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MAYOR JOHN G. BONGAT

VICE MAYOR GABRIEL H. BORDADO, JR.WEDITOR

PAUL JOHN F. BARROSA

MANAGING EDITOR ALLEN L. REONDANGA

LAYOUTANSELMO B. MAÑO

LOGO DESIGNRAY UBALDO

EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. | REUEL M. OLIVER

PHOTO CREDITS JOSE V. COLLERA | RANDYVIC VILLAFLOR | ARCHIVE

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JOHN G. BONGATCity Mayor

Warm Naga SMILES!

Throughout the years, Naga has indeed progressed a lot. From being the 3rd oldest Royal city in the country and a primary stronghold of the Spaniards for over 300 years, we have become a premier city ofthe Philippines, known even internationally, for its livability, business-friendly environment, dynamiclocal economy, transparency initiatives and good governance. Our beloved city has evolved into being aregional and national hub for tourism, finance, trade and investment, education, governance, cultureand religion.

These accomplishments, however, are not just because of our efforts in the past three years since assuming office. Our achievements are fruits of our collective efforts as Nagueňos who have the samegoal, commitment and vision for a Maogmang Naga, not to mention that the late DILG Secretary andformer Mayor of Naga, Jesse M. Robredo, had laid the foundation for a great city that all of us are enjoying right now. The city that we have now is built from the stones and sand we have individually contributed, the able guidance of my predecessor and the continuity of Team Naga’s initiatives to sustain the socio-economic development of the city.

It is in this sense that in every celebration of our charter anniversary, we always recognize a set of exceptional men and women who have not just brought honor and glory to our beloved city, but have also significantly contributed to Naga’s development. Their triumphs and breakthroughs are also our successes, our pride and our city’s corner stone for economic growth and social improvement.

This year, for our 65th Charter Anniversary, as a way to honour the contributions of our predecessors, we have introduced new titles for the Mayoral Awards. The former Distinguished MayoralAward is now the Juan Q. Miranda Award to give tribute to the author of our City Charter. The formerSpecial Mayoral Award is renamed the Leon SA. Aureus Award to acknowledge the role of the first CityMayor of Naga as a Chartered City. We have also introduced a new award category to recognize the vitalrole of the youth in nation-building. We have named it after the great son of Naga, and call it the Jesse M.Robredo Youth Excellence Award, in recognition of the interior secretary’s and former mayor’s advocacyto empower and involve every Nagueňo, especially the youth, in charting Naga’s future.

To receive these new titles are our new set of Mayoral Awardees whose passion, commitment to excellence, innovative ideas and enthusiasm to assist others have helped advance our economy and, mostof all, uplifted the socio-economic status of our fellow Nagueňos, especially the marginalized. They havedreamed to see a city where each constituent is happy and proud and have taken the risks and braved allthe storms to realize their aspirations.

Their courage and benevolence to unselfishly devote themselves for the benefit of our city are truly exceptional and worthy of being a model for thepublic. It is always our message to all that each should put a stake in the development of Naga. Everyone should H2ELP our CiTy.

Given our present dynamic environment and the current trends of globalization, we should never rest on our laurels. It should always beour aim to break new ground and strive for greater heights. Together,we should always make the best better. And true to form, we can allproudly say that indeed “Naga SMILES to the World.”

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On the occasion of the city’s 65th Charter Anniversary,the city’s highest award known as the Mayoral Distinguished Award shall now be conferred officially as Juan Q. Miranda Award to honor the Father of the City Charter of Naga. As Representative of the First Districtof Camarines Sur, just after the Second World War, heauthored a bill entitled “An Act Creating the City ofNaga” which was signed into law as Republic Act No. 305by then President Elpidio Quirino on 18 June 1948.

Miranda’s love and concern for Naga was demonstratedwhen he led all guerilla units in Camarines Sur as theirOver-all Commander, liberating Naga from the JapaneseImperial Army in 1945 without the aid of the Americans.

The city’s second highest award known as the Mayoral Special Award shall now be conferred as Leon Sa. AureusAward, to honor the first Mayor of Naga as a charteredcity. Appointed by President Quirino, he accepted thegargantuan tasks of governing and rehabilitating thenew city from the ravages of World War II. Aureus wasalso the Executive Officer of Miranda and the secondhighest ranking officer of the Tangcong Vaca GuerrillaUnit.

This year, as a way of honoring a servant-leader, a proudNagueño, and a great Filipino, a former Mayor of Nagaand Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, thecity will confer the first ever Jesse M. Robredo YouthAward. This award will recognize the Nagueño youth, individual or group, who most exemplifies the “tsinelas”type of leadership and governance of the good Mayorand Secretary.

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For the present generation, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo is the epitome of good governance, public service and over-all excellence. But for the man idolized by many, there was former Mayor, Congressman and Election Commissioner Ramon H. Felipe, Jr. who served as an example and an inspiration for making Naga what it is today.

Hon. Ramon H. Felipe, Jr. is a statesman in the true sense of the word. His careerin public service began when he was elected City Mayor of Naga in 1963. As father of the city, he pushed for reforms that advanced sustainable development. He was the first to introduce mercury vapor lamps in Naga which illuminated the streets at night and, consequently, curbed gang wars and petty crimes in the city. Thousands of stallholders at the

Naga City People’s Mall (then called the Naga CityPublic Market) owe him their thanks as it wasunder his leadership that work on this historic edifice began, finally leading to its holding therecord of being the biggest public structure in Asiawhen it was completed.

Ramon’s accomplishments as mayor prompted theLiberal Party to field him as its Congressional candidate for the then first district of CamarinesSur. He brought his vigor for accomplishing greatthings to the halls of Congress. For his immensecontribution in pushing for autonomy for localgovernments, heavier penalties for criminals andbetter benefits for all government employees,among others, his name was always in media’s listof the Outstanding Congressmen of the Philippines for every year of his two terms. In1969, he was elected by his colleagues in the opposition as their Minority Floor Leader.

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When martial law was declared in 1972, Ramonreturned to his private law practice, later joiningthe Araneta Group of Companies as its Vice President for Legal Affairs. President FerdinandE. Marcos, under pressure to assign an oppositionmember to the Commission on Elections, appointed him as Commissioner in time to overseethe 1984 Batasang Pambansa elections. His integrity and efficacy prompted President Corazon C. Aquino to reappoint and name him asChairman of the “new” COMELEC in 1986, afterthe People Power Revolution.

With his stout vigilance and unwavering principles, he saved the Philippine GovernmentP250M through strict implementation of publicbidding that reduced the cost of national elections,especially the printing of the voters’ affidavitforms of 30 million voters (from P2.00 to P0.32per set). Another P9.9M was saved from the national coffers when he computerized, cleanedup and centralized the list of registered voters inthe country through a computerization programhe solicited from USAID.

On February 3, 1988, he willingly retired frompublic service to give way to new leaders who wereinspired by the EDSA Revolution and the promulgation of a new constitution. Instead ofholding to power by running again as a candidatefor mayor, congressman or any government position as others were doing, he humbly wentback to private practice, rejoining the AranetaGroup of Companies until he retired in 2007.

In electing HON. RAMON H. FELIPE, JR. to receive the Juan Q. Miranda Award, the highestrecognition the City of Naga can confer on itsproud sons and daughters, the Mayoral AwardsCommittee recognizes his valor, altruism, integrity and commitment to public service thathave bolstered the development of Naga; promoted local autonomy, transparency and accountability in the country; and restored thefaith of the people in government and in democracy, in general.

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For Rev. Fr. Stanislaus Chin, education andevangelization should come hand-in-hand. Hebelieves that education is a vital tool for fullycomprehending the teachings of the CatholicChurch as well as truly appreciating and deeplyvaluing the love and blessings of God. With thisprinciple in mind, he endeavored to establish theSaint Joseph School, one of the best sectarianeducational institutions in Naga and in the BicolRegion.

Fr. Chin, or Fr. Kim to those who are close to him,is a Chinese priest who sought refuge in thePhilippines as a result of the ruthless prosecutionof Catholics in mainland China. This tragiccondemnation against his faith, however, did notmove his trust and belief in God. Together withother exiled seminarians of the St. Joseph RegionalSeminary, he pursued the evangelization of otherChinese refugees in the Bicol Region and, in 1960,founded the Saint Joseph School. A graduate of BSMath and Physics at the University of SantoTomas, Fr. Chin led the school as its director forseven years; and oversaw the construction of itsbuildings and installation of educational tools andfacilities.

Saint Joseph School was initially intended for theFilipino-Chinese community, teaching Mandarinfrom pre-school to high school while puttingCatholic doctrines as its core values. Today, it hasevolved as one of the most prestigious primaryeducational institutions in Bicol with an excellenttrack record in Math, Science, CommunicationArts and Sports Education. Though the school hasmade great strides since Fr. Chin’s stint, its presentmanagement always attribute their currentsuccesses as a by-product of his relentless efforts,love for knowledge and affection for God.

In electing REV. FR. STANISLAUS CHIN to receive the Leon Sa. Aureus Award, the MayoralAwards Committee recognizes his significant contribution to education as founder of the SaintJoseph School, one of the most prominent primaryeducational institutions in Naga City and in theBicol Region that has not just moulded the mindsof countless Bicolanos but has also nurtured theirdevotion to God.

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Founded by Wong Yee in 1943, then serving putolanzon, traditionally-made coffee and ricenoodles, New China Restaurant is recognized nationally as one of the historic landmarks of thecity, especially of Centro Naga. It is a significantyet humble contributor to the rich history of Naga.

New China Restaurant has been cited by famoushistorians and writers, such as Danilo Gerona andConrado de Quiros, among others, for being themeeting place of numerous influential personalities— such as Mayors Rosalio Imperial,Sr., Vicente Sibulo and Ramon Felipe, Jr.— andsocio-civic organizations in the city. Its grounds,therefore, are silent witnesses to some of the majordecisions made over a cup of coffee, a plate ofpancit canton and a handful of toasted siopao thathave, later on, defined the Naga of today.

The birth and rebirth of New China Restaurantalso coincided with major epochs in history. It wasfounded during World War II and was burned in1973 during the fire that engulfed almost thewhole of Centro Naga during the advent of theMartial Law era. In those times of despair, however, it did not falter but instead strived to survive, prosper and relentlessly serve the Bicolanos.

An embodiment of Naga’s values of resiliency andadaptability, New China Restaurant reconstructedits store and opened anew in 1974 with biggerspace and more dishes to offer. Since then, it hascontinually met the needs of the locality and attuned itself to intensifying market competition.Employing among the best and most loyal employees in the community, it is presently one ofthe significant contributors to Naga’s economicdevelopment.

In electing NEW CHINA RESTAURANT to receivethe Leon SA Aureus Award, the Mayoral AwardsCommittee recognizes its vital contribution to thehistory and socio-economic development of thecity by being one of the pioneering and most re-silient restaurants in Naga, cradling some of thecity’s most brilliant and influential personalitiesand organizations, especially in times of war andcalamity.

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a buzzwordin business. Companies conduct CSR usually as acompliance with the law, or, sometimes, as a marketing tool promoting brand equity and enhancing company image. There are few, however, who have genuine desires to help other

people and organize charity works even withoutthe glamour of the media and the fanfare of fame.To this rare group of social entrepreneurs belongsJeremie Janssen S. Lo.

Born to a Filipino-Chinese family who owns asmall rice milling and trading business at theground floor of the Naga City People’s Mall, Jeremie Janssen S. Lo was exposed at an early age tothe living conditions of laborers and farmers. Hesaw first-hand the lack of needed agricultural inputs, the crude techniques being used by thefarmers, and the disturbing deficiency of food andother material belongings of those who, in the firstplace, have produced those things. These experiences urged Lo to reinvent their family business and introduce innovative means to address the needs of marginalized people in the society. He mobilized their family assets to provide long term credits to farmers and producealternative fertilizers and other farm inputs.

His venture, though highly risky in this typhoon-stricken region, has been found successful as henow employs around 650 regular workers and hasbeen named one of the top individual taxpayers ofNaga. To date, he is now conceptualizing a scholar-ship and housing program for the benefit of his reliable employees.

Lo’s works for the less privileged individuals, however, do not stop from the scope of his business. He is one of the major donors of the Missionaries of the Poor, the Link Center for theDeaf and the Hablon Dawani Good ShepherdHome, funding relief operations, building schools,sending seminarians to priesthoods and organizing outreach programs. He is also the present Regional Governor for Bicol of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industrywho, for his strong sense of social justice and community involvement, has convinced the business sectors in Masbate, Catanduanes and Camarines Norte to organize again, after longyears of inactivity, their respective provincialchambers.

In electing JEREMIE JANSSEN S. LO to receive the Leon SA Aureus Award, the Mayoral Awards Committee recognizes his significant contribution to the upliftment of the socio-economic status of farmers and the poor, in general, by providing ground-breaking practicesin agriculture and by undertaking multifarious social activities as financer and leader of variousnon-government organizations.

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All humans are created equal and deserve similarrespect regardless of their status in life. This is theadvocacy that the Rotary Club of Naga has been relentlessly promoting since its inception onMarch 18, 1948. Towards this aspiration, this volunteer organization of business, professionaland community leaders has been consistently organizing activities that promote human dignity.

Among the group’s main beneficiaries are the inmates at the Naga City District Jail. Through itsKahit sa Piitan May Pakinabang Project, the organization provides prisoners means of liveli-hood that enable them to become economicallyproductive, helping to meet the financial needs oftheir family back home. These projects are bolstered by trainings, academic lectures and seminars that are consistently conducted to enhance the proficiencies and skills of detainees.

The oldest Rotary Club in Southern Luzon, the Rotary Club of Naga is also one of the leading non-government organizations aggressively campaigning for the eradication of poverty inBicol. It has launched various programs— frommedical missions to installation of bio-sand waterfilters in different localities— to improve the livesof marginalized Bicolanos.

In electing the ROTARY CLUB OF NAGA to receive the Leon Sa. Aureus Award, the MayoralAwards Committee recognizes its services to thepeople of Naga City and the whole of Bicol, especially to those who are generally condemnedand neglected by society through the flourishingof innovative programs and projects that speakwell of the club members’ generous character andinvaluable contribution to public service and sustainable community development.

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A cum laude graduate of Ateneo de Naga University, Daniel Philip V. Dy is a testament tothe fact that being excellent in academics can gohand-in-hand with being involved in socially-beneficial activities. As a student at ADNU, he wasinvolved in various groups and organized numerous activities that help increase the awareness of the roles and responsibilities of theyouth in nation-building. His income-generatingproject for one of his business classes, dubbed Mr.Kenkoy, was centered on using indigenous materials for the production of quality productsfor the mainstream market.

Mr. Kenkoy started when Dy and his friends wererequired to think of a mock enterprise as a requirement for graduation. With local productsas a usual sight in pasalubong centers in Naga, thegroup thought of reinventing jute, a kind of fibercommonly used for native coin purses and hand-bags, to create backpacks for teens and young professionals. Equipped with determination andsufficient funding from their parents, Dy’s and hisfriends’ venture has been successful and well received by the market, leading for the local products of Bicol to be promoted throughout thecountry.

Dy’s strong advocacies for educating the poor andencouraging the youth to actively participate innation building are also evident in his works inKariton Edukasyon and Lakdang Para sa Matanosna Eleksyon, organizations which he co-foundedwith his friends. Kariton Edukasyon’s goals andactions are patterned from Efren Peňaflorida’saward-winning initiatives of educating out-of-school-youths by teaching them in the streets andother places they usually go to.

In electing DANIEL PHILIP V. DY to receive theJesse M. Robredo Youth Award, the MayoralAwards Committee recognizes his excellence in academics, his ground-breaking entrepreneurialideas in utilizing and endorsing indigenous products of Bicol and his active social involvement in promoting education in the city and in the region, in general.

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For having recognized as one of the best medicalresearchers in the country during the 20th PDSResearch Forum last November 2012, superbly illustrating Naga’s competence in research andmedicine, as well as significantly contributing tothe improvement of public health in the Philippines.

For having received the 2012 Most OutstandingClerk of Court of the Philippines Award, raisingthe bar of excellence in the dispensation of justicein the whole country, as well as exemplifying theNagueňos’ extraordinary dedication and unparalleled commitment to impartiality, transparency and accountability.

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For having obtained the High Distinction Awardin the 2012 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Mathematics,bringing glory and honor to the city and its people,as well as demonstrating to the world the mathematical prowess of the bright and globally-competitive students of Naga.

For having garnered three gold medals (IndividualAll-Around, Clubs and Ropes) in the Batang PinoyNational Gymnastics Championships held at theRizal Memorial Sports, Complex, Manila last October 2012, bringing honor and pride to Nagaand its people and, consequently, reaffirming thecity’s status as one of the centers of excellence ineducation and sports development in the Philippines.

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A well-known writer, he received the Mayoral Distinguished Award in 2009 for hiscontributions in journalism, Bicol culture and history. He has written five booksand countless academic papers and articles on history, politics and social sciences,some of which have been cited by international agencies.

Sitting in the Awards Committee as representative of the media, he is theimmediate past Chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP)-Camarines Sur Chapter and the present Regional Coordinator of KBP-Bicol.

A women empowerment and gender equality advocate, he works with theMetro Naga Development Council and the Philippine Commission onWomen. Also a staunch supporter of tourism, she presently leads the Tooling Up for Tourism Project of Metro Naga, an alliance of 16 local government units with Naga City as its core.

Sitting as representative of the private sector, she is the incumbent president of the Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce and Industry. An advocate of quality education, she conceptualizes and leads Memorecall Study Center, an educational support center for all grade levels.

A very accomplished public servant, he himself is a recipient of the Naga City Special Mayoral Award in 1972, 1982 and 1996 and of the Mayoral DistinguishedAward in 1974. In 1996, he was conferred the “Dangal ng Bayan” Award, the highest recognition that the Civil Service Commission can give to a governmentemployee.

A highly distinguished doctor, she is presently the Assistant Medical Director for Medical Committees of Mother Seton Hospital and Consultant of the Department of OB-Gyne of the Bicol Medical Center, St. John Hospital and NICC Doctors’ Hospital. She also served as CharterPresident and Regional Director of the Philippine OB-Gyne Society(POGS)-Bicol Chapter.

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The city was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande. Then named Ciudad de Nueva Caceres, it is thethird Spanish royal city in the Philippine islands,after Cebu and Manila.

In 1919, it lost its Spanish name and status as a city,and became officially known as Naga. It acquired itscityhood in 1948, and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year byvirtue of Republic Act No. 305. Rep. Juan Q. Miranda sponsored this legislative act which putflesh into the city's bid to become among the fewindependent component cities in the country.