DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 08 December) – An educator, doctor, and cacao entrepreneur are this year’s Leaders and Achievers of Davao (LEAD Davao) awardees, the sixth batch of what is now an annual undertaking initiated by the Junior Chamber International Senate Davao (JCI Senate Davao).
This year’s LEAD awardees, honored at the awards rites in Marco Polo hotel on Deember 1, are Dr. Ronnie Amorado for Leadership Education, Dr. Luz Acosta-Barrientos for Medicine, and Valente Turtur for Agribusiness .
LEAD 2019 awardees Dr. Ronnie V. Amorado, Dr. Luz Acosta-Barrientos and Mr. Valente Turtur with JCI Sen. Adriano Po (L), JCI Sen. Luciano Frederick Puyod III, Davao Jaycee Senate 2019 President (second from right) and JCI Sen. Manuel Orig (extreme right). Contributed photo
LEAD Davao recognizes outstanding Dabawenyo leaders and achievers, 40 years old and above, who best exemplify the JCI Creed of faith in God, brotherhood among men, economic justice through free enterprise, government of laws, human personality, and service to humanity.
The award is given to Dabawenyos who have made outstanding contributions to the development and growth of Davao City and have brought pride and honor to the city by excelling in their business, professions, or advocacies.
Amorado, Senior Vice President at the University of Mindanao, is a professor, researcher, blogger, and author of 12 books, the latest of which is “Peripatetic: Practical Lessons on Leadership,” launched on September 14.
He finished AB Sociology at the Ateneo de Davao University in 1990, Master of Management, major in Development Management at the University of the Philippines Los Banos in 1994, and Doctor of Philosophy major in Development Studies at the Ateneo de Davao.
Amorado has also been teaching and advocating ethical leadership and leadership integrity. He was National Coordinator of the anti-corruption movement, Ehem, from 2002 to 2012, promoting integrity development movements in various government agencies and has been invited to speak in various international seminars on anti-corruption programs. He continues to coach Ehem.
He has also attended the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University in New York to earn a Post Doctorate in Leadership and Citizenship Studies thru a Hubert H. Humphfrey Fellowship. He also has a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Leadership Certificate from the American Management Association Inc.
As an author and researcher, he has been recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology for the Outstanding Book Award in 2012; was awarded as Most Published Faculty by Ateneo de Davao in 2012; Distinguished World Book Award, Best Asian Book for Teaching Research in 2015; and Golden Harvest Award in 2016.
Amorado writes his insights and analysis in his own blog, www.cyberron.blogspot.com
He was nominated by the House of Lord Anthony.
Dr. A
costa-Barrientos finished BS Biology at the Ateneo de Davao University and Medicine at the Davao Medical School Foundation.
An ophthalmologist, oculoplastic reconstructive surgeon, cosmetic surgeon and a stem cell transplant specialist, she was number 8 in the 1994 Philippine Board of Opthalmology and topped the 2014 Philippine Board of Cosmetic Surgery and is active in medical and other civic organizations.
Her clinic offers free eye surgical services to indigent patients, specifically cataract patients. She is also known for extending help to indigent patients from far-flung provinces and their accompanying family members who need to stay overnight.
Dr. Acosta-Barrientos was nominated by the Mindanao Technical-Vocational Association and the Joji Ilagan Foundation Inc.
Valente Turtur finished his BS Commerce, major in Accounting at the Rizal Memorial Colleges, Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Davao University, and Masters in Tourism from James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
He attended a Fellowship on International Business Skills for the Mindanao Agribusiness Sector at the Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane.
Turtur is active in the agribusiness sector, particularly in the cacao and vegetable industry.
He is chair of the Philippine Cacao Industry Council; President, Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc. (CIDAMI); President, Davao Region Farm Tourism Association; co-chair, Economic Development Committee, RDC-XI; chair of the Agribusiness Committee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and industry Inc.; and convenor of the Mindanao Agribusiness Council
Val has actively promoted cacao farming in the Davao Region and throughout the country to spur economic growth in the countryside. He helped promote value adding system in agriculture by encouraging processing of cacao beans into chocolate. This initiative has helped farmers increase their income, some even winning international awards, and helped Davao City be known as the Chocolate Capital.
He initiated the Mindanao Cacao Agro-forestry for resilience and Economic Sustainability or MINCARES, which was implemented in Paquibato District, Davao City to conserve the forest in the area, and organized the Regional and Provincial Cacao Councils throughout the country, making cacao the only agriculture commodity with regional and provincial councils in each region.
He also initiated the crafting of the Philippine Cacao Roadmap, the first commodity roadmap singed by the Secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry in Malacanang Palace.
The KVT Farm which he operates has been accredited by the Agriculture Training Institute as a Learning Site for cacao production, and is certified by the City Tourism Office as a farm tourism site. It provides training services to cacao farming investors as well as farm tourism sites for tours, benchmarking, and learning experiences.
Turtur was nominated by the Bureau of Plant Industry.
Launched in 2003
LEAD was launched in 2003 and was revived in 2015 as an annual event.
The 2003 awardees were Carolyn Arguillas for Journalism, Joey Ayala for Arts and Music, Joji Ilagan-Bian for Business and Education, Margarita Moran-Floirendo for Community Service and Antonio Uy for Civic Service.
In 2015, the LEAD awardees were Dionisio Abude for Government Service, Lourdes Carmen Locsin for Arts, Dr. Leopoldo Vega for Medicine; in 2016, Alex Buenaventura for Development Banking, Perla Kwan for Education and Protacio Tacandong for Professional Service; in 2017, Mary Anne Montemayor for Tourism, Charita Puentespina for Agribusiness and Guillermo Torres, Jr. for Education; and in 2018, Ireneo Dalayon for Agribusiness, Gina Marie Espejo for Business for Health and Wellness and Dennis Uy for Business Entrepreneurship and Management.
LEAD 2019 awardees Dr. Ronnie V. Amorado, Dr. Luz Acosta-Barrientos and Mr. Valente Turtur (2nd, 3rd and 4th from left) are flanked by Art Milan, chair of the Board of Judges, JCI Sen. Adriano Po, Ireneo Dulayo, JCI Sen. Luciano Frederick Puyod III, Davao Jaycee Senate 2019 President , JCI Sen. Manuel Orig and Dr. Lyndon Roble. Dulayon and Roble are members of the Board of Judges. Contributed photo
The inaugural search in 2003 was led by project chair Nilo Claudio and then JCI Senate Davao President Manuel Orig, founder of LEAD.
“Through the years, LEAD has established a high sense of integrity due to the strong support of our board of judges and sponsors,” Orig said.
“This is the 6th year of the LEAD Awards, and we look forward to sharing the story of a new breed of leaders, ” Luciano Frederick Puyod III, 2019 President of JCI Senate Davao, said.
Angel Puentespina, Secretary of the Davao Jaycee Senate Foundation, said the awards-giving project should continue because past and present awardees “journeyed and made efforts to improve the community.”
Adriano Po Jr., project chair of LEAD Davao 2019 said they hope to inspire the Dabawenyo youth through the LEAD Awards.
“There is no need to look far for role models or heroes, because as it is, they are just here in our city,” he said.
This year’s search for LEAD awardees was supported by Aboitiz Power, Davao Jaycee Senate Foundation, Apo Agua, Conching’s Native Chicken, Cooper Power, Davao Light & Power Company, Vibal Publishing, and Therma South Inc. (MindaNews)
