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At 34, Atty. Paulino Salvador “Doy” C. Leachon has
accomplished so much that other men double his age might have yet
to reach.
Born on the 13th day of May 1973, Atty. Doy, as he
has been fondly called in the city, is the youngest son of former
Quezon City RTC Judge Emilio Leachon Sr., and the late Ms. Pilar
Mendoza Cueto.
He flashed semblance of the man he is destined to be when he
excelled in his basic education days. He finished his elementary
education at the Holy Infant Academy in 1986 as First Honorable
Mention. He also became the first Supreme Student Government
President of the Divine Word College of Calapan – High School
Department where he graduated in 1990.
Atty. Leachon pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in
San Beda College. However, the responsibility of fatherhood came
at an early age. He married his hometown sweetheart, Ronalee
Escondo. They were blessed with two (2) children, Reimund Paulo
and Clairedey Beatrice.
The burden of being a family man at an early age never
dampened the resolve of Atty. Doy to finish his studies. He
juggled work, family and school up to his law study. From being a
taxi driver, fast food crew and eventually manager, he was able to
pursue his dream to become a lawyer. He passed the bar in year
2000, placing 17th in one of the most difficult bar
examinations in recent history.
Afterwards, he worked for various government institutions
such as the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, the
Senate Electoral Tribunal, the Supreme Court and the Office of the
President. At the same time, he was able to establish himself in
the legal profession by locking horns in courts with the best
legal minds in the country.
Upon the prodding of his kababayans and city
officials, he returned in the City of Calapan to serve as the
first City Legal Officer in 2001. He was an instant hit. Calapeños
admired his dedication, passion and youthful idealism in
government service. He became known as the “Abogado ng Bayan.”
He also dispensed legal advices in local television and radio
through his program, “Tayo at ang Batas.”
With the call of serving his constituents in greater latitude
has become too much to deny, he ran as city mayor in the 2004
elections. Being a neophyte politician, he failed in his initial
bid.
After the election, Atty. Leachon resumed his law career.
Together with his father and best friend, Atty. Antonio S. Perez,
Jr., they founded the Leachon, Leachon and Perez Law Office in
Manila.
He was starting to enjoy the resurgence of his law career
when an unexpected turn of events would lead him back to his
beloved city. City Mayor Carlos B. Brucal, his archrival in the
2004 Elections invited him to join the City Government once again
as its city administrator. Crossing the threshold of the great
political divide, Atty. Doy gamely accepted the invitation of City
Mayor Brucal whose administration is hounded by infighting,
corruption and bickering among his chosen associates. This move,
unseen in the political history of the city, was seen as a
trailblazing maneuver that frustrates political vultures in
Calapan.
Atty. Doy was able to turn around things inside the City
Hall. With the trust and confidence given to him by City Mayor
Brucal, he was able to institute sweeping reforms and restored the
faith of the Calapeños in their leaders. Together with Mayor
Brucal, they formulated the Eight Priority Development agenda that
fueled the rise of the Brucal Administration.
And in the 2007 National and Local Elections, Mayor Brucal
gave his full support to the candidacy of Atty. Doy. The people of
Calapan gave him the rightful mandate of becoming the third city
mayor of the city since its conversion from a municipality in
1998.
Atty. Doy’s administration will focus on the AKSYON AGAD
Program founded on the four basic pillars, which are job
generation, housing, education and health.
He was also elected as the Regional Representative for
MIMAROPA of the League of Cities of the Philippines in 2007.
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