Aklan honors 6 outstanding citizens on April 25

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - Six Aklanons are recipients of the Outstanding Aklanon Award 2011 in celebration of the 55th Aklan Anniversary on April 25.

Leading the roster of awardees are Undersecretary Mateo G. Montano, Engr. Nathaniel R. Orillos, Engr. Denis F. Villorente, Dr. Jacinta S. Legaspi, Jindra Linda L. Demeterio and Melchor F. Cichon.

They will be conferred honors by the provincial government of Aklan on April 25 at the Gov. Augusto B. Legaspi Sports Complex.

For government service category, Montano, who hails from Ibajay, Aklan, is the newly-appointed Undersecretary for General Administration and Support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. He was the former DSWD Assistant Secretary for Administration and Support Services and Deputy Director for Finance.

Montano was a recipient of the Gawad Career Executive Service (CES) award in 2009 for his invaluable contribution in DSWD.

Orillos is the Assistant Vice President for refinery production of oil industry player Petron Corporation. He is the awardee in the field of science and technology.

For information technology, Villorente is working as Director in the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI). He hails from Numancia, Aklan.

For education, Legaspi, of Kalibo and Makato, Aklan, is feted of the distinction for her accomplishments as college administrator of the first nursing college in the province of Aklan, the Saint Gabriel College. The college has its own tertiary base hospital and has the biggest number of passers in Northern Panay in Nursing and Midwifery board examinations.

Demeterio, a native of Batan, Aklan, is recognized for her long and outstanding service in government. She was the regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture-Region Field Office 6.

Cichon is this year's awardee in the field of culture and arts. A multi-awarded poet and writer from Malinao, Aklan, Cichon is presently the Head of Readers Services Section of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Fisheries at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo.

The conferment of the award is the fitting recognition of the commendable achievements of the Aklanon awardees on April 25, a special public holiday in the whole of province by virtue of Republic Act No. 1414.