The makings of a Bagong Bayani

For Eli M. Arago, knowing what you want and finding the right way to get there is one of life’s essentials. With this instilled in his mind since the tender age of seven, he knew he can never go wrong.

Rising from among the lowest corporate positions, Mr. Arago is now bound for the Philippines to accept one of the country’s most prestigious awards conferred to outstanding overseas Filipino workers by no more less the country’s president.

Along with nine other equally-outstanding countrymen, Mr. Arago was chosen from among the seven million Filipino contract workers deployed throughout the world to receive the Philippines’ Bagong Bayani (New Hero) Award.

He will receive the award from President Joseph E. Estrada during a special ceremonies at the Philippines’ seat of power — Malacanang Palace — on June 7, 2000, officially known as the Migrant Workers’ Day.

Having been publicly recognized was not a part of Mr. Arago’s dreams. It merely comes in a form of an additional incentive for all his hardwork and dedication at reaching his goals from the time he was helping in the family farm to the time he was marching off the stage with a college degree in accountancy.

He recalls complementing his determination with hardwork and perseverance during the course of his studies from the public grade and high schools in Batangas to the University of the East where he graduated Cum Laude in 1972.

Mr. Arago is a fanatic believer in the value of education to an individual’s journey toward success. This belief drove him to pursue higher education which brought him to the Ateneo de Manila University’s College of Laws where he completed his first year in 1977.

He literally sliced his time between a budding career in accountancy at the government-controlled Philippine National Bank and his efforts to quench his thirst for knowledge at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Starting as a clerical aide, Mr. Arago ended his nine-year affiliation with the Philippine National Bank as the Account Division’s assistant manager.

In 1986, his longing for professional growth brought him to Saipan for an accounting job at the Tan Holdings Corporation. Mr. Arago is one of the pioneering Filipino contract workers on the island.

Bringing with him an extensive experience in management and financial accounting, Mr. Arago slowly stepped the corporate ladder from assistant operations manager to comptroller, which gives him the opportunity to work with Tan Holdings’ top executives.

With his hardwork and reliable performance, Mr. Arago became an integral part of Tan Holdings, sitting as a member of the board of director, secretary and treasurer of its various affiliates and subsidiaries.

He had been assigned to work on short-term assignments in the company’s affiliate companies in the Federated States of Micronesia, China, Hong Kong, the United States and the Philippines.

Despite his unwavering success in his profession, Mr. Arago remains to be a samaritan that he is, as he has been a popular benefactor of all Filipino organizations in the Northern Marianas.

He also organizes activities for his fellow Filipino workers in the Northern Marianas, making himself an outstanding example not only to his co-workers at Tan Holdings but to the rest of 20,000 Filipino workers in the CNMI.

From his humble beginning in their little town of Mabini, Batangas to his constant reaping of success in his chosen field, Mr. Arago’s belief in the power of determination, perseverance and knowing what you want has obviously paid off.