Nothing is Impossible with Determination
November 29, 2014
Hard working. A self-made man who belonged to a family of farmers in Pampanga who rose from poverty to the realms of achievements is the City’s Administrator.
He is Atty. Carlos M. Canilao. He was a consistent honor student from his elementary to his college. He was an honor pupil at the Mabini Elementary school in 1958; an honor student, leadership medalist, a one year educational tour to Europe between 1962 and 1963 awardee; and a Catholic Youth Organization/CHIRO Philippines at the FIMCAP convention in Rome representative in April 1962; a cum laude in Bachelor or Arts and Bachelor of Science in Education (AB-BSE) at the Saint Louis University in 1967; a cum laude in Master of Arts in English and Literature at the Saint Louis University in 1972; and a BAR exams passer with a grade of 81.87% in Bachelor of Laws at the Baguio Colleges Foundation, now the University of the Cordilleras. He has one distinguished service award; 12 military merits awards; eight military commendation awards; 36 letters of commendation; 14 certificates and plaques of appreciation; and a UC-BCF alumni award of distinction.
“My family in Pampanga could not send me to school so I came here to Baguio and resided at my auntie’s house named Segundo Guevara whose mother was a Canilao. During my high school and my college years at Saint Louis University, I had to have maintained my academic performance for my scholarship to be retained. As a young student, I joined the Catholic Youth movement. I read lots of literature and discovered new insights form them. They have these imaginative qualities. The poet Percy Beshey Shelley has with me her poem which says poets are the unacknowledged legislators of mankind. Poets don’t talk but they write their feelings on their poems which are now the basis of the legislators themselves by them reordering reality, they come up with new reality that non-artist cannot say. They rearrange visions through new fiction. And why lawyer? Because there are lawyers in the family and it was a dream of my father to have a son who is a lawyer.
Atty. and City Administrator Canilao was an attendee of the following important short courses, seminars, and conferences: General Assembly of ASEAN Law Association at PICC Manila on November 24-29, 1990; Internal Control Systems and Evaluation at COA Education Center, Quezon City on April 02-13, 1984; Specialized English Course distinguished graduate at Defense Language Institute English Language Center at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, USA in July- August, 1985; Academic Instructor Course at Maxwell Airforce Base of Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, USA in September-October, 1985; Instructional Systems Designer Course at the Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita, Texas, USA in October-November, 1985; Human Rights and International Law Advocacy Course at AFPGSC, Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila on July 23-29, 1991; Strategic Studies Modules at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia in FEbr4uary-March, 1992; Command and General Staff Course on Fort Bonifacio, Makati City in 1993; XVI Conference of Law of the World at PICC Manila on October 24-29, 1993; Management of Higher Education institute at the Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija on January 10-14 1994; First National Convention on Higher Education Institute at Manila Midtown Hotel on May 22-23, 1995; First international Seminar for Military Science in Yokosuka, Japan where he presented a paper on International Law and PMA Cadet Education on October 24-28, 1996; 27th Study Session on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Strasbourg, France; Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) on Annapolis, Maryland, USA on April 13-16, 1998; 30th Study Session on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Strasbourg, France where he was a lecturer at the 27th Training Session for University Teaching and Research on Human Rights on July 5-29, 1999; and Seminar on International Law for University Professors at UP, Diliman, Quezon City that was sponsored by the UP Institute of International Legal Studies and the International Committee of the Red Cross on )October 24-28, 2000.
Prior to Atty. Canilao’s assuming the post as a City Administrator, he was a teacher and freshmen adviser at the Saint Louis University Boys High School from 1967 to 1969; an instructor of English and Literature at Maryhurst Collegiate Seminary from 1970 to 1977; a college of law professor at the University of Baguio from 2005 to 2008; a professor from 1982 to 2004, Secretary from 1983 to 1988, Registrar from 1983 to 1988, Assistant Chief of staff from 1992 to 1993, Chief of Staff from 1996 to 1999, Executive Officer from 1999 to 2001, Deputy Head from 2001 to 2003, Assistant Dean from 2002 to 2003, Head in 2004, and a Military Professor and Administrator from 1982 to 2004 at the Philippine Military Academy at Fort del Pilar, Baguio City; and as a Director at the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal under the Office of Congressman Mauricio Domogan from 2004 to 2010.
“My stay with the Philippine Military Academy for 27 years was challenging. I was still a civilian lawyer for three years when I went to have a lecture for the cadets at the Academy. The dean of the Academy told me that they needed me as a corps professor in the field of laws covering criminology, military, and human rights, among others and so after weighing for a semester, I joined them,” says Atty. Canilao.
In 2004, he resigned himself from the Philippine Military Academy. The then Congressman Domogan, invited him as one of his dstaffs at the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal as a Director for six years.
In 2010, he was the campaign manager of Mayor Domogan and was designated as the City Administrator. “It was much bigger job compared when I was with PMA because I was only catering to 5000 people of the institution but as the administrator, I am catering to more than 600,000 people in the City with different backgrounds but I enjoy it, it’s a bonus job he says. As the City administrator, he is in-charge of anti-squatting and market task force chairman.
He is a part time law professor at the University of the Cordilleras from 1979 to the present. He plays golf, does mountain climbing, and swimming. He loves fish in sinigang and pakbet of his wife, Mrs. Narcisa P. Canilao. “I also eat anything that flies but not anything that is four legged,” he says. They have three children namely: Michael Armand- an instructor in Archaeological Studies Program at UP Diliman; Ceres Marie- a student of Master in Arts Studies at UP-Diliman; and Juan Carlos- a college student at the University of the Cordilleras.
Born on April 07, 1944 in Masantol, Pampanga, Atty. Canilao has been residing in Baguio City since 1958. “I have offers in Manila with higher fees but it would cost me the same amount in the payment of housing, transportation, and food. Besides, I don’t want to die from so much pollution, he says. It is about consciousness of responsibilities to our community and my family that prompted me to have accepted this job, he added. By: Ezequiel D. Banas-e for The Junction Newspaper
