The City Government will award the five outstanding citizens during the Baguio Day commemoration program set Sept. 1, 2024 at the Baguio Convention Center.
The awardees selected by the Society of Outstanding Citizens of Baguio (SOCOB) led by Joel Arthur Tibaldo are:
JIMMY A. BILLOD
As the sole full-time Gynecologic Oncologist of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Jimmy A. Billod has always been energetic and enthusiastic in the care of women diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. Through his diligence, the BGHMC Z-package for cervical cancer was approved in 2017 and recently re-accredited by the by the National Insurance Company providing free and adequate diagnosis and treatment for women with the disease.
Dr. Billod is a multi-awarded researcher on women’s and maternal health where he has presented papers to several local and international audiences. He is a member of the Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Editorial Board and a peer reviewer of several local and international journals.
A dedicated research mentor and passionate advocate for cervical prevention, he spearheaded the Cervical Cancer Outreach and Training programs in collaboration with public and private stakeholders. He has been in the forefront in strengthening community and public health training services by establishing partnerships with private and public stakeholders.
ARNEL M. CABANISAS (Community Service)
After a distinguished 20-year military career, nine years of which he spent excelling in diverse roles at the Philippine Military Academy, Arnel M. Cabanisas retired in 2012 where he then took an active role at the ZigZag Base Communications and Rescue Group and DELTANS volunteer group where he became National President and later as Chapter President. He was also President of the Rotary Club of Baguio from 2021 to 2022.
Cabanisas assumed the position of External Relations Officer and Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Filipino-Japanese Foundation or ‘Abong’ and later appointed as Executive Director due to his dedication and capabilities in upholding its vision, mission and advocacies of uplifting the dignity and lives of pre-war Filipino-Japanese descendants belonging to the disadvantaged and marginalized sectors in the Cordillera and Northern Luzon area.
Acknowledging the private sector’s crucial role in assisting the government in providing services to the community, he actively participates and voluntarily dedicates extra time, effort, and services to multiple auxiliary organizations under the DSWD-CAR and the DOH-CAR. Citing his leadership qualities, members from various NGOs and CSOs within these organizations have chosen Cabanisas to lead them.
He is the Private Sector Representative for Social Development of the Regional Development Council-CAR and Co-Chairperson of its Social Development Committee that reviews, monitors, evaluates and endorses programs and projects, and formulates developmental plans and policies on social protection, education and manpower development, housing and regional implementation and coordination team for population health, nutrition, responsible parenthood and reproductive health.
Cabanisas is a hands-on member of the CAR Regional Project Monitoring and Benguet Provincial Monitoring Committees which expedites project implementation and project facilitation, problem solving, monitoring and evaluation to the regional and sub-regional levels.
MARICAR A. DOCYOGEN (CULTURE AND ARTS)
Other than being a dedicated wife and mother, Maricar A. Docyogen believes in the power of art and literacy by establishing Bookends, a renowned hub for literature, fostering a vibrant literary community. She is also the founder and leads the Pasa-kalye Group of Artists that provides emerging artists with opportunities and platforms to flourish thereby enriching Baguio’s art scene.
She is a community leader actively supporting various community programs, collaborating with government agencies and organizations, demonstrating her commitment to Baguio’s overall progress.
Docyogen’s remarkable contributions have earned her prestigious awards and recognition, including Outstanding Woman Leader of Baguio in 2020 and OWWA Marilag Award in both the Regional and National Level highlighting her impactful brand of leadership.
ENGR. FERNANDO C. LARANANG (PROFESSIONAL SERVICE)
Engr. Fernando Chan Laranang is the founder of FCL Laranang Companies, one of the city’s most dependable and trusted construction companies, having built more than 80 industrial, commercial, institutional and religious buildings that have contributed immensely in improving the Summer Capital’s business climate, promoting a more vibrant tourism industry, a conducive educational center of the North and creating more investment opportunities for residents and non-residents of Baguio, retirees and overseas workers.He has spearheaded the ‘Green Engineering Movement’ conscious of the importance of Earth’s preservation and conservation of the environment.
His ongoing construction of a family-owned commercial condominium, the first in the city, aims to integrate a solar-powered lighting system and rainwater recycling facility which helps in the city’s vision to address urban decay.Laranang has helped lower the city’s employment rate by employing more than 600 personnel composed of engineers, architects, accountants, legal officers, office staff and skilled workers that enable them to have a steady source of income, live decent and productive lives and fulfil their dreams for a brighter future.He is currently the Chapter President of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association, Inc. (CREBA), the country’s umbrella realty organization and is viewed as a dynamic partner of the city and national government in nation building. He has been representing the Chapter in meetings with the city’s Board of Investments, City Planning and Development Office, City Building and Architecture Office and the Department of Housing Settlements and Urban Development.
Highly regarded as an esteemed contractor and engineer, Laranang generously shares his expertise to chapter members, and trade know-hows to broaden their knowledge, thereby raising the bar in their professions. He walks hand-in-hand with them towards the same vision of shaping Baguio City into a beautiful community.
MARY ARSENIA NGAO-SI MONDIGUING (COMMUNITY SERVICE)
A true-blue Cordilleran with humble beginnings, Dr. Mondiguing is the Section Chief for Cataract and Refractive Services of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vice-Chair of the Research Ethics Committee of the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center.
An active academician for 20 years, she is currently chairs Saint Louis University School of Medicine’s Department Ophthalmology; a faculty of the Pines City Colleges’ College of Medicine and section head of Ophthalmology of the Pines City Doctors Hospital.
As a renowned eye specialist, Dr. Ars’ main advocacy is on the prevention of blindness as she supported the Vision 2020 program or the “Right to Sight”, a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
From 1992 to 1997, as an ophthalmology resident, she actively participated in Cataract Surgical Missions conducted by SUKOB Foundation and Rizal Medical Center to several provinces. Whether regarding her neighbourly pursuits in the city or her active work on eyecare in the country, she constantly takes active steps on issues she can fix and make positive contributions on. – Baguio City Public Information Office
