by: Norberto Betita
Never did we know in high school that he has the genes of politicians and a family of prominence. We know that one Provincial Governor of Surigao was an Almeda, but never in our minds that a blood of prominence is running in his veins. Neither do we know that his family has a direct bloodline with former Governor Almeda. We just know him as a simple and unassuming young man.
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| Atty. Epifanio M. Almeda, CPA-Lawyer |
SNNHS ‘69er EPIFANIO M. ALMEDA is known as the small but terrible company commander of the high school PMT, abounding in talents and abilities. He is one of the trusted PMT Officers, a consistent best bet in tactical inspection contests. He is one student who is always found in the library, if not reading books he is at the newspaper corner reading the round by round details of boxing championship fights. He loves boxing although he has never been through it. He is one of the creams of the crop in our class.
Early in life, he learned the difference between trekking through a mud-covered field and soaring through the sky like a dove or an eagle. Such awareness motivated him to avoid the slippery paths on life’s highway and to make his every move sure to lift himself past the limits of his own standpoint and intellectual potential. He is a determined young man possessed with a brilliant mind.
His religiosity prompted him to count on all his achievements and blessings, and to remember those who supported him in his journey to the sumptuous table of success. Inspired by the words in James 1:27; "Pure Religion undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world," he desires to descend to the top, to succor the lonely and the weary travelers in life’s difficult and dreary road which he once trudge. I quote from his facebook account, ------ “Like the widow of Zarephath who offered her ‘handful of meal, and a little oil’ to the prophet Elijah in time of great famine, which she should have prepared for her and her son."
Impelled by his big heart and benevolent desire he established philanthropic and humanitarian projects which include: Project Child, to help children in need; Project Aged, to assist needy senior citizens; Project Legal Aid, to help those with legal concerns; and Project Great Commission. These were all formed as a token of his Christian virtue and love of God and fellowmen.
He is a family man with deep and abiding faith in God. He shares his belief in God without fear as with his lawyer counterpart in the New Testament, Paul the Apostle.
Early in life, he learned the difference between trekking through a mud-covered field and soaring through the sky like a dove or an eagle. Such awareness motivated him to avoid the slippery paths on life’s highway and to make his every move sure to lift himself past the limits of his own standpoint and intellectual potential. He is a determined young man possessed with a brilliant mind.
After high school he moved forward with steadfastness and
diligence enrolling an accountancy course at the Southwestern University in
Cebu City. He carried with him his interest as a PMT officer and so enrolled in
the advance ROTC Course. Many of his classmates thought that he would one day
be in the military. But after graduation from college he passed the board exams
and became a Certified Public Accountant. This initial academic success landed
him into a well-heeled banking career at the Philippine National Bank (PNB)
which during that time was the most hailed employer and which employment was
very difficult to attain. After just two years stint at PNB, he shifted employ
to another well-paying career at the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB). The
comforts provided by his financial profession made him forget his military
interest.
While stuck
in a banker’s stool---a career that always pays---he catches the vision of
becoming a lawyer and so enrolled in a law school. While on the way to becoming
a lawyer he rose from the ranks in the UCPB and became a bank manager. Along
the road to his most ambitious pursuit with his innate intellectual brilliance
and unheralded optimism on his backpack, he succeeded and earned the prominent
title of Attorney. After years of growth and progress, he eventually retired as
Vice President of UCPB.
He did find success notwithstanding the early voids of his life. In his long journey from high school through the steep, rough and uphill climb to victory he probably carried with him the motivation present in the words of Norman Vincent Peale: “Life denies itself to people who will not give their all to it. Success does not come to the hold-outs. The individual who achieves is the one who believes he can, and who throws himself into reaching his goals.” As in the poem penned by Jasmine Robert, “Soaring Through The Sky”, Epie as he is fondly called might have this youthful yearnings:
Indeed, he is now kind of a dove soaring up so high through the skies with a life beginning in penury now turned around to humble affluence and slight luxury.
I wish I were a Dove,
Flying through the sky.
No cares no worries,
Soaring up so high,
No one to keep me down,
No one to push me to the ground,
I think being a Dove would turn my life around.
Indeed, he is now kind of a dove soaring up so high through the skies with a life beginning in penury now turned around to humble affluence and slight luxury.
.
His love of sports remains evident by his interest in tennis and boxing. He played lawn tennis as a means to keep himself physically fit as may be shown by his athletic physical structure. As a boxing enthusiast, he is always found with friends in the boxing arena. His boxing interest was magnified by the thought of Paul's comparison of a boxer's diligence to that of of a Christian's fight to overcome and his declaration in 1 Corinthians 9:26 NKJV ...Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. He considers himself as a shadow boxer, "one who beats the air." He is an article contributor at philboxing.com. He is a licensed boxing judge and had been judging fights in Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. He had been a judge in one of Manny Pacquiao's fight at Taguig in 2004. He is now involve in humanitarian efforts to help boxers who are shortchanged by their managers and promoters. He wants to help reverse the prevailing condition wherein the boxers remain poor while the managers and promoters become rich.
His love of sports remains evident by his interest in tennis and boxing. He played lawn tennis as a means to keep himself physically fit as may be shown by his athletic physical structure. As a boxing enthusiast, he is always found with friends in the boxing arena. His boxing interest was magnified by the thought of Paul's comparison of a boxer's diligence to that of of a Christian's fight to overcome and his declaration in 1 Corinthians 9:26 NKJV ...Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. He considers himself as a shadow boxer, "one who beats the air." He is an article contributor at philboxing.com. He is a licensed boxing judge and had been judging fights in Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. He had been a judge in one of Manny Pacquiao's fight at Taguig in 2004. He is now involve in humanitarian efforts to help boxers who are shortchanged by their managers and promoters. He wants to help reverse the prevailing condition wherein the boxers remain poor while the managers and promoters become rich.
In humility,
however, he candidly expressed that he did not delight much or rejoice
abundantly on his scholastic, academic, and professional achievements; neither
from the little luxury that they bring into his life. Rather he glories and
rejoices from having been humbled to know God and what He is doing now in his
life and for all of us.
His religiosity prompted him to count on all his achievements and blessings, and to remember those who supported him in his journey to the sumptuous table of success. Inspired by the words in James 1:27; "Pure Religion undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world," he desires to descend to the top, to succor the lonely and the weary travelers in life’s difficult and dreary road which he once trudge. I quote from his facebook account, ------ “Like the widow of Zarephath who offered her ‘handful of meal, and a little oil’ to the prophet Elijah in time of great famine, which she should have prepared for her and her son."
Impelled by his big heart and benevolent desire he established philanthropic and humanitarian projects which include: Project Child, to help children in need; Project Aged, to assist needy senior citizens; Project Legal Aid, to help those with legal concerns; and Project Great Commission. These were all formed as a token of his Christian virtue and love of God and fellowmen.
He is a family man with deep and abiding faith in God. He shares his belief in God without fear as with his lawyer counterpart in the New Testament, Paul the Apostle.
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