Neil Andrew Nocon

05/10/2026

REMEMBERING PRIME MINISTER VIRATA

Sa direktiba ni Mayor Neil Andrew N. Nocon, inilagay sa half-mast ang Pambansang Watawat sa Pamahalaang Bayan ng Los Baños ngayong Lunes, Oktubre 5, 2026, bilang pagpupugay sa yumaong dating Prime Minister Cesar E.A. Virata alinsunod sa Republic Act No. 8491 (Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines).

Higit sa pagiging pambansang lider at dating Dekano ng University of the Philippines College of Business Administration na tumulong magtatag ng programang Agribusiness sa bayan, may malalim at personal na ugnayan si PM Virata kay Mayor Neil.

Magkasama silang nagsulong ng mga proyektong pangkasaysayan, tulad ng Philippine Flag Poster Series na ipinamahagi sa mga paaralan upang linangin ang pagmamahal sa bayan ng kabataan.

Taos-pusong nakikiramay ang buong Los Baños sa pamilya at mga naulila ni PM Virata. Ang kanyang talino, integridad, at pagmamahal sa bayan ay mananatiling inspirasyon sa ating pamayanan.

03/10/2026

The barangay is our first line of defense against local challenges, from disaster response and public safety to community health and social delivery. Dito unang nararamdaman ng bawat mamamayan ang serbisyo ng gobyerno.

03/10/2026

"HOW YOU TEACH THE YOUNG..."

Mabuhay ang ating mga g**o!

Education is the foundation upon which a society's future is built. Teachers bear the noble task of molding the minds and character of the young who will become tomorrow's leaders. As one Filipino statesman noted, "How you teach the young determines the kind of people we shall have. And the kind of people we have, in turn, determines the kind of government we deserve." This echoes Dr. Jose Rizal’s poignant words, "Tal pueblo, tal gobierno"—as the people are, so their government will be!

Grounding this vision in concrete support for our local educators, the Municipality of Los Baños hosted Ugnayan: Serbisyong Diretso sa Tao last October 2, 2026, at the CPP Memorial Stadium and Evacuation Center.

Led by Hon. Mayor Neil Andrew N. Nocon, along with Hon. Aldous Amiel Perez, Hon. Jay Rolusta, DepEd Schools District Supervisor Dr. Soledad Villanueva, MPDC Ms. Twila Torres, MNAO Ms. Madeleine Alforja, OIC-LYDO Ms. Revilyn Perez, and municipal department staff, the event brought essential services and heartfelt recognition directly to our dedicated teachers.

To all our educators who continue to serve as the light of Los Baños: Happy National Teachers’ Month! Abante po tayo!

02/10/2026

𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐀𝐑 𝐄.𝐀. 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐀:
𝐀 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐑

"Nakatulong ba 'yung flag posters na project natin?"

It is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to Prime Minister Cesar E. A. Virata -- a prominent statesman and a dear personal friend and mentor, who passed away today, October 2, 2026.

It brings me comfort to know that before today, he saw to fruition our joint project on the Philippine Flag poster series, which was successfully printed and distributed to schools and institutions all over the country. These NHCP-approved posters honor the legacy and contributions of his grandfather, Emilio Aguinaldo (the first President of the Philippine Republic) and our nation’s enduring symbols.

In his introduction for the project, he noted how the flag was inspired by Masonic symbols. Prime Minister Virata entered the craft alongside former Vice President Salvador "Doy" Laurel and was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason at the Jacobo Zobel Masonic Lodge 202 in Makati City. He was later conferred the title of Honorary Deputy District Grand Master by the Grand Lodge of the Philippines.

Our working relationship began in 1993 at the National Centennial Commission (NCC), where he served as Vice-Chairman. In August 2008, while serving as Laguna Board Member, I invited him to speak at the Liberation of Laguna commemorative event in Santa Cruz—marking the date in 1898 when the Spanish garrison surrendered to the forces of Gen. Paciano Rizal, who had been appointed Military Governor of the province by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

Over the years, together with former National Library and NHCP Director Serafin Quiason and Prof. Rey Gregorio, we would visit him at his executive office at the RCBC Plaza in Makati to discuss history and national affairs. He was a workaholic to the end. I remember missing him at the funeral mass for the late Sonia Narvas Quiason at the UP Chapel in Diliman two years ago for he had to rush straight to a meeting back at his office.

Then I had the honor of inviting him once more, along with members of the Aguinaldo family, to serve as a lecturer for a symposium on the "Legacy and Relevance of President Emilio Aguinaldo" at UP Los Baños under the Upsilon Sigma Phi's Presidential Lecture Series. (His father, by the way, was a fellow Upsilonian and joined the brotherhood in the 1920s.)

He was also instrumental in establishing the Agribusiness program at UPLB during his tenure as UP Diliman's Dean of Business Administration, which is why Los Baños had always a special place in his heart.

On a personal note, I still remember receiving a call from him when I won as Mayor in May of 2025. His resounding words went:

“𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑙! 𝑁𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑘𝑎 𝑛𝑎 𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑜𝑟. 𝑁𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎 '𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝐹𝑙𝑎𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑛𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛? 𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑜𝑠 𝐵𝑎𝑛̃𝑜𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑀 𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑛. 𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑚𝑎-𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑜.”

Our last convo did not last long but I ended it with a promise to deliver additional copies to his office for distribution to schools and members of the Cavite Historical Society.

Our ties run deep across generations. My father, a former Mayor of Los Baños, became close with him during his Assemblyman and Prime Minister days in the 1980s. In April 2019, in fact, he willingly served as Ninong for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

God bless you, Prime. Your legacy of service, wisdom, and patriotism will live on.

Mayor Neil Andrew N. Nocon
2 October 2026
Santa Fe Subd., Los Baños

02/10/2026

"Where there is no vision, the people perish," so says the Good Book.

Warmest congratulations to the new officers of the Liga ng mga Barangay ng Los Baños! I look forward to leading our town together with pristine vision, integrity, and dedicated service to every Los Bañense. ABANTE!

— Mayor Neil Andrew N. Nocon

01/10/2026

Ilang araw na lang at ipagdidiwang na naman natin ang isa sa pinakamalaking okasyon sa ating bayan — ang 108th UPLB Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming ngayong Oktubre 10!

Ngunit bago ang malaking selebrasyon, alam niyo ba ang kwento sa likod ng makasaysayang araw na ito?

Sinimulan ng dating dekano na si Charles Fuller Baker ang pagdiriwang ng Loyalty Day nang magpakita ng matinding bolunterismo ang mga nasasakupan ng UP College of Agriculture (UPCA) upang tugunan ang panawagan ng dating Gobernador Heneral Harrison tungkol sa military recruitment sa Philippine National Guard, taong 1918. Si dating Gobernador Juan Cailles ang siyang bumisita sa UPCA noong Oktubre 10, 1918 upang hikayatin ang mga estudyante na magpatala sa military. Kalaunan nang araw rin na iyon ay buong student body ng UPCA ang pumayag magpatala.

Pinaniniwalaan ng dating dekano na ang selebrasyong ito ay hindi lamang pumupukaw sa “aggie spirit," kundi pati na rin sa “Los Baños spirit”. Ang selebrasyong ito ay simbolo ng paglilinkod, pagkakaisa, at bolunterismo sa ating komunidad. Noon ay may engrandeng parada at Loyalty Dance na itinatanghal ng mga kababaihan mula sa mga kolehiyo sa Maynila gaya ng PWU, UP Manila at PNC.

Kalaunan, naging tradisyon na ang maipagmamalaking parada at ang sikat na Loyalty Dance na inilalabas ng mga kababaihan mula sa iba't ibang kolehiyo sa Maynila tulad ng PWU, UP Manila, at PNC.

Sa kasalukuyan, patuloy na nabubuhay ang tradisyong ito sa pamamagitan ng mga eksibisyon, trade fairs, at ang walang-katulad na Grand Parade na nagbubuklod sa mga alumni, estudyante, at buong mamamayan ng Los Baños!

Ikinagagalak at ipinagmamalaki ng inyong lingkod na makipagkaisang-puso sa bawat Iskolar ng Bayan at Alumni na babalik sa ating tahanan. Kitakits tayo ngayong Oktubre 10!

Happy 108th UPLB Loyalty Day!

Mga Sanggunian:
1. Lapastora, R. D. Los Baños Revisiting the Past Primer (Municipality of Los Baños), pp. 7-8
2. UPLB 100 YEARS (College, Laguna: UPLB Foundation, Inc., 2008)

29/09/2026

"𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧."
-- 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐇. 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥

Isang malaking karangalan na maka-daupang palad kahapon (September 28) ang isang natatanging Kabataang Los Bañense at youth leader mula sa Barangay Maahas na si Ms. Mary Joy Bonayon.

Si Mary Joy po ang kakatawan sa ating bayan sa Gawad Felicisimo T. San Luis para sa Namumukod Tanging Kabataan ng Laguna (High School Category).

Iba talaga ang kabataang Los Bañense!

Sa kanyang pagdalaw sa aking tanggapan kahapon, Setyembre 28, malugod siyang sinalubong ng ilang kinatawan mula sa Sangguniang Bayan, Local Youth Development Office, at Municipal Tourism Office. Naroon din upang magpakita ng suporta si
Engr. Angelo James A. Velasco ng Gawad Laguna Batch 2025.

Our local government remains steadfast in supporting promising individuals like Mary Joy, who consistently strive for excellence and serve as exemplary role models for their peers.

Mary Joy, we take immense pride in you! Nasa likod mo ako at ang buong Bayan ng Los Baños sa labang ito.

26/09/2026

"HISTORY MUST NOT BE ERASED FROM MEMORY"

The warmest birthday greetings to one exemplary true-blue Los Bañense! A war veteran, quintessential educator, and public servant, Sofia G. Tidon, turns 101 today.

Although we could give you 101 reasons to honor this remarkable woman and remember her extraordinary “herstory,” today we’re only having just a fraction of that—yet even what we are sharing is more than enough for her to deserve our 100% love, attention, and admiration.

Without a doubt, her more than a hundred years life story is part of Los Baños' rich past, especially of our civic and political history. More poignantly, she remains an important living link to the history of the Los Baños Raid.

Here's her story:

Born and bred in Los Baños, Sofia Gatil Tidon was just a 14-year-old freshman at the University of the Philippines Rural High School when World War II reached the Philippines. As Japanese forces occupied the area, Sofia did not stand idly by. By age 16, she was actively involved with the guerrilla movement—risking her life to carry messages, distribute resistance leaflets, and secretly deliver food to civilian internees trapped in the Los Baños internment camp.

Tragedy struck in February 1945. During the infamous "Maahas Massacre," her mother and three siblings were killed by Japanese forces. Devastated yet undeterred, Sofia continued to fight the cause of liberation. On February 23, 1945, she witnessed the famed rescue of the internment camp, becoming one of the few surviving witnesses who could personally recount the historic event. Her extraordinary wartime service later earned her the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the United States Congress.

After the war, Sofia dedicated her life to her community. She spent more than 45 years as a public school teacher, shaping generations of young people with a special focus on music, arts, and culture. She went on to serve as a Court Mediator under the Supreme Court, assigned to the Regional Trial Court of Calamba City for 15 years. Her devotion to public service eventually led her to local politics. For the record, she served three terms as a Municipal Councilor of Los Baños from 1992 to 2001.

In 2025, during the 81st anniversary commemoration of the Liberation of the Los Baños Internment Camp, the Municipal Government honored Sofia as a centenarian and recognized her as the town’s last surviving veteran witness of the Japanese occupation.

As we celebrate this blessed day and look back on these events that basically reflect more than a century of national and local history, may we always remember and be inspired by her life full of service, sacrifice, courage, and love for country and community.

As she herself once said as a message to the youth: History must not be erased from memory. It must be remembered, understood, and passed on.

Here's to passing it on, Ma'am. Happiest Birthday!

References:
Municipality of Los Baños. (2025). Resolution No. 2025-148: A resolution honoring Sofia Gatil Tidon for her exemplary service and contribution to the municipality of Los Baños Municipality of Los Baños. Official resolution⁠

Municipality of Los Baños. (2026, February 23). 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Los Baños Internment Camp. Municipality of Los Baños. Municipality of Los Baños

Municipality of Los Baños. (2026, April 17). [Centenarian recognition of Sophia G. Tidon]. Municipality of Los Baños. Municipality of Los Baños⁠

The Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2013). The liberation of Los Baños. Inquirer.net. The Philippine Daily Inquirer article⁠

Los Baños Times. (2018). Los Baños LGU awards exemplary citizens. Los Baños Times. Los Baños Times article⁠

Los Baños Times. (2019). LB raid commemorated. Los Baños Times. Los Baños

25/09/2026

23/09/2026

GAME ON!