• CECILE M. GENOVE
From 75 individuals originally planned to be awarded from a roster of 150 nominees for Outstanding Dumagueteños, it was shortlisted to 25. From the earlier schedule in November of last year in time for the city’s Charter anniversary and its year-long celebration of its Diamond Jubilee, finally, the awards ceremonies was held on June 28, two days before the turning over of the reins to a new administration.
That this is the second time that noteworthy Dumagueteños have been honored for their sterling contributions to the city, both under the administration of now former Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, may well be considered as his legacy to the city that he served for three terms.
Out of the 25 awardees, 13 are posthumously given. Out of the five categories, the artists and entertainers category has the most number with eight awardees.
The 2nd Outstanding Dumagueteños awardees are: Leaders and Statepersons Category – Prospero Absin, Leonor Magtolis-Briones, MacArthur Corsino, Emilio Macias II, and Marcelino Maxino; Builders and Titans Category – Josephine Bejar-Ng, Trinidad Teves-Sagarbarria, and Julio Sy Jr.; Scientists and Thinkers – Claro Ceniza, Maria Salud Kho, Enrique Oracion, T. Valentino Sitoy Jr., and Rev. Father Roman Sagun Jr.; Artists and Entertainers Category – Evelyn Rose Aldecoa, Merlie Alunan, Ian Fermin Casocot, Eddie Romero, Cesar Jalandoni Amigo, Hersley-Ven Casero, Boboy Garrovillo, and Edith Lopez-Tiempo; Heroes and Icons Category – Placido Ausejo, Lorenzo Cimafranca, Bishop Epifanio Surban, and Emmanuel Dejaresco.
Prospero Absin, an anaesthesiologist, was himself a patron of arts and culture in Dumaguete. A staunch supporter of various cultural events, he played host to many artists who would visit the city. Known for his philanthropic works, he was known to be very gentle and kind to his patients until, sadly, he was the one who was being cared for. Absin’s name is synonymous with the famed, trailblazing Christmas House that would lighten up each Christmas season for many years attracting tourists from far and wide with its much-awaited theme year in and year out. This tradition has no longer been sustained after his demise.
Former Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones, Ma’am Liling among her former students and colleagues, is best known for her courage to stand for what is right, but considerate to those who would appeal for her benevolence. Having served six Philippine presidents, including being National Treasurer during President Estrada’s administration, she served as Centre Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO InnoTech) for three years until recently. In her acceptance speech, Briones said she will continue to teach at the University of the Philippines where she is a full professor at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG). Briones is also an Accounting graduate, magna cum laude, of Silliman University.
Ambassador MacArthur Corsino, like Briones, is likewise an Outstanding Sillimanian awardee. A no-nonsense diplomat, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to the Republic of Cuba with concurrent jurisdiction over Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as Consular Jurisdiction over the Bahamas. He retired from the service in December 2010 and now spends his time in his home in Bacong, Negros Oriental, teaching aspiring foreign service students and writing books to add to his previously published ones.
The Macias legacy lives on through the landmarks and achievements reaped by Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental during the incumbency and long years of service of Emilio Macias II, including his sons Dr. Mark Macias, who had served as vice-governor and Erwin Macias, and incumbent Board Member of the 2nd Congressional District. A physician by profession, his constituents remember his brand of service, particularly in his hometown in Siaton, Negros Oriental.
An international lawyer, Marcelino Maxino combines statesmanship and a sharp interpretation of the Philippine Constitution. A stalwart of truth and justice, he minces no words in giving his invaluable insights into the machinations of both government and civic service. He has written a number of books, including “Under One Roof in the Cradle of Valedictorians” that chronicles the individual stories of the eight Maxino siblings, all of whom graduated as valedictorian in secondary school and with Latin honors in college, thus, upholding the culture of excellence in the family up to the third generation today.
If the chicken inasal is intrinsically a Bacolod delicacy, Jo’s Chicken Inato is its counterpart in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental. A byword restaurant that started as Jo’s Cake House along the major thoroughfare in the city, it was started by Josephine Bejar-Ng and her husband, thus, the name Jo’s. The tradition has been sustained by Ng’s children who are now managing their various outlets in Dumaguete, including franchises in other parts of the country.
Just like Jo’s Chicken Inato, a visit to Dumaguete will not be complete without dropping by Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries and bringing home its patented silvanas and sans rival, and other famous pastries. Its founder, the matriarch, Trinidad Teves-Sagarbarria must be beaming with pride and joy as her once four-table small space in front of her residence has grown and expanded into several branches in the city, Cebu and Manila with sub-outlets in other towns.
In his acceptance speech, truly the son of his father, Julio “Junjun” Sy Jr. acknowledged his father, Julio Sy Sr., and said that the award is really for him and that he was merely representing his father. Confessing to having been away for 30 years as he manages the family businesses in the metropolis, Sy likewise supports local arts and culture, thereby, making him a worthy outstanding Dumagueteño.
A kind-hearted Philosophy teacher at Silliman University, Claro Ceniza is best remembered by his former students, including this writer, as soft-spoken with mild manners, offering his deep insights into the philosophy of man and Christian ethics. He wrote editorials for the Manila Bulletin and taught in universities in Manila after his stint in Dumaguete, never forgetting his roots.
Maria Salud Kho is one who may be referred to as literally married to her profession of being a physician. An obstetrician-gynecologist, her wide contributions to public health is exemplary, oftentimes offering her services beyond the call of duty and at times, at no cost to the patient.
A native Bayawanon, Enrique Oracion has done considerable contributions as a professor in sociology and anthropology at Silliman University, particularly emphasizing on the importance of empirical and historical research, as well as collaborations in other disciplines. He is a widely published author of scholarly researches whose works have been cited in numerous national and international journals.
T. Valentino Sitoy Jr. missed the awards by about a week as he passed. Receiving the award on his behalf is his daughter, Lakambini, herself a writer-educator, who attended together with her mother, also an educator and a Metrobank Outstanding Teacher herself. Sitoy, a summa cum laude graduate of Silliman University, was an astute historian and writer, having written the history of Silliman University: 1901-1976 on the occasion of its Diamond Jubilee year with fellow authors, the late Edilberto Tiempo and Crispin Maslog, who remains agile and active at 92. An Outstanding Negrense, Sitoy’s last public appearance was in a forum only last May during the 2025 DumaLitFest in Dumaguete City.
Known for his homilies that have his parishioners ponder on early spiritual teachings, the Rev. Father Roman Sagun Jr. is likewise a lover of history and a good story-teller. He spreads the Word not only through the pulpit, but also in his weekly column in a local newspaper.
No one in more recent years can equal the prolific theater scene in Dumaguete during the lifetime of Evelyn Rose Aldecoa. Coming from a family of singers (Aldecoa Family Singers with their father, Justice Venancio Aldecoa Sr. and mother, Nellie Romano-Aldecoa and the Aldecoa Quartet with her siblings retired Supreme Court Deputy Administrator Jenny Lind Aldecoa Delorino, the late Venancio Jr., and Michael), she was fastidious about her craft, not settling for mediocrity and constantly demanding the best from her performers. A stage and theater enthusiast, her speaking and singing voice left an unequaled trademark in Silliman University, particularly at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium where she served as director and as a speech instructor until her untimely demise.
Merlie Alunan, a multi-awarded Palanca awardee, has spent a considerable number of years in the city she has learned to love. Wherever her creativity brings her, Dumaguete will always be home as she regularly sits as a panel in the annual Silliman University National Writers Workshop and in other literary workshops in the country.
Dubbed as the writers’ writer, Ian Fermin Rosales Casocot writes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a smattering of merienda and all-day coffee in between. No minute passes in a day that you don’t chance upon Casocot glued to his ubiquitous laptop whether he is in school as a teacher in Silliman University or meeting with colleagues for an upcoming project or even while on a holiday locally or even abroad. He breathes words and writing, a far cry from his four-year stint as a Physical Therapy student and, finally, finding himself and shifting to a Mass Communication degree which he graduated from. His Palanca awards are numerous, but awards or no awards, Casocot will definitely write and write until kingdom come.
National Artist Eddie Romero, a native son of Dumaguete, was first awarded the highest national accolade before his home city honored him. But, it did not stop the Remollo administration from reprising the honor despite the chronology. A multi-awarded director, his films have showcased the ills and travails of a society we are familiar with as we are a part of it ourselves.
Not many may have had the opportunity to meet him in person, but the works of Cesar Jalandoni Amigo have preceded him. While his name may ring a bell because of his illustrious lineage in the province, it is his films that bespeak of the artistry and depth that make him worthy of emulation among aspiring filmmakers of today.
A homegrown artist extraordinaire, Hersley-Ven Casero started out as a visual artist, getting accolades nationally and internationally with his moving works, foremost of which is his “Laughing Boy Series” of art work that dot the walls in the city, in particular, at Foundation University where he is an alumnus. Casero has, since then, crossed over to street photography or photographic art where his talent did not go unnoticed having won international recognition, too.
Growing up and learning to appreciate Original Pilipino Music (OPM), people identify closely with Boboy Teves Garrovillo, best known for his being one-third of the iconic Apolinario Mabini or Apo Hiking Society. A Bisaya through and through, Garrovillo makes it a point to spend special occasions and holidays in Dumaguete, oftentimes seen hearing Mass in a local church during the Christmas season.
Dumaguete has produced two National Artists with Edith Lopez Tiempo sharing the honor with Eddie Romero. Known as Mom Edith by writing fellows and panelists of the annual Silliman University National Writers Workshop, she and her husband, another writer, Edilberto K. Tiempo, founded this oldest writers workshop that has similarly produced literary luminaries all over the country. The Tiempo union produced two offspring, Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas, herself a writer residing in the US and Donny, a Mass Communication graduate of Silliman University, who accepted the award for his mother.
Placido Ausejo and Lorenzo Cimafranca were both in the guerrilla resistance movement during World War II honored for their leadership, courage, and patriotism. Their story is told and retold in local oral history for better appreciation of students and citizens alike, recalling what they have done for Dumaguete and Negros Oriental.
Bishop Epifanio Surban is a byword in the Catholic Church of Dumaguete Diocese, especially as he was known for his visionary leadership and enduring contributions to spiritual and community life. He is remembered in all Mass intentions in local parishes and elsewhere.
The only living awardee in the Heroes and Icons category is Emmanuel “Ely” Dejaresco, media mogul and publisher of the pioneering community newspaper, Negros Chronicle, and station manager of the first FM radio in the city, DYEM-FM. Both establishments are icons in community journalism spanning more than five decades for the Negros Chronicle and more than four decades for DYEM-FM. He takes after his father, Zoilo Dejaresco, himself a newspaperman and who also pioneered a community newspaper in Bohol, the Bohol Chronicle.
The 2nd Outstanding Dumagueteños awards came after 27 years during the golden anniversary of the city. | NWI
