American writer Will Durant interpreting Aristotle once said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Meng Santiago comes to mind. Repeatedly and habitually excellent, almost like clockwork, he has been delivering valedictory addresses throughout his life. Meng first became valedictorian in elementary at ...

People in the actuarial profession are often degree holders for either mathematics or statistics. After all, actuarial science can be viewed simply as insurance mathematics. However, there are actuaries who have had their roots elsewhere. One of these actuaries is Ernesto E. Reyes. Ernie, as he is called by those close to him, hailed from another ...

The name Mabini L. Juan brings one of the Philippine heroes, Apolinario Mabini, to mind. The hero, also known as the sublime paralytic, is a fitting image for a man who is not a paralytic, but has led a life that’s equally sublime. Mabini Juan, or Mabs to those who know him, has stood as one of the pillars of the actuarial profession with his ...

Being an actuary is already an honor unto itself. But, to be one, a licensed civil engineer and a certified board placer at that can only be described as awe-inspiring. Mariano M. Mercado, also known fondly as Totoy, is indeed worthy of this awe. He has not only designed benefit plans or mortality tables, but has literally designed a wharf and a ...

American writer Kurt Vonnegut once said that teaching is the noblest profession in all of democracy. Dolores T. Gicaro, or Dolly to those who know her, is undoubtedly a testament to that. For decades, she was a bright actuary who has worked conscientiously for the industry and an even brighter teacher who has left a lasting imprint on many ...