fi nished cum laude and summa cum laude, respectively. She had two (2) doctorate degrees, one in development education and another in sociology from the Aquinas University, also in Bicol.
She first ran and won as councilor in Legazpi City in 1980. In 1988, she again ran and won as vice mayor. When Mayor Benjamin Imperial died, she succeeded as Mayor of the City of Legazpi in 1991. In 1992, she was sworn in as the elected mayor of Legazpi City.
Roces had charisma in dealing with the people. She loved public service, the reason why she remained undefeated in her three consecutive terms as City Mayor (1992 – 2001). It was under her incumbency that the City of Legazpi was christened as the “City of Smiles“ because of tourism development activities she initiated. Before joining the Napolcom, Roces also served as a commissioner at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Committee on Education and Culture. She has had prior work relations with the Napolcom, having served as Chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Region 5.
Yes, life is short and so death is unpredictable and inevitable. But her brief stint as Napolcom Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer, having only served one year and eleven months, to be exact, made several Firsts in the National Police Commission. She was the first woman Napolcom VCEO. During her term, Napolcom was able to acquire its own central office building situated at the heart of Makati Central Business District; the fi rst woman general under the PNP law was appointed, Chief Superintendent Yolanda Tanigue, also a Bicolana who hails from Daet, Camarines Norte; and the Police Executive Service Eligibility (PESE), her brainchild, was conceptualized and now implemented in the PNP (applicable to all police senior superintendents, a rank of colonel, in the military and higher ranks) as part of the professionalization of the police service. To obtain this eligibility, one has to pass written exam and panel interview.
Yes, life is short and so death is unpredictable and inevitable. But during her lifetime, she was recognized for invaluable contributions to the City Government of Legazpi. She was given the Lingkod ng Bayan Award, the highest National Award given to a public servant for excellent performance and exemplary character in office by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). She is also a recipient of numerous international and local awards, citations and recognitions, having been conferred the Most Outstanding Alumna in the field of Public Administration Award by U.P. Diliman Alumni Association, and Outstanding Public Servant (Finalist in Baron’s Who’s Who in Asia), among others. She has also written and published various articles.
Yes, life is short and so death is unpredictable and inevitable. Nana Mely, whose husband Rodicendo died earlier, was survived by five children Avelino, a teacher; Ramon, a physician; Martin, a banker and politician; Angel, another doctor; and Bitoy, the youngest, was Commissioner Roces’s senior executive assistant at the Napolcom.
Yes, our Bicolana Napolcom Commissioner has left a legacy, that is, “Prompt Public Service with a heart”. You may visit our website at www.napolcom.gov. ph.
