14/07/2025
๐๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ค ๐
๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ - ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐จ๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฒ #๐๐
๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)
Jose "Pepito", son of Servando Valera and Heresvita Lizardo, was born on April 16, 1916 in Bangued, Abra.
He was the Class Valedictorian of the first high school graduates of the then Colegio Del Sagrado Corazon in Bangued. Inspired by the able support of the late Rev. Fr. Lawrence Leisring, SVD, he pursued his studies at the Ateneo de Manila where he finished his Pre-Law degree. He completed his Bachelor of Laws in 1939 at the University of Santo Tomas. That same year, he successfully passed the Bar; went back to Abra to practice his profession at what he considered the fitting place for gainful experience in the legal field - the Bufete of the then eminent lawyer and political figure of Abra - the late Don Quintin Paredes who became a prominent statesman and Senate President. It must have been providential that the law office, which would provide him the work experience and professional growth was also where he met the love of his life, Violeta Paredes. Pepito must have had the political interest and charisma of his father, Servando (who was elected even without campaigning as councilor of Bangued for many years) because he easily plunged into politics once he became affiliated with the Paredes family. Prior to his political life, he was an ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ at the then Colegio Del Sagrado Corazon in Bangued. He was ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ in Lagangilang, San Juan, Dolores, Penarubia, Pilar, Villaviciosa, Pidigan and Bangued, all in Abra. He was ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ of the Peace in Abra; Director - Abra Lawyers' Association; President, Knights of Columbus; and President, Abra Red Cross Chapter Board. He was also active in civic clubs such as the Rotary, the Jaycees, and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In 1954, he was appointed as Acting Governor of Abra. After two years, he was elected as Governor and re-elected in 1960. During his ten year term, he spearheaded numerous projects that helped the lowlands as well as the upland communities of Abra. With the strong support of the then Senator Quintin Paredes and his son, then Congressman Lucas Paredes, Gov. Valera ably implemented provincial development programs and activities. Among the major infrastructure projects undertaken were the ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ, ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ; ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฌ; ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ, ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ; ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ; and setting up scenic places like the ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ. As honorary chairman, he ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐จ-๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ like Boy Scouts, Red Cross, Jaycees and Rotary Club. He visited the upland areas and assisted the Tingguians, ethno-cultural groups in Abra, through ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ. As head of the province, he worked at coordinating activities with other provinces at the regional level. Abra ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ. as Ilocano Meet, Tour of Luzon and other educational and cultural programs. Concurrent to his position as Governor, he was Director of the Philippine To***co Administration. He was also actively involved in the Knights of Columbus and Adoration Nocturna - both religious organizations at the St. James Parish in Bangued. The sudden shift to terrorism and fraud as strategies of his political opponents to win the election in 1963 cut short his sincere desire to continue serving as Governor of Abra. Believing in ๐ง๐จ๐ง-๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ฌ, Gov. Valera ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ rather than resorting to guns and goons as means to perpetuate power and position. For the safety of those who were continuously being threatened and victimized by political terrorists, Gov. Valera "evacuated" his family and some loyal followers and resettled in Quezon City. Ex-Governor Valera then worked as Assistant Technical Staff, House of Representatives in Manila, and Private Secretary, Office of the Councilors, Quezon City. In 1969, he became a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of General textiles, Inc. Later, he was promoted as Manager of the Legal Department of Gentex, a position he held for many years. He continued his active involvement in religious organizations, specifically the Adoracion Nocturna. He also served as Special Minister of the Holy Eucharist in the Our Lady of Hope in Pag-asa, Quezon City. In 1982, Atty. Valera and his wife Violeta, migrated to the U.S. to join their children and their families. While in the U.S., he resumed his membership in the Knights of Columbus at St. Augustine's Parish in South San Francisco, California. Pepito Valera and his wife Violet were ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ more than ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ง who are all successful in their own chosen fields and endeavors.
