‘Not expecting to win award’

Although he is proud to be named one of the Bagong Bayani awardees in 2005, Melvin Malvar said he really wasn’t expecting to win and in fact was actually quite hesitant in joining the prestigious competition.

“At first, I had no intention of joining but because of the prodding of organizations that nominated me, I reluctantly joined the search,” he said. “It was actually a last-minute submission on my part. Six from Saipan were nominated and luckily I won.”

The general manager of Construction and Material Supply Inc. said he was overwhelmed by his selection and said he is dedicating the award to his family, who has always stood by his side all these years.

Before leaving the Philippines shortly after the awarding ceremony held at the Malacañang Palace, he gave his 2005 Bagong Bayani trophy and gold medal to his parents, who in turn promised him they would put the trophy—along with his other awards from his elementary, high school, and college days—in a special trophy case.

Despite his latest achievement and the success that has followed him throughout his career in the Philippines and on Saipan, which included being named one of the 10 Outstanding Overseas Filipino Workers in the CNMI in 2003, Malvar remains grounded and said he is quite humbled by the whole experience.

“The screening group probably saw that my career achievements, contributions to the company, and my volunteer work were good enough for me to be chosen among the 2005 Bagong Bayani awardees,” he said.

Aside from his successful career on Saipan, which includes being one of the first nonresident Filipino workers on Saipan to reach the level of general manager Malvar has also endeared himself to the local Filipino community with his work outside of his responsibilities at CMS.

Through his membership in the Marianas Institute of Filipino CPAs and Accountants—where he held the position of vice president-external for two consecutive years—Malvar was instrumental in the organization’s holding of U.S. CPA exam review courses, seminars for preparing tax filings, and computer lessons.

Since 2001, Malvar has also been serving as editor of Bayani, a quarterly newsletter published by the Bayani Association of Saipan that serves as a medium for the Filipino community to get their opinions and concerns across to the local government and the Philippine Consulate.

Bayani Association has also been involved in worthwhile activities, namely providing scholarships to deserving but financially challenged students in the Philippines and donating money for the construction of classrooms in the country.

Despite his busy schedule, Malvar has also found time to volunteer for NAMFREL during the absentee voting for the 2004 Philippine National Elections.

An active sportsman, Malvar is also part of numerous bowling championship teams and plays regularly in tournaments organized by the Philippine Bowling Association, Saipan Bowling Association, and American Bowling Congress.

After two stints on Saipan spanning close to a dozen years, Malvar said he feels right at home in his adopted homeland.

“Saipan is very much like the Philippines. There are a lot of Filipinos here. And unlike the Philippines it is less stressing because of its slow pace. There’s also no traffic. The environment is also OK and the air is still fresh,” he said. “All in all, I have no regrets coming here to Saipan and I’m still exploring different experiences and still continuously learning here.”

Malvar and his wife Lourdes have two sons: Michael Ryan, the eldest, finished ECE at St. Louis University in Baguio City and works at a call center in Manila, and the youngest, Mark Oliver, finished Computer Engineering at AMA Computer College and runs the family’s computer shop business.