By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
FORMER Misamis Oriental governor Norris Casiño Babiera passed away after a year of battling with cancer. He was 64.
Babiera, who briefly served as governor of the province from late 1987 up to the first quarter of 1988, died at around 10:37 pm Thursday at the Capitol University Medical City in Gusa.
His death came on the 25th day of his hospital confinement as his cancer of the lymphatic system worsened.
His son Maurice Jim said his father was diagnosed with cancer on Jan. 25, 2016.
In June 18, Babiera complained that he was not feeling well. He was rushed to the hospital the following day.
Babiera was elected as a provincial board member and subsequently, as Misamis Oriental’s vice governor. He did not seek a third office term in 2013 when he decided to run for governor. He lost to the now Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano.
He had a colorful career in government that dated back to 1974 when he served as Misamis Oriental’s assistant provincial engineer until 1980. He moved back to Tagoloan, his hometown, where he worked as the town’s planning and development coordinator until 1986.
After the 1986 Edsa Revolution, he served as provincial secretary and concurrent provincial jail warden.
The then Interior Minister Aquilino Pimentel Jr. appointed Babiera “OIC” governor of Misamis Oriental, a post he briefly held from December 1987 to February 1988.
Vicente Emano, the first elected governor of Misamis Oriental after the 1986 revolution, then appointed Babiera as provincial administrator.
In 1992, Babiera was elected as a member of the Tagoloan town council where he served until 1998.
Babiera’s political career had a hiatus until 2001 when he returned to politics and was elected as a member of the provincial board. He served as a member of the provincial legislature, and rose to become its leader in 2007. He served as vice governor until 2013 when the province’s top post became up for grabs with the then governor Oscar Moreno stepping down and running for Cagayan de Oro mayor.
He ran for a city council seat under Moreno’s ticket last year and lost.
Babiera is survived by his wife Patricia and children Maurice Jim, Maureen Camansi, Jan Vincent and Norris Jr.. He was a grandfather of 10.
Babiera’s wake is at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, and the interment would be at the Cagayan de Oro Garden. The dates have yet to be announced.
His son Jan Vincent described his father’s death as “very peaceful.”
On a Facebook post, Jan Vincent wrote that Babiera’s “battle was short, but he fought right until the end.”
He described his father as “the most humble,” “very down-to-earth” and “the rock.”
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
