Sagay City commemorated the sixth death anniversary of former Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo G. Marañon Jr., remembering a public service career that spanned more than five decades and helped shape programs in education, environmental protection, and local development, Oct. 1.
A commemorative Mass attended by members of the Marañon family, relatives, city officials, and employees was officiated by Rev. Fr. Rodel Luneta, assistant parish priest of St. Joseph Parish.
For Luneta, the remembrance was also personal.
In his homily, he shared that he was among the beneficiaries of the AGM Scholarship Program established by Marañon, recalling how the program opened educational opportunities for young people and helped them pursue better futures.
Luneta described Marañon as one of the pillars of Sagay City and Negros Occidental and reflected on a legacy that extended beyond the positions he held to the communities and individuals reached by his programs.
Marañon spent more than five decades in public service, beginning in local government before serving in the national legislature and later as governor of Negros Occidental.
He was first elected mayor of Sagay in 1972 after serving as councilor and succeeding as vice mayor.
He later served in the Batasang Pambansa, returned as Sagay mayor in 1988, became congressman in 1995, returned to the city mayoralty in 2007, and served three terms as governor from 2010 to 2019.
His years in government were also closely associated with education and environmental conservation.
Among his education initiatives was the development of what became the Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, now the State University of Northern Negros.
Marañon authored the law that converted the former Iloilo State College of Fisheries-Sagay Branch into NONESCOST in 1998.
In Sagay, his environmental work was particularly linked to the protection of the city’s marine resources.
The conservation effort that eventually developed into the Sagay Marine Reserve began during his leadership in the 1970s and involved working with local fishers to shift toward more sustainable practices.
During the Mass, Luneta also recalled Marañon’s emphasis on responsible stewardship of resources and the environment, stressing the responsibility of the present generation to preserve these resources for those who will come after them.
Marañon died in Bacolod City on Oct. 1, 2020, at the age of 84. He was survived by his wife, Dr. Marilyn Dalisay-Marañon, and their seven children.
At the time of his death, tributes from across Negros Occidental cited his long years in government and his work in education and environmental protection.
His tenure as governor ran from 2010 until his retirement from public service in June 2019.
Following the commemorative Mass, family members, city officials, and employees proceeded to the Marañon family mausoleum for a wreath-laying ceremony at his tomb.*
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