The Negros Occidental provincial government will honor seven outstanding Negrenses who have exemplified excellence in their fields at the 117 th anniversary of Cinco De Noviembre at the provincial Capitol in Bacolod City Thursday.

The provincial government will also give P100,000 each to 85 centenarians of Negros Occidental on the same day, Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday.

The Outstanding Negrenses this year are Edith Yotoko Villanueva for public service and health promotion, Ricky and Leo Rey Yanson for youth and sports development, Modesto Palacios Sa-onoy for journalism, Dr. Elsie Martinez Coscolluela – education, and Reynaldo and Ma. Lomer Villan – entrepreneurship.

Villanueva, a former Negros Occidental board member and congresswoman, is a trustee who pioneered the Operation Smile Philippines from 1989-2012 that has benefited thousands of Negrenses. She has also headed HOPE Volunteers Foundation Inc. and at present is the president and chief operating officer of the Sugar Industry Foundation that continues to be active in campaigning against child labor in Negros Occidental, her Capitol citation states.

The Yanson brothers are football enthusiasts who have invested their time and resources to promote football in the province. Ricky is the current president of the Negros Occidental Football Association and also heads the Dynamic Football League. Leo Rey Yanson manages the Ceres-La Salle Football club, a professional football club based in Negros Occidental which has brought honor to the province through the national titles it has won.

Coscolluela is an award winning poet, short-story writer and playwright. As an academician, she held the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod and has also managed annual Negros Summer Workshops for artists and writers with Peque Gallaga since 1991.

Sa-onoy was conferred by Pope Benedict XVI the knighthood, Pontifical Equestrian Order of Pope St. Sylvester with rank of Commander and Great Zeal on Oct. 25, 2008, the oldest and most prized of Papal Awards, for his work in the Diocese of Bacolod, especially in his various writings on the history of the Church and the various parishes, chaplaincies and Catholic schools. A columnist and one of the founders of the Visayan DAILY STAR, he is a stalwart of the Negros Press Club and on Oct. 10, 2009, he was recognized by the Rotary Club of Bacolod East with the Media Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Villan couple through Bongbong's have for more than 25 years in the pasalubong industry, raised the standards of Philippine food outlets. Bongbong's has become the Number 1 pasalubong center in the region, their citation states.*CPG

back to top