In the Philippines, most people enter politics then flagrantly enrich themselves. Too, some rich folks enter politics to protect their interests or, worse, to make even more money the easy way. Every now and then, a few who made money the old fashion way (They earned it!), enter politics and serve their constituency in the most effective and sincere manner of public service.
I know of such a person. His name is Dr. Rustico Balderian, Mayor of Tabontabon, Leyte. He also goes by his nickname Rusty or Toti. He is not all talk, he walks the talk.
He is both an optometrist and a physician by profession, a very successful businessman by perseverance. He was elected mayor of Tabontabon in May 2007, defeating the incumbent whose family had ruled this 5th class municipality for over 50 years.
Mayor Balderian did not get to where he is by happenstance.
Here’s an excerpt of his inspiring life story (1). After graduating from high school he went to Manila and worked his way through college, taking odd jobs as a factory worker, cigarette and balut vendor, and driver so as to achieve his dream of a good education. By 1975 he became an optometrist and in 1981 he completed his Doctor of Medicine from Manila Central University. He first ventured into the world of business in 1977 as a chicken broiler contract grower.
In 1983 he migrated to the United States to try his luck in the land of milk and honey. He was first hired as a truck driver in Los Angeles, promoted to store cashier and eventually as store manager making a measly $6 an hour.
He left his job sometime in 1984 and with $1,000 in savings started his own landscaping business. At the same time, he was working as a physician assistant in a medical clinic. The following year Dr. Balderian and his wife, a medical technologist, opened a medical laboratory in Los Angeles, a pharmacy in 1993, and a mobile X-ray company in 1996. In the year 2000, they opened the Ryan Imaging Center also in Los Angeles. During all this time, he was also busy in the Philippines, opening a diagnostic center in Tacloban City in 1990 and the Ryan Anthony Hospital in Cainta, Rizal, in 1995.
So what does a man do with all these successes? Give it back by paying forward!
In 2003 Dr. Balderian opened a nursing school in his hometown of Tabontabon, Leyte. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation, Inc. first offered a four-year nursing degree, a medical transcriptionist course and a computer course. Later on it added an entrepreneurial course to teach young folks how to run a business. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is not an ordinary school. All students are on full scholarship. Yes, everything is free including tuition, laboratory equipment, school supplies, dormitory and uniform! But the concept is not an indolent dole out.
Prospective students may come from any of the towns in the provinces of Region 8 (Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar), not just from the town of Tabontabon, Leyte. Applicants whose parents’ annual income does not exceed 80,000 pesos qualify by passing an entrance examination. Students must maintain an average grade of 2.0 with no grade below 2.5 in a semester.
Add quality instructors to this body of bright and highly motivated students, you get a sure formula for excellence. It’s not surprising then that in 2009 Colegio de Sta. Lourdes made it to the distinguished list of the Top 20 Nursing Schools in the Philippines(2) with a passing rate of 88.55%. Not bad for a newly minted school in rural Tabontabon, Leyte, being grouped with the likes of University of the Philippines-Manila and University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Memorial Medical Center.
The only thing that Dr. Balderian asks of the nursing students, as a condition for their scholarship, is that they send $1,000.00 a month to their parents for three consecutive years once they find employment abroad. He knows that these remittances will help drive the local economy.
Young folks interested in becoming entrepreneurs may apply to take the entrepreneurial course by presenting and defending a project before a committee. If they pass, Dr. Balderian finances the project with the students as industrial partners. But there’s a catch. After graduation the student must set up his or her own business instead of seeking employment.
I know of such a person. His name is Dr. Rustico Balderian, Mayor of Tabontabon, Leyte. He also goes by his nickname Rusty or Toti. He is not all talk, he walks the talk.
He is both an optometrist and a physician by profession, a very successful businessman by perseverance. He was elected mayor of Tabontabon in May 2007, defeating the incumbent whose family had ruled this 5th class municipality for over 50 years.
Mayor Balderian did not get to where he is by happenstance.
Here’s an excerpt of his inspiring life story (1). After graduating from high school he went to Manila and worked his way through college, taking odd jobs as a factory worker, cigarette and balut vendor, and driver so as to achieve his dream of a good education. By 1975 he became an optometrist and in 1981 he completed his Doctor of Medicine from Manila Central University. He first ventured into the world of business in 1977 as a chicken broiler contract grower.
In 1983 he migrated to the United States to try his luck in the land of milk and honey. He was first hired as a truck driver in Los Angeles, promoted to store cashier and eventually as store manager making a measly $6 an hour.
He left his job sometime in 1984 and with $1,000 in savings started his own landscaping business. At the same time, he was working as a physician assistant in a medical clinic. The following year Dr. Balderian and his wife, a medical technologist, opened a medical laboratory in Los Angeles, a pharmacy in 1993, and a mobile X-ray company in 1996. In the year 2000, they opened the Ryan Imaging Center also in Los Angeles. During all this time, he was also busy in the Philippines, opening a diagnostic center in Tacloban City in 1990 and the Ryan Anthony Hospital in Cainta, Rizal, in 1995.
So what does a man do with all these successes? Give it back by paying forward!
In 2003 Dr. Balderian opened a nursing school in his hometown of Tabontabon, Leyte. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation, Inc. first offered a four-year nursing degree, a medical transcriptionist course and a computer course. Later on it added an entrepreneurial course to teach young folks how to run a business. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is not an ordinary school. All students are on full scholarship. Yes, everything is free including tuition, laboratory equipment, school supplies, dormitory and uniform! But the concept is not an indolent dole out.
Prospective students may come from any of the towns in the provinces of Region 8 (Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar), not just from the town of Tabontabon, Leyte. Applicants whose parents’ annual income does not exceed 80,000 pesos qualify by passing an entrance examination. Students must maintain an average grade of 2.0 with no grade below 2.5 in a semester.
Add quality instructors to this body of bright and highly motivated students, you get a sure formula for excellence. It’s not surprising then that in 2009 Colegio de Sta. Lourdes made it to the distinguished list of the Top 20 Nursing Schools in the Philippines(2) with a passing rate of 88.55%. Not bad for a newly minted school in rural Tabontabon, Leyte, being grouped with the likes of University of the Philippines-Manila and University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Memorial Medical Center.
The only thing that Dr. Balderian asks of the nursing students, as a condition for their scholarship, is that they send $1,000.00 a month to their parents for three consecutive years once they find employment abroad. He knows that these remittances will help drive the local economy.
Young folks interested in becoming entrepreneurs may apply to take the entrepreneurial course by presenting and defending a project before a committee. If they pass, Dr. Balderian finances the project with the students as industrial partners. But there’s a catch. After graduation the student must set up his or her own business instead of seeking employment.
Since becoming mayor of Tabontabon, Dr. Balderian has been successful in promoting environment and livelihood projects in Tabontabon. They have built 3 prototypes of bamboo cars that run on coconut biofuel. They also built bioreactors for use in the town’s solid waste management, including production of organic fertilizers. Others towns have bought their solid waste management equipment. Too, under Mayor Balderian’s leadership, the town has initiated livelihood projects such as making slippers, bags and bricks out of plastic waste and mushroom growing. Mayor Balderian did all these programs within the first couple of years of his term of office. Imagine…
Imagine if all these things he has done for the residents of Tabontabon, he will do for other towns. Well, it’s closer to reality than you think. He is running for the congressional seat of the 2nd district of Leyte. It could be an uphill battle since he’s running against the husband of the incumbent congresswoman, who between husband and wife has represented the 2nd district for the last 18 years.
I am convinced that after 18 years the people of the second district are ready for change. But not the kind of change that is merely promised, rather change that we’ve seen someone actually deliver. And Mayor Balderian has been there, done that, implementing change in the municipality of Tabontabon through his principal advocacy in education and livelihood programs.
However, the winds of change may not blow fairly for Dr. Balderian. He is running against a politically and financially well-entrenched veteran politician. But with the help of people who believe in him and what he has done, he has a good chance of winning.
Most overseas Filipinos may not have the means nor the aspiration to do what Dr. Balderian and other trailblazers did. But we can stand up and be counted by supporting people like Dr. Balderian. What can people abroad do to help? Well, you can buy votes for him without taking any money from your pockets. Let the money you send to family and relatives speak for your conviction. Tell your family and ask friends and relatives to vote for Toti Balderian for congressman. If other candidates try to buy their votes, tell them to take the money but vote for change. Vote for Toti Balderian. We all know what most of these traditional politicians who buy votes do once they are in office. Toti Balderian is not a traditional politician.
If you are in Facebook, become a fan of LOVE Balderian for Congress. Yes, love means never having to say you’re sorry. But here, LOVE means Leyteńos Overseas Vote to Elect Balderian for Congress.
Personally, I do not know Dr. Balderian. I have not met him nor spoken to him in person. We have exchanged one email correspondence that I initiated. I just know of him from what I’ve heard and read, of the good things he has done, both as a human being and as mayor of Tabontabon. And based on what I know, I can look my granddaughter in the eyes and say, Simone, there is a man by the name of Rustico Balderian who will never steal from anyone.
I’d like to share with you an interesting experience Dr. Balderian had while making the rounds of the barangays of Barugo. He said he enjoyed going around Barugo especially crossing the bridge to Barangay Balud from Barangay Minuhang (Baluarte Bridge). “I thought I could cross the foot bridge but after the third plank my legs wobbled because of the unsteady and narrow wooden plank. I had to go back and use a banca to cross the river. I told the barangay officials in Balud that I will never forget that wooden bridge. Deep inside me I wanted to tell them that I will make sure to fix that bridge once I get elected. But I did not say it because they might think that I was making a promise just to get their votes. I will just have to do it in case I get lucky,” says the very humble and unassuming businessman, doctor and mayor. Your typical, traditional politician would have quickly made that promise! But, as I said, Dr. Balderian is not a traditional politician.
He does not promise. He delivers!
And oh, I almost forgot to mention one other thing. There is another bridge you have to cross, Dr. Balderian. It has narrower, unsteady wooden planks and is more difficult to cross than the Baluarte Bridge. It is the bridge that will take you from Tabontabon to Congress.
But don’t you worry much. A lot of people believe in you and will help you cross that bridge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(1)“Doc shares blessings with Leyte youth” – Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 8, 2008
(2)Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) 2009 Board Exam Results, Top 20 Nursing Schools 2009 in the Philippines with 100 – 999 exam takers
Imagine if all these things he has done for the residents of Tabontabon, he will do for other towns. Well, it’s closer to reality than you think. He is running for the congressional seat of the 2nd district of Leyte. It could be an uphill battle since he’s running against the husband of the incumbent congresswoman, who between husband and wife has represented the 2nd district for the last 18 years.
I am convinced that after 18 years the people of the second district are ready for change. But not the kind of change that is merely promised, rather change that we’ve seen someone actually deliver. And Mayor Balderian has been there, done that, implementing change in the municipality of Tabontabon through his principal advocacy in education and livelihood programs.
However, the winds of change may not blow fairly for Dr. Balderian. He is running against a politically and financially well-entrenched veteran politician. But with the help of people who believe in him and what he has done, he has a good chance of winning.
Most overseas Filipinos may not have the means nor the aspiration to do what Dr. Balderian and other trailblazers did. But we can stand up and be counted by supporting people like Dr. Balderian. What can people abroad do to help? Well, you can buy votes for him without taking any money from your pockets. Let the money you send to family and relatives speak for your conviction. Tell your family and ask friends and relatives to vote for Toti Balderian for congressman. If other candidates try to buy their votes, tell them to take the money but vote for change. Vote for Toti Balderian. We all know what most of these traditional politicians who buy votes do once they are in office. Toti Balderian is not a traditional politician.
If you are in Facebook, become a fan of LOVE Balderian for Congress. Yes, love means never having to say you’re sorry. But here, LOVE means Leyteńos Overseas Vote to Elect Balderian for Congress.
Personally, I do not know Dr. Balderian. I have not met him nor spoken to him in person. We have exchanged one email correspondence that I initiated. I just know of him from what I’ve heard and read, of the good things he has done, both as a human being and as mayor of Tabontabon. And based on what I know, I can look my granddaughter in the eyes and say, Simone, there is a man by the name of Rustico Balderian who will never steal from anyone.
I’d like to share with you an interesting experience Dr. Balderian had while making the rounds of the barangays of Barugo. He said he enjoyed going around Barugo especially crossing the bridge to Barangay Balud from Barangay Minuhang (Baluarte Bridge). “I thought I could cross the foot bridge but after the third plank my legs wobbled because of the unsteady and narrow wooden plank. I had to go back and use a banca to cross the river. I told the barangay officials in Balud that I will never forget that wooden bridge. Deep inside me I wanted to tell them that I will make sure to fix that bridge once I get elected. But I did not say it because they might think that I was making a promise just to get their votes. I will just have to do it in case I get lucky,” says the very humble and unassuming businessman, doctor and mayor. Your typical, traditional politician would have quickly made that promise! But, as I said, Dr. Balderian is not a traditional politician.
He does not promise. He delivers!
And oh, I almost forgot to mention one other thing. There is another bridge you have to cross, Dr. Balderian. It has narrower, unsteady wooden planks and is more difficult to cross than the Baluarte Bridge. It is the bridge that will take you from Tabontabon to Congress.
But don’t you worry much. A lot of people believe in you and will help you cross that bridge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(1)“Doc shares blessings with Leyte youth” – Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 8, 2008
(2)Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) 2009 Board Exam Results, Top 20 Nursing Schools 2009 in the Philippines with 100 – 999 exam takers
hi,
ReplyDeletei came across your blog and read this posting...rusty was my boss when i managed his laboratory in l.a for almost a decade....he IS indeed a good man and it is sad that the 'trapos' won again this time...i am praying he will succeed next time...
j.lopez
Am totally blown away by the bamboo taxis of Tabontabon. How can I get in touch with Dr. Balderian? We're interested in bringing this Pinoy ingenuity to my hometown in Laguna.
ReplyDelete