Mayor Lim addressed Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals during the regular membership meeting of the Anvil Business Club on July 19 held at Café Carrera Restaurant, PGA cars building in Mandaluyong City.

Lim encouraged the Filipino-Chinese members of Anvil to “keep in mind that the ground we stand on today provided us the opportunity to reach a modicum of success in our respective fields. It is now time to give back to the country that has given us a home.”

He said that today’s generation of Filipino-Chinese is not in the Philippines to seek greener pastures as their forefathers, but they were born here. This is their country, this is their home.

“Thus, the responsibility of today’s Filipino-Chinese is much greater that it was years ago, especially now that our country is facing grave political and economic uncertainties,” he underscored.

Lim urged the Filipino-Chinese to participate in nation building because it is only through it that earns them the right to demand better governance from the politicians.

He, however, stressed that the greatest challenge is for the Filipino-Chinese individuals to become true frontline leaders of the nation, beyond their comfort zones.

“And when I speak of leaders, I speak not only of becoming leaders in the field of business and commerce but becoming leaders in our respective communities, barangays, towns, cities and provinces - leaders in our respective advocacies, such as human rights, crime-prevention, social welfare, and education, among others,” he pointed out.

He emphasized that as Tsinoys, their strengths are not limited to their keen business sense and dynamic entrepreneurial spirit.

Noting that there are Tsinoys now in the government, he pointed out that this is the new generation of leadership that must be fostered. On an individual level, they must go beyond their self-centered concerns, and take a keener and genuine interest in the future of the country.

As parents, he said, it is their duty not only to inculcate upon their children the value of hard work, frugality, and entrepreneurship, which are hallmarks of Chinese culture, but also encourage them to take a greater stake in the country.

Officers and members of Anvil, led by Wilson Lee Flores, president, and George Siy, chairman, congratulated Mayor Lim for winning one of the Dr. Jose Rizal Awards for Public Service conferred by The Manila Times.

The Anvil Business Club is an organization of young Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals committed to promote entrepreneurial courage, professional excellence, Confucian values and civic consciousness. (Sunshine D. Robles)

Mayor Lim extended his congratulations to the two universities in the city for producing top board passers in the recent Nursing Licensure Examination given in June 2005.

“I commend the University of Pangasinan and Lyceum Northwestern University for upholding the sterling quality of education in their respective institutions as proven in the recent nursing board test results,” Lim said.

He extolled the administration and the faculty staffs of the two universities led by UPang’s chairman Cesar Duque and president Catalino Rivera, and LNU’s president Gonzalo Duque for steering academic excellence in their respective universities.

Lim added that the board result reaffirms the status of Dagupan as the education center of the North with institutions that offer high quality education.

UPang nursing graduate Gringo de Guzman San Diego topped the board exam while his classmate Felipe Sotelo placed 8th in the top ten honor roll. Upang’s total board passers was 162.

LNU’s Razzle Abalos and Benedict Mayo tied for 8th place (with UPang’s Sotelo), while Melody Aquino was 9th placer. The university produced 236 nursing board passers.

The mayor is also happy to note that children of some city hall employees hurdled the licensure examination. They are: Leandro Bagtas, Jr. (UPang), son of Leonardo Bagtas, city assessor’s office and Carolina Bagtas, sangguniang panlungsod; Mark Anthony Serrano (LNU), son of Violeta Serrano, city health office; Juan Carlos Pacheco (Upang), son of Carmencita Pacheco, city health office; Deilhmarc Kennedy Carbonell (Upang), son of city health officer Dr. Leonard Carbonell; Mariano Bito Fulgencio (University of Luzon), son of Ronald Fulgencio, SP; and Ginalyn Venus Ubando Ariola (UPang), daughter of population officer Amado Ariola.

Julienne Carla Cardinoza, daughter of former SP executive now Aksyon Radyo station manager Ging Cardinoza, also passed the board exam.

“All board passers deserve our admiration and commendation as it requires focus and diligence to be successful in such endeavor,” Lim concluded. (Sunshine D. Robles)