This is the season of joy and hope as the whole Christian world celebrates the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is also the time when everyone keeps in touch with loved ones. To all students, alumni and faculty, this is the precious moment to savor our memorable experiences by attending the annual class, batch or school reunions.
To my fellow Ateneans, most especially to the alumni of the Ateneo de Naga University High School Class ’87, one exhilarating news is that our class valedictorian, EDGARDO ABELARDO, now a surgeon, has won the Distinguished Young Researcher Award. The competition was held in Japan and was sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of International Oto – Rhino – Laryngocology (SPIO). Our class valedictorian, who happens to be my neighbor in Naga City, has brought another fame and prestige not only to our region but also to our beloved nation as he is the first and only Filipino this far to be awarded as Diplomate in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (DOHNS) by the Royal Surgeons of England (RCSEng).
At present, he is completing his Ph.D at the Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetic in Japan. I got this information when I visited the official website of the Alumni and Alumnae of the Ateneo de Naga University – www.adnu-alum.org.
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Speaking of class reunions, our batch, Ateneo de Naga High School Class ’87 is celebrating its 20th year. “Beinte Anyos na kita.” It has been the practice of the Ateneo de Naga University High School Batch ’87 to celebrate its annual class reunion every 30th of December inside the Ateneo campus in barangayBagumbayan Sur, Naga City though I cannot attend religiously our annual batch reunion due to other commitments. During our time, Ateneo was not yet a university, its high school was not co-educational and its high school campus was not yet located in Pacol, at the outskirts of Naga.
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To name a few of our “accomplished” batchmates, we have TOMASITO MONSON, the present Presidential Adviser for Bicol Affairs and Project Director of the revived Bicol River Basin Development Program and we have several Doctors of Medicine who practiced their profession here in our place, the likes of Drs. DOMINGO DELVO, JR. and ERIC RAZAL. In the law practice, we have Attorneys SALVADOR VILLEGAS, JR., JUN RESOCO, XAVIER ATIENZA and City Prosecutor VIRGILIO BALANE. This column will run out of space in case I mention all their names. In short, our batchmates can be found in every field of endeavor. Our batchmate, ALLAN ALINOOD, a businessman, informed yours truly of our annual batch reunion and for more details, you can reach him at 09198012472 or you can call me at (052) 482-1041. Allan also informed me that some of our batchmates like ROY BILLONES, CHRISTIAN CALLO, JUN PERES and TEODY TUY are in business, especially banking and finance, while others entered their chosen religious order.
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For all those who are interested to know the qualifications of a City and Municipal Chief of Police, the law on the matter is Section 34 of Republic Act No. 6775 known as the “DILG ACT of 1990” as amended by Section 22 of Republic Act No. 8551 popularly known as the “PNP Reform Act of 1998”, which provides and I quote: “NO PERSON SHALL BE APPOINTED CHIEF OF A CITY POLICE STATION UNLESS HE/SHE IS A GRADUATE OF BACHELOR OF LAWS OR HAS FINISHED ALL THE REQUIRED COURSES OF A MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, CRIMINOLOGY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, NATIONAL SECURITY A DMINISTRATION DEFENSE STUDIES AND OTHER RELATED DISCIPLINES FROM A RECOGNIZED INSITUTION OF LEARNING". No person shall be appointed chief of a municipal police station unless he or she has finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws or has earned at least twelve (12) units in a master’s degree program in public administration, criminology, criminal justice, law enforcement, national security administration and other related disciplines from a recognized institution of learning: Provided, that members of the Bar with at least five (5) years of law practice, licensed criminologists or graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy and who possess the general qualifications for initial appointment to the PNP shall be qualified for appointment as chief of a city or municipal police station; Provided further, that the appointee has successfully passed the required field training program and has complied with other requirements as may be established by he Commission: Provided, furthermore, that the Chief of Police shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 51, paragraph (b), subparagraph 4 (i) of this Act.”
The latter provision refers to Section 63 of R.A. No. 8551 on the authority of the Local Chief Executive to choose the chief of police from a list of Five (5) Eligibles recommended by the Police Provincial Director.
For any inquiries, you may call our office at 482 – 1041. Our present National Police Commission regional director is Mr. Pedro T. Magannon, a native of Kalinga province. Under his able leadership, our modest regional office is relocated and housed at ANST II Building, Rizal corner Rivera Streets, Old Albay, Legazpi City. The one located at the Regional Government Center Site was ravaged by typhoons “Milenyo” and “Reming.”
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Let us go back to our main topic of class reunions which are most usually done during the Christmas season. I consider this activity as a momentous occasion to share whatever accomplishments we have and not necessarily “pasawang harambugan” as other Ateneans call it. This is an opportunity where we can reach our hands to those who are in dire need, be it a fellow Atenean or not.
“Beinte Anyos na kita” or “Duwang Dekada” may be the suggested themes of our batch reunion. We have batchmates who are now based in other parts of the globe. In Albay, I had the chance to meet TOTS CORDIAL who was then connected with CANON Philippines and ADRIAN SANTY of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR – Bicol) who at times has to commute to Naga City from Legazpi City. Let me wish you all “a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.”
For your reactions, please email at ffba7680@yahoo.com.ph
