Gacutan Family honored during the regional awarding ceremonies at Heritage Hotel, Pasay City.
“Ang point ko palagi even wala sa politics, will do the same, especially local official, maso solve mo lahat ng social problems like poverty, crime, pag binigyan mo ng employment ang tao. If you look at progressive and advance countries like Europe, very low ang crime rate nila, because everybody is employed. Day time wala kang makikitang istambay…makikita mo lang pag uwian between 6 to 7pm crowded lahat ng harap ng bahay. 9pm tahimik na dahil pagod na. If we can start it in barangay, aakyat yan. Kung ganuon lahat ang gagawin, sa town maso-solve mo… pag lahat ng town ganun din…connected na yan, then national na,” theorizes the captain. (Loosely translated, jobs will solve social problems. In progressive countries, crime rate is very low because people have jobs. When they go home from work, they are too tired already. We can start in our villages, then towns and then the nation already.) However, wife Rosemarie is on her second term as Barangay Chairman of Barangay Ketegan, a consistent Model Barangay in the whole of Pangasinan province. Rosemarie is a nurse by profession and plans for the investments of the family. Gacutan spearheads multipurpose cooperatives in their village, particularly boneless bangus production and other cottage industries. He provides start-
up capital or seed money instead of frustrating the venturers when funding is not available. He has provided livelihood opportunities to hundreds in their community. In 1990, the Gacutan family started MaeAnn Tailor Shop supplying seamen uniform. It expanded in 2004 with the opening of “MaeKrisAnne Commercial Center” in Pangasinan. Herein operates, too, their bakeshop, poultry and agricultural supply and water refilling station. They own the “MaeKrisAnne Garden Resort”, substantial real estate investments in six provinces and rentals of agricultural equipment like tractors, backhoe and threshers. The family regularly conducts outreach programs and dental missions and donate school equipment and furniture in Ketegan Elementary School. They have generously contributed for the building of chapel, daycare center, nursery, senior citizen’s office, streetlights and temporary shelter for homeless families. Poor but deserving students who dream to be seafarers are assisted by the Gacutan Foundation with scholarship grants annually.
Good provider. Gacutan provides well for his family,
giving the best education to his children to be better prepared for the future. Sherrie Mae, the eldest, is a Nursing graduate from Far Eastern University and now a senior staff nurse in Medical City in Pasig. Second child Debbie Anne holds a BSBA, major in Entrepreneurship and a masters candidate at the International Business Hult University in Shanghai, China. Kristopher, the youngest, is a graduating student at the De La Salle University, Manila for a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. The kid is a consistent Dean’s Lister. Being the eldest child of parents in government, Manolo helped his parents in providing education to his sister who is now a doctor. His two brothers finished law and engineering, respectively, but took on to seafaring as a profession. Volunteer. Capt. Gacutan also shares his expertise voluntarily. He is presently a technical consultant of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Maritime Training Council (MTC). He also pays back to his Alma Mater serving as a director of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association (PMMAAAI). JANUARY 2012
FUSION OF MARITIME NE WS & VIE WS
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