Metro
CAGAYANLifestyle TIMES Weekly DE ORO
Volume 8 | No. 53 | Cagayan de Oro City | August 16-22, 2021
Manny Valdehuesa as a young man
Manny was the founder of the Gising Barangay Movement
The Life and Journeys of Mr. Kurakuted
Manuel E. Valdehuesa, Jr., 81
T
HE local hero who championed barangay governance reform as the key to solving the Philippines socio-economic woes, passed away on August 8, 2021 at the ripe old age of 81. Manuel “Manny” E. Valdehuesa, Jr. caught the nation’s imagination on May 2, 2010 in ABS-CBN/
Senate Election Poster
ANC “Harapan”, with Ted Failon: (2:46 of 3:56) when the host was interviewing the candidates of the
Katipiran Party. Known as “Mr. Barangay”, Manny explained how the people were getting "kurakuted" in their very own neighborhoods, particularly in Metro Manila, which has a high concentration of highlycapitalized barangays. This term which has become embedded in the nation’s lexicon also landed him in the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Valdehuesa said barangays are actually corporate entities that receive funding from public coffers. In Metro Manila alone, there are dozens of barangays that by law, receive public funds ranging the tens of millions. For example, Payatas and San Lorenzo receive upwards of P30 million annually. “Huge amounts for small communities, by any measure,” he noted. Manuel “Manny” E. Valdehuesa, Jr., was a native of Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. He completed his bachelor’s degree in sociology
Manny and GBM stalwarts Jun Chee Kee & the late Henry Abrillo meet Mambuaya Elementary School teachers and students during a GBM outreach in 2010. (RMB)
and English at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, was a fellow in development planning and leadership in Israel, and studied political science and an MBA at Ateneo de Manila University. He was also a professional scholar at Columbia University School of International Affairs in New York, and earned graduate certificates in economics at the Henry George School
of Social Science. Manny was a social justice advocate and political activist, serving many roles in public service, including director for Asia and the Pacific at UNESCO (1983 1985), director at the Development Academy of the Philippines (1975 - 1987), manager at the Philippine Center New York (1989 - 1998), and member of the Philippines
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Permanent Mission to the UN (1987 - 1992). For those who knew him professionally, many can attest to his kindness, infectious energy, and passion for his beliefs. For those who knew him personally, his warmth, bright smile, and challenge to think independently, were most memorable. As one friend put it, “when you were around him, MANNY/PAGE 7