BY BELINDA SALES
THE THIRD son of a dedicated public servant-father, the late Dr. Eutiquio Mendez Bernales Sr., who ministered to the health needs of Ubay residents and constituents as a doctor in his private capacity, and as a municipal mayor of Ubay for three terms, Eutiquio ‘Borly’ Apostol Bernales Jr., served the Social Security System (SSS)-Bohol Branch, for thirty years before his retirement on October 2, 2024.
Career Path
Before joining the SSS, he worked with SM and Ayala Projects in Cebu City as an Applications Engineer from 1993-1994, fresh from his graduation and obtaining his Electronics and Communication Engineer’s license. He should have joined the power industry after taking the entrance exam in 1994 at the National Power Corporation-Mindanao Regional Center in Iligan City which would have taken him to General Santos City to work in one of the power barges moored in General Santos City in that decade, however, divine providence intervened. An opening at SSS-Ubay paved the way for his joining the state-run, social insurance program of the Philippines serving workers in the private, professional, and informal sectors in August 1995. He was detailed at the SSS office in Tagbilaran City.
From August 1995 until his optional retirement effective October 2, 2024, he served as frontline personnel (August 1995-1997); office and field personnel (1997-1999); Accounts Officer/Junior Data Encoder (1999-2003); Junior Analyst (2003-2009); Senior Analyst (2009-2016); and Social Security Officer III from 2016 up to October 2, 2024.
Having served the government for thirty solid years brought him a sense of fulfillment, enabling him to assist his fellow Boholanos in their most dire needs since SSS “provides meaningful protection to members and their families against the hazards of disability, sickness, maternity, old age, death, and other contingencies resulting in loss of income or financial burden.”
“Thirty years of work for the SSS were deeply satisfying because it enabled me to help many people, especially my fellow Boholanos; I served the government; and I became an instrument of the government to serve others,” says Borly. “Moreover, my professional growth was assured by SSS through staff development and training and the excellent performance of my duties,” he added.
Parents and Siblings
Borly’s father, Dr. Eutiquio Mendez Bernales Sr., a pure Ubayanon, served as Mayor of Ubay for twenty-three years: 1979-1986, first as officer-in-charge in 1979; elected in 1980-1986; elected in 1992-1998; and elected once more in 2004-2013.
While the older Bernales rendered service to the community as a doctor and as a town chief executive, Borly’s mother, Felrem Ty Apostol, kept and managed the home front.
Borly is the third of four siblings with Eudrofel Bernales, an entrepreneur, the eldest, based in Ubay, Bohol; Feliciano Bernales, the second, a former priest (1995-2005); and Atty. Dexter Bernales, the youngest, a Provincial Prosecutor of the Department of Justice, Province of Bohol.
“My father has always been an inspiration and a formidable figure to me. His dedication to public service and his love for the Ubayanon was realized through his medical practice which did not charge a single penny for all the consultations he did from 1963 up to 2021, and even up to the end, when he worked as a physician at San Pascual Rural Health Unit at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking his life, and succumbing to the dreaded disease on November 17, 2021. That is his brand of public service,” declares Borly.
Education
Borly completed his Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering at the University of San Carlos in Talamban, Cebu City; his secondary education at Holy Child Academy in Poblacion, Ubay, Bohol where he graduated First Honorable Mention; and his elementary education at Ubay Central Elementary School graduating as Valedictorian. He can sing and dance and play the guitar and drums. He is a passionate lover of the arts.
Family Life
Married to entrepreneur and financial advisor Mafay Datahan of Poblacion, Sierra Bullones, with whom he has five kids, namely, Angienynn, 24, a Physical Therapist, Registered, Philippines; Jeff Anthony, 23, a Computer Engineer; Shaina, 21, a Management Accounting student; Bea Mae, 19, a Radiation Technology Student; and Kirsten Maye, 17, Grade 12, he proudly shares that his government work together with the entrepreneurial skills of Mafay, has enabled him to meet the basic needs of his family and send his children to school.
Leadership Aspirations in Ubay
“As I enter the prime of my professional life, while still healthy, able, and more importantly, sharpened by experience and considerable exposure, I have decided in consultation with my family, to redirect my energy and concentration, and render service to my fellow Ubayanons,” Borly stressed. “We declare our passion, resolve, and commitment in seeking our beloved Ubay’s fullest potential and highest aspirations but in the process, steadfast to listening to the resonant voices of the community via consultations, and in all these engagements and exchanges with the constituency, we will move forward with carefully-studied, thoroughly-discussed, and responsive plans and programs, and well-designed and environment-friendly projects that adhere to public accountability, government transparency, due diligence in public transactions, and the principles of good governance,” he emphasized.
In ending, Borly believes that the journey towards another phase and sphere of public service will be an easy transition since he is backed by thirty years of track record as a civil servant in a government institution, and equally-important, an embedded public service mindset derived from his father’s career as a public servant.
He believes that at any given point, as Abraham Lincoln wisely said, “I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” “There will come a point when we cross the Rubicon,” Borly concluded.
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The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m. at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. X @ShilohRuthie./PN
