Engr. Butch keeps moving forward

As the province of Bataan progresses, this man, with more than 30 years of public service, continues to progress in his life as well.

Engr. Alexander Baluyot, or Engr. Butch as many would call him, is the head of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). He lives with his wife Catalina and three children namely Alexis, Arvin, and Alexon in San Antonio Village, Tenejero, Balanga City.

He graduated in Tomas Pinpin Elementary School and Tomas del Rosario Academy before he took up his course in BS Civil Engineering in FEATI University in Manila.

Fast forward to becoming an engineer, he had his first job in Gregorio Parera Surveying Office as instrument man. After a year, he joined the government sector and started his public service. In 1984, he started as a development project assistant then project development analyst that turned into a supervising project development analyst that turned into an assistant department head that finally led to becoming a full-pledged department head.

While working, he took short courses in different countries like Australia, Japan, and Korea. He said that it helped him a lot in the performance of his duties and responsibilities as a department head specifically in rural and urban planning and local development planning. Aligned with the province’s mission and vision, he said that his office works on the total development plan of the province. “Yung office namin yung nag-eextend ng planning, monitoring, evaluation, assessment, preparation, and studies ng projects of the different departments under PGB as well as the LGUs,” he added.

When asked what he considers as his most significant accomplishment, he answered “lahat ng ginagawa namin significant, kasi hindi kami ang implementors ng projects, kami ang nag-coconsolidate ng lahat ng programs.” As the name of their office implies, they are indeed part of everything about planning and development of the province. Every step of each department automatically makes the PPDO included.

He also shared that the most fulfilling part of his job since he started is that he is one of the people who actually visualized and witnessed the transformation of the province. Suffice it to say, that he is part of Bataan history.

“Experience is the best knowledge,” he said when asked how his work influenced his life. “Na-experience ko yung sistema nung araw at ngayon. Based on the experiences that I’ve gained, nagagamit ko siya para mapabuti pa yung sistema sa pagtatrabaho at pamumuhay. From that experience, as you go along, nakikita mo yung kahalagahan ng experience na pinagdaanan mo na magagamit mo naman sa present and future. Meaning, yung experience natin, ma-aapply natin para magkaroon ng better present and the best future.”

We can tell that since he was young, he already experienced a lot. But the world still has more to offer to him. When he is not busy planning for the province, he uses his time planning for his next adventures.

Engr. Butch likes to travel, and he has already traveled a lot. He visited places here in the Philippines like Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and in other countries like China, Japan, and Vietnam. He travels for vacation and sometimes, for work as well.

 His principle in life is just simple: learn from the past to gain a better present and the best future. And I think that principle suits him well. We see, Engr. Butch isn’t the kind of man who lives a routinary life. He lives by principle, the same as the principle in planning and development – not monotonous, very challenging, away from the comfort zone, and continuously moving forward.

As the interview comes to an end, he gave me this advice: “You should never stop learning and you should be open sa lahat ng development na gusto mong mangyari. Dapat open-minded ka, at open for any kind of development para mas mag-progress pa yung sarili mo.”

And as we continue to see the province of Bataan rise to the top, we know that he will climb his way up there too. “I could say that I’m very proud that I contributed a lot in the development of the province because of the work na ginagawa ko sa araw-araw,” he concluded.

Engr. Butch, we at 1Bataan are very proud of you, too!