By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte--“As your humble brother, I have made my choice and chosen a new path in my life.  If the people so desire, let me be the rallying point of their frustrations. If the people choose it to be, I offer myself to be their instrument of expressing the desire for political reform, economic progress, and social stability. May I enjoin each and every one of you now to consider this opportunity to be part of this historic people’s movement to change for the better.”.

Atty. Hilario “Larry” Pajinag Valdez stated this as his prime reasons in his decision to run for the congressional seat of Ilocos Norte’s second district.

Described by people as once a young farm boy who lived at Brgy. San Pablo, San Nicolas; living a simple life, but at a very early age he knew there was a calling set for him to realize. He saw where he was and understood that someday he will contribute to the economic indicator of his beloved town, San Nicolas and his province—Ilocos Norte. That young boy became the current President/CEO of Venvi Group of Companies.

Venvi’s point man

A man known for wisdom growing in knowledge and experience by friends and supporters, Mr. Valdez developed a sense of practicality and rationality, as he also gained significant compassion and became a philanthropist. 

Days and years forward he now sits at the very helm of Venvi Group of Companies, managing multiple industries that brought about jobs for many people.

He restored a barren mountain into a robust environment with lush landscapes and developed it into a powerhouse—the Venvi Agro-Industrial Ventures Corporation in the rural Brgy. San Agustin of this town. 

He also developed a track of land in San Nicolas now known as the Valdez Center that further grew into a business center in Ilocos Norte.

The Venvi Development Corporation projects the modern age of business into the heart of San Nicolas.

As progress and development hastens, he enforced the VVH Construction to cater to the needs of Venvi Group of Companies for the projects and constructions. He also founded the realty services and utilities offices that accommodates a diversity of company needs such as deployment and management of security officers; water and electricity; oil and fuel, real estate, and other relevant services of the unit.

Also, the Prudence Development and Management Corporation stands in Clark, Pampanga—a cigarette factory that caters to international clients, is one of his powerhouses in Venvi.

Thousands of employees

To date, Mr. Valdez directly provides employment to over 2,000 people directly employed by the Venvi Group, and to around 10,000 it indirectly employs by attracting more companies. 

Aside from this fact, due to the economic development he has brought to the province, investors have taken interest in San Nicolas as a “business-friendly town”.

The presence of the Valdez Center has brought about a chain reaction and attracted other investors into the province, thus emanating countless jobs springing up from one company to another.

The call of sustainability allows industries to address the unending dependence to other forms of services.

San Nicolas has flourished throughout the years, achieving milestones one after the other.

Mr. Valdez created a vortex for other businesses to look for opportunity to grow and sustain. 

In his own words: “My hometown San Nicolas is a vivid example of how the triadic concept of development can operate and be so successful.  In the year 2004, our people united and pushed political reform by installing a new government leadership. It was only then that business could flourish, with an incorruptible and pro-development municipal leadership. As we can see now, San Nicolas has immediately developed from a fourth-class to a first-class municipality, in a period of only six years. For three consecutive years, and now a Hall of Famer, San Nicolas was chosen by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry among the more than 1,500 towns as the Most Business-Friendly Municipality in the whole country.”

Aspirations

Mr. Valdez’s primary objective in entering public service is to spread economic development throughout the whole province; create “hundreds of thousands of jobs”, and uplift the whole Ilocos Norte economy.

He said he realizes, however, as it was the case of San Nicolas, that there must first be a change in political leadership. Only then can business really flourish, he stressed.

In a speech during one of his political sorties, he exhorted the people to “…take the stand and wield their power of the vote for the future of the province…. The golden opportunity is now!”