OMPONG : FAN OF THE FAMILY

Not many Husbands or Dads go around town wearing their “Family man” heart out on their sleeves. Ompong does. A participant of Parenting Congresses and a true advocate of Family, Ompong can sometimes hit you like some unbelievable Dad and Husband.

He does not hesitate to miss an important social call in Congress to attend a piano recital, parent-teacher conference, or even to cook for the wife and kids.  When the bonding is not to his satisfaction, he brings along his young sons to luncheon meetings, or asks a much-missed daughter to join him during a lunchdate.  His wife does not think it clingy either that Ompong demands her presence on certain occasions, trips, and even consultative meetings, when it’s her turn to be on the “wanted list.”

For Ompong, no career accomplishment can compensate for a parent’s failure to create a happy home for his children.  Making his children feel and realize their self-worth through an abundance of encouragement, love, and faith in their abilities, is to him the natural high- the fix he needs daily.
Small wonder Ompong’s fondest memories always have him in the same picture as his five kids and wife, be that aboard a yacht for Mindoro, having a barrio fiesta in a farm, or posing by the ricefields along a Bulacan highway at the break of dawn to catch the early sun in one of their many perfect mornings together as a family.

The “Great Dad” image is a natural consequence of Ompong the Guy, afterall.  At work, Ompong is the friendly neighbor-- warm as summer and cool as its breeze.  Even without trying, he makes the “friendlies” even friendlier and wins the “unfriendlies” over to his side.  It’s just because of the way he is, they say. He is winsome. The Workplace is less of a dreary destination with him at the head of the conference table.

This is a guy who believes in really paying it forward, and giving back to community and country.  As his scholars continue to realize, all that matters to him is their service to their families and communities after they finish school. Generosity and compassion, a friendship that empowers, a home that is perhaps the world’s warmest – this is Ompong’s heart, wanting to always be in the right place.

Personal Profile

"If a gift to society a child is to be, let the little one grow in a loving home with sensitive parents, a brother with sturdy shoulders, and a sister who can tell tales about the hummingbird."
- Rodolfo "Ompong" G. Plaza

Meet the man for whom success is no mere measure of a man but man's measure of his values in the past, present, and future.

It is easy to spot Ompong in a crowded room. His burly six-foot frame makes him stand out, ready to intimidate anyone, until one hears his voice - a sound that booms but at the same time calms in its firmness. He is also always nicely put-together, even when sleep-deprived: ever well-shaven, always appropriately dressed, never leaves home to face the world without mentally pocketing an imaginary rose that is his wife Shirley's love and the best smiles of his five cherished children.
With first daughter Isabel earning her stripes at the Bangko Sentral after finishing second in her Economics class at England's University of York, and Paula still toughing it out in Canada's Mcgill University, Ompong shall brave next Rica's college adventure and hope only that his youngest daughter will choose the best of the scholarships tossed her way. RJ and Paolo, his two gradeschool boys, though will make sure their father will keep smiling along the way. Ompong the Dad, after all is pleased most with the way members of his brood have taken flight - not as mere birds set free to roam the skies but as eagles who are as daring up there as they are eager to come back to their nest.

" For such is the kind of wind I packed under their wings.. that they may learn not just to fly but remember that the sky is not the only beauty there is. "

Ompong, a true Child of Mindanao, has always championed the cause of his roots. The Agusan del Sur electorate must have believed his sincerity to lead them that they put him into office as their Congressman for three consecutive periods without him having to dance onstage or do a caravan. He proved worthy of their nod because once in the House of Representatives, Ompong proved to be the biggest political figure to come out of the province of Agusan del Sur since his father.
With him, Agusanons were given a face and voice. It was a voice and face that stepped up to the call when it was time to oppose. It was the same voice and face that showed up when it was time to buckle down to work.

His commitment to the physical development of his province, the improvement of agriculture and increase in productivity, and to the advancement of the goals of public education drove his performance at high-speed. His unique charisma as Agusan del Sur's chief salesman, a weapon that came in handy in linking with foreign aid organizations, complemented the legislative interventions he pursued. Ompong's winning formula resulted in the completion of main and major road and bridge works that not only significantly cut travel time from Davao to Butuan City by half, provided access for the efficient delivery of basic services, established reliable farm-to-market roads and agriculture facilities but also more than tripled the number of energized barangays, equipped public schools with adequate teaching personnel and modern learning tools and equipment, while ensuring that medical and welfare projects for the marginalized sector of his constituency are implemented at a similar commitment level.

His stint as a legislator is no less remarkable. Realizing that brains, intent, and hardwork do not necessarily ensure swift passage of a measure, Ompong did not miss an opportunity to explain to any colleague in the House of Representatives or Senate or any interested party the merits of his bills and resolutions, never hesitating to put in more work or infuse changes into a measure if needed if only to produce a better-crafted measure. He is after all the patient, open-minded, and forward-looking Ompong Plaza who chaired for several months the Technical Working Group of the LPG Bill which he first filed in 2001 and is now seeking the Senate nod.

A member of the Commission on Appointments in his second and third terms and also twice named to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Anti-Money Laundering Act, one would think it admirable that Ompong still managed to defend his bills and other initiatives. This tenacity is why the Philippine National University is now a National Center for Teacher Education (RA 09647 "The PNU Act"), his province is now re-constituted as two legislative districts (RA 09508) and can now boast of its first Science High School (RA 095347) and first city (RA 09405). Ompong is banking on the same resolve to see him through the passage of his other pet bills in the Senate and in the House, like the LPG Bill, a National Children's Day Declaration, the Agusan Marsh Protection, a National Scholarship Program, among other measures sought.

"At the end of each day when I recall the lives that may have been touched in a positive way by anything I have done, directly or indirectly,.. I am convinced anew that service is its own reward."

The ease with which Ompong transformed from a successful and respected corporate tactician at the helm of flourishing, self-established enterprises to a People's Representative may not be all that rare to many in the private sector who aspire for careers in the legislature. It is Ompong's skillful balance, though, of the best elements in the various facets of his life that make his nine years in Congress a feat. His Master's in National Security and Administration (MNSA) reinforced the need for this balance. At 51 and armed with the experience, wisdom and the strength derived from a stable home and 25-year marriage to a fellow MNSA, Ompong can only be ready to take on the world.

When on your next visit to his welcoming home you see him slaving it out in the kitchen in his apron, you can be sure he has got your appetite and taste buds nailed. You are one of the many for whom he cooks, with whom his family dines. When this is the most natural and satisfying thing for Ompong to do for any guest in his home, you can bet it's safe haven with him all the way.

RODOLFO "OMPONG" G. PLAZA, MNSA
Representative, Lone District of Agusan del Sur

PERSONAL DATA
District / Province: Lone District of Agusan del Sur, Philippines
No. of Terms: 3
Party Affiliation: Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC)
Date of Birth: March 13, 1958
Religion: Roman Catholic
Spouse's Name: Shirley Marie Pelaez Plaza
Name of Father: Democrito O. Plaza
Name of Mother: Valentina G. Plaza
Children: Maria Isabel Valentina, Paula, Maria Rebecca, Rodolfo Antonio, Paolo Rodolfo
Provincial Address : Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur

EDUCATION
Elementary & Secondary - Don Bosco Technical Institute, Makati - 1975
College - Southwestern University, Cebu City, B.S. in Business Administration - 1982
Post Graduate - University of Santo Tomas, 2nd year Law - 1985
Post Graduate - National Defense College of the Philippines, Master in National Security Administration - 1995

WORK EXPERIENCE
1979-1983 Alpha Marketing Inc., Asst. Manager
1982-1991 D.O. Plaza Management Corporation, Asst. to the President
1989-2001 Woodland Real Estate Dev.,Inc., Founder/President
1995-2000 D.O. Plaza Holdings, Corp., President
1999-Feb. 2001 Regional Infrastructure Development Corporation, Founder/President
1999-2001 Northern Mindanao Member of State Institute of Science and Technology, Board of Trustees

MEMBERSHIP IN CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
1985 Blue Circle (UST College of Law), Founding Member
1995 National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association, Member & Past President

Committees

14th Congress (2007 - 2010)
1. COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS
- Assistant Majority Floor Leader
- Chairman, Committee on Trade and Industry,
2. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
- Member, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Anti-Money Laundering Act
- Member, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting
3. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- Vice Chairman, Committee on the Welfare of Children
- Member for the Majority, Committees on Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Ethics and Privileges, Legislative Franchises, Mindanao Affairs, National Defense and Security, Natural Resources, Transportation, Ways and Means

13th Congress (2004 - 2007)
1. COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS
- Deputy Minority Leader
2. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- Deputy Minority Leader
3. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
- Member: Joint Congressional Power Commission
- Member: Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Anti-Money Laundering Law

12th Congress (2001 - 2004)
1. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- Vice-Chairman, Committee on Trade and Industry
- Member: Committees on Defense, Public Works, Appropriations, Agriculture, Transportation, Foreign Affairs, Oversight, Mindanao Affairs
2. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
- Member: Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on E-Commerce
- Member: Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Visiting Forces Agreement

Other Representations

WHAT WILL A BOSCONIAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SENATE?

21 FEBRUARY  2010 - EXCERPTS

MY FELLOW BOSCONIANS, WE HAVE A LONG ACADEMIC TRADITION OF HARDWORK, PERSEVERANCE , AND CONCERN FOR THE COMMUNITY.  AS YOUR BROTHER, I TREASURE THESE VALUES AND ENDEAVOR TO MAKE THE SENATE AN EXTENSION OF THE COMMUNITY WE WERE TRAINED TO CARE FOR.

Read more / Download PDF file