| Gaudencio Urbano Dagdag Oxon Hill, Maryland An Institution - A Living Legend |
Mr. Dagdag is a self-made man. He was orphaned at an early age.
He was only 2 years old when his father died. He has no
recollection of his father. His mother died when he was graduating
from 7th grade. When she heard her son was graduating as the
valedictorian, upon herself she managed to walk from the town of
Cabangan to Iba approximately 11 kilometers where the high
school was located. Unfortunately it was not graduation yet when
she came but anyway she had a conference with the Principal and
she was assured that her son will be valedictorian come
graduation. The poor woman walked home very happy, but on the
way home there was a turbulent and was raining very hard. When
she got home she got sick and never recovered. What was most
unfortunate was that she did not witness her son graduate as
Valedictorian. Mr. Dagdag was reared by an older brother,
Alejandro, also a school teacher and a principal.
Mr. Dagdag finished high school in 3 years and upon graduation he
was invited to participate to take the Teacher's examinations. Out of
the more than 300 candidates, Mr. Dagdag placed 2nd. Immediately
he was offered a permament teacher's position. In San Felipe. He
was a known disciplinarian but was fair. He had the audacity to
flunk his brothers-in-law who did not do well in his class.
He was only 2 years old when his father died. He has no
recollection of his father. His mother died when he was graduating
from 7th grade. When she heard her son was graduating as the
valedictorian, upon herself she managed to walk from the town of
Cabangan to Iba approximately 11 kilometers where the high
school was located. Unfortunately it was not graduation yet when
she came but anyway she had a conference with the Principal and
she was assured that her son will be valedictorian come
graduation. The poor woman walked home very happy, but on the
way home there was a turbulent and was raining very hard. When
she got home she got sick and never recovered. What was most
unfortunate was that she did not witness her son graduate as
Valedictorian. Mr. Dagdag was reared by an older brother,
Alejandro, also a school teacher and a principal.
Mr. Dagdag finished high school in 3 years and upon graduation he
was invited to participate to take the Teacher's examinations. Out of
the more than 300 candidates, Mr. Dagdag placed 2nd. Immediately
he was offered a permament teacher's position. In San Felipe. He
was a known disciplinarian but was fair. He had the audacity to
flunk his brothers-in-law who did not do well in his class.
He married one of his students, Dolores Aranas and they were blessed with eleven children (4 boys and 7
girls): Filipinas, Gloria, Corazon, Gaudencio, Jr., Gracita, Manuel, Patria, Carlos, Arthur, Perla, and Leonor.
With his growing family, Mr. Dagdag's dream of becoming a lawyer had dissipated.
Before the 2nd World War broke out, Mr. Dagdag moved his young family to Manila. Because of his very
productive family venture, his salary as a teacher was not enough to sustain them. He took the civil service
examination given at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Mr. Dagdag again was the topnotcher. He was given the
first opportunity to work at the United States Naval Station at Sangley Point in Cavite City.
Six months after he was hired at Sangley Point, the 2nd World War broke out. All the employees at that time
were given salary equivalent to 4 years for their service to the United States. When the Japanese bombers
bombed Manila and Cavite City, Mr. Dagdag found himself swimming the channel between Manila and Cavite.
It took him days before he was able to reach Makati.
As promised, General MacArthur returned to the Philippines. The American Red Cross advertised for the
position of Chapter Coordinator for the Province of Cavite. Mr. Dagdag, because of his prior employment at
Sangley Point, was immediately selected. He lasted for 15 years until he contracted some disease that he
took a while to recuperate and did not have much choice but to retire.
One day, he was introduced to the Mayor of Makati and because of his public record, he was offered a job as
an Executive Secretary which included speech-writing. When the poor cried because of natural calamities
like flood, fire and earthquake, Mr. Dagdag approached the governor of the province of Rizal, Governor
Rodriguez for relief and aid to be distributed to the affected families.
Mr. Dagdag's crowning achievements while serving as Secretary to Mayor Villena of Makati are:
• Structured funding for the expansion of Francisco Benitez Elementary School due to increase in number
of students.
• Secured funding for the construction of a first Health Center in the Barrio of Olympia.
• Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus in the Province of Rizal.
In the spring of 1976, because of his daughter Gracita's desire to get all her single brothers and sisters here
in America for better future, she petitioned her mother and father as immigrants. Her parents arrived in the
summer. Upon arrival in the United States, he applied for a job in Washington, DC amd was accepted at
Riggs Bank. He petitioned all his unmarried children and they all arrived spring of 1977.
As a natural sequence of events, Mr. Dagdag was thrust to the leadership of the Combined International
Philippine-American Association (CIPAA) and served as its president for 10 years.
One day as he was venturing in the downtown area, he noticed a 7-story brick building which houses Chinese
senior citizens. He tried to apply but was told that they were only accepting Chinese senior citizens and was a
5-year waiting period. He inquired from the management how they went about getting the funding. He was
told to go to the Housing Urgan Development (HUD) to apply. His daughter, Gracita, who was working at the
U.S. Department of Transportation, assisted her father to go to the HUD. And the rest is history. HUD granted
them $3.8 million dollars and constructed a 72 unit Home for the Senior Citizens sponsored by the
Zambaleneos, USA, Inc. It broke ground in 1989 and opened its doors to the tenants in 1991. Mr. Dagdag,
served on the earlier years as President of the Tenants Association. #
girls): Filipinas, Gloria, Corazon, Gaudencio, Jr., Gracita, Manuel, Patria, Carlos, Arthur, Perla, and Leonor.
With his growing family, Mr. Dagdag's dream of becoming a lawyer had dissipated.
Before the 2nd World War broke out, Mr. Dagdag moved his young family to Manila. Because of his very
productive family venture, his salary as a teacher was not enough to sustain them. He took the civil service
examination given at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Mr. Dagdag again was the topnotcher. He was given the
first opportunity to work at the United States Naval Station at Sangley Point in Cavite City.
Six months after he was hired at Sangley Point, the 2nd World War broke out. All the employees at that time
were given salary equivalent to 4 years for their service to the United States. When the Japanese bombers
bombed Manila and Cavite City, Mr. Dagdag found himself swimming the channel between Manila and Cavite.
It took him days before he was able to reach Makati.
As promised, General MacArthur returned to the Philippines. The American Red Cross advertised for the
position of Chapter Coordinator for the Province of Cavite. Mr. Dagdag, because of his prior employment at
Sangley Point, was immediately selected. He lasted for 15 years until he contracted some disease that he
took a while to recuperate and did not have much choice but to retire.
One day, he was introduced to the Mayor of Makati and because of his public record, he was offered a job as
an Executive Secretary which included speech-writing. When the poor cried because of natural calamities
like flood, fire and earthquake, Mr. Dagdag approached the governor of the province of Rizal, Governor
Rodriguez for relief and aid to be distributed to the affected families.
Mr. Dagdag's crowning achievements while serving as Secretary to Mayor Villena of Makati are:
• Structured funding for the expansion of Francisco Benitez Elementary School due to increase in number
of students.
• Secured funding for the construction of a first Health Center in the Barrio of Olympia.
• Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus in the Province of Rizal.
In the spring of 1976, because of his daughter Gracita's desire to get all her single brothers and sisters here
in America for better future, she petitioned her mother and father as immigrants. Her parents arrived in the
summer. Upon arrival in the United States, he applied for a job in Washington, DC amd was accepted at
Riggs Bank. He petitioned all his unmarried children and they all arrived spring of 1977.
As a natural sequence of events, Mr. Dagdag was thrust to the leadership of the Combined International
Philippine-American Association (CIPAA) and served as its president for 10 years.
One day as he was venturing in the downtown area, he noticed a 7-story brick building which houses Chinese
senior citizens. He tried to apply but was told that they were only accepting Chinese senior citizens and was a
5-year waiting period. He inquired from the management how they went about getting the funding. He was
told to go to the Housing Urgan Development (HUD) to apply. His daughter, Gracita, who was working at the
U.S. Department of Transportation, assisted her father to go to the HUD. And the rest is history. HUD granted
them $3.8 million dollars and constructed a 72 unit Home for the Senior Citizens sponsored by the
Zambaleneos, USA, Inc. It broke ground in 1989 and opened its doors to the tenants in 1991. Mr. Dagdag,
served on the earlier years as President of the Tenants Association. #
Washington D.C. Since 1987
Washington D.C. Since 1987
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