Cebu City honors honest cabbie, urban poor leader
Wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, taxi driver Eugene Novicio shyly went up the stage when his name was called during the Cebu City Government’s 82nd Charter Day awarding ceremony.
He was nervous and honored at the same time when Mayor Tomas Osmeña recognized him for returning valuables and P200,000 cash to a Finnish national who left his bag in Novicio’s vehicle.
“Wala gud ko ga-expect og bisan unsa. Pagkakita nako, ako gyud plano i-uli kay naghunahuna ko ako unyang mga anak magabaan (I didn’t expect anything in return. It was my intention to return the bag as soon as I saw it because I didn’t want karma to catch up with my children),” he said.
Novicio returned a black leather bag containing an Apple Macbook, a cellphone, several pieces of jewelry and cash to the Finnish who was in Cebu for a visit.
Another awardee, 77-yearold Calixta Abella, fondly called Nang Caling, was all smiles when the mayor went down the stage to hand over the award to her.
“I’m very happy. I’ve always devoted my time to serving the poor,” she said.
A native of Argao, Nang Caling has been helping urban poor families in the city in their fight to acquire the lots they are occupying so they can have their own home.
Novicio and Nang Caling were two of the six recipients of the Outstanding Individuals Award given by the mayor.
Other awardees are lawyer Dara Acusar, Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor chief Genevieve Alcoseba, Assistant City Administrator and the Cebu City Market Authority chairperson Annabeth Cuizon and Catherine Yso, the mayor’s secretary, also received the same award.
The Outstanding Institution Awardees are the Differently-Able Talent Entertainment and Sports for being the over-all champion in the 2018 Philippine National Paralympic Games in Marikina City, and the Cebu Braille Center Inc. for their service to the visually-impaired in Cebu City for more than 40 years.
Four outstanding individuals were also recognized: Lawyer Jonathan Capanas, the dean of the University of San Jose-Recoletos’ College of Law who helped reduce the City’s tax liability from P1.2 billion to P241 million through a compromise; Samuel “Sammy” Darza who was given a posthumous award for his role in establishing the City’s Traffic Management System; Cultural and Historical Affairs Commissioner Arsenio Pacaña; and Celso Pepito, who introduced “Cubism” in the Cebu art scene.
The Outstanding Institutions that received the Mayor’s Special Award are Arn Builders Inc. for providing heavy equipment during the clearing operations in the aftermath of the Duljo-Fatima fire; Globe Telecom Inc. for establishing cell sites in upland barangays; and Smart Communications Inc. for providing free wifi to the Cebu City Public Library.
Wala gud ko ga-expect og bisan unsa. Pagkakita nako, ako gyud plano i-uli kay naghunahuna ko ako unyang mga anak magabaan. EUGENE NOVICIO
Taxi driver