Republic of the Philippines

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

PROVINCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICE- ILOCOS NORTE
DENR Provincial Bldg., Giron St. Corner Castro Ave., Laoag City, Ilocos Norte 2900
Tel. No. (077) 770 3439 Telefax (077) 772-0254

MESSAGE OF THE PENR OFFICER

FORESTER VICTOR C. DABALOS

Salamat, Mabuhay! Program for SVMES Eugenio Santos

9AM, March 30, 2021

(Greetings); (Adlib: thank you for the kind words, congratulatory messages, etc.);

“Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at

living.”
While I was scribbling on my phone, nabasa ko ito and it made me
reflect so many contexts that I even thought of myself—paano kaya,
kapag ako na ang magre- retire; when my time comes to bid goodbye
to my work, the agency and my colleagues I worked with for decades;
and all the things I used to do in my daily routine as a “worker?”
Those thoughts have made me even gone thru a lot of discerning that I
even imagined so many things, to some extent that I could no longer
remember all of them, because I was all too excited to fulfil my “to-do-
list” when my time comes that I need to hang my gloves up.
Pero alam n’yo, it’s kind of tricky because there is always these “two
sides” that we have to deal with, particularly in this very kind of
occasion-- joyful on one side, while the other side may be a little sad.
Why?
Joyful because retiring is “unloading.” But, that again would unload
two things—first, happy, kasi wala nang masyadong hassle sa buhay
because you would be unpacked from office works and imagining
yourself waking up each day without fears or pressure that you must
fulfil a certain deadline. And yes, the word “deadline” alone, would
make you really feel dead, in a sense, aglalo no saan a nairengpas ti
trabaho—and yet, ther is this joyful feeling that you are finally free
from this kind of cycle!
On one side, there is also a feeling of sadness as we depart from our
usual routine. You know, waking up each day, going to the office, see
your colleague smile, or even frown sometime—and those other typical
things we usually do may just leave you a “post- partum” feeling.
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“Let’s go green”
Join the National Greening Program. Plant TREES.
penro_inorte@yahoo.com | www.r1.denr.gov.ph | www.denr.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
PROVINCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICE- ILOCOS NORTE
DENR Provincial Bldg., Giron St. Corner Castro Ave., Laoag City, Ilocos Norte 2900
Tel. No. (077) 770 3439 Telefax (077) 772-0254

Ngem ti panagkunak, Manong Eugene may not develop this kind of

feeling it’s because I know that he is prepared enough to “walk away
with a smile” being an accomplished man in the field of public service
and as a family man.
Ammoyo, Manong Eugene, as I fondly call him, and I have had a long
history of working connection even before he is our Supervising EMS
and eventually our Chief at the TSD, and I as your PENRO. Through
the years, I proudly say, and must vouch on his accomplishments as a
co- worker and I need not to elaborate all the contributions that he has
fairly done to our department.
His talents—which he has shaped for decades handling various
assignments, had made our shores at PENRO Ilocos Norte a promising
one, and specifically made good developments to our protected areas
and even on special projects that are equitably concerned with
environmental protection and sustainability.
Let alone indeed, a span of more than three decades of hard work could
not have been a gratifying rollercoaster journey if not shared with
beautiful people-- good friends and worthy foes, ups and downs, tears
and laughter, and further ‘sugar and spices’ to our daily lives that
define us as better persons.
Manong Eugene, I can never thank you enough and could not be
prouder at this very moment, simply because my heart is beaming with
triumph for a man like you who has given a big chunk of his life to the
department, to the people, and most especially to a beautiful family,
whom I know you have dedicated your victories.
Sa totoo lang, I have so much beautiful, funny, and even candid
memories to share but I would rather waive such great stories for our
honoree, so that he may have all the ample time to rekindle priceless
recollections for us to indvidually appreciate.
From the bottom of my heart, I say “salamat at mabuhay— and cheers
to the Chief, the Montero, the Family Man, my Manong—Eugenio
Santos!
Naimbag nga aldaw tayo amin!
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Page

“Let’s go green”
Join the National Greening Program. Plant TREES.
penro_inorte@yahoo.com | www.r1.denr.gov.ph | www.denr.gov.ph