Filipina - Boholana, Part III

MA. FE CAMACHO-LEJOS
Second Congressional District, Provincial Board Member

The new board member is a beauty and got the best life can offer. She is the youngest child from a brood of nine of Engineer Magdaleno T. Camacho, Sr., once Bohol’s District Engineer who hails from Getafe and a retired public school principal of Chinese descent from Tubigon, Filomena Tan. Her eldest sister, Victoria is an OB-GYNE consultant, also owns a clinic in the U.S. Next is, Cecilio, also a general surgeon in the U.S. Her other sister Carmen, is a nurse in the U.S.
while brother Jessie, is a manager of a firm there. Another brother, Feliberto, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy Class 65, who retired as colonel (pilot) of the Philippine Air Force, is now a successful enterpreneur in Canada.

Before her is her brother Cariso who was mayor of Getafe from 1992-2001. He is now ABC President there and subsequently Bohol’s ABC Vice President. His wife Theresa, who followed suit, is now on her second term as mayor of Getafe, Bohol.

Another brother Magdaleno, Jr., was a philosophy professor of Adamson University in Manila. Unfortunately, God took his life earlier so with another brother Thomas Dewey. Hon. Maria Fe Camacho-Lejos or simply MAFE as her friends fondly call her, was born on March 23, 1957. She finished her elementary grades in Getafe in 1968. She pursued her secondary course at Holy Spirit School, Tagbilaran City and graduated in 1972. Not certain yet in which way to go through as a profession, she took up Bachelor of Arts at Velez College, Cebu City and finished it in 1976.

Finally, MAFE chose to be a nurse, which she studied at the University of Bohol, Tagbilaran City and completed Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1981.

MAFE’s leadership potential was discovered as early as during her student days when she became the Class President of U.B.’s Nursing Students’ Association from school year 1979-1981. She also became the President of the Quezon Institute Nurses’ Organization from 1982
to 1986 while working there as an O.R. staff nurse. MAFE has been likewise an active member of the Philippine Nurses’ Association and Alliance of Health Workers as its National Secretary from 1984-85.

Working abroad for dollar also attracted the young MAFE like most of our brother Filipinos at that time, when in 1986, she accepted an overseas employment as staff nurse of the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until 1996. She, again, worked as chief nurse of Marzouk Primary Health Care Center, Al-Baha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1996 to 2004.

MAFE comes from a family of politicians. Her grandfather was once a long-time mayor of Getafe, Bohol in the 20’s and 30’s. An uncle also became a board member of Bohol during the stint of Carlos P. Garcia as governor. A brother as mentioned above has been a successful politician.

But, MAFE has never had a dream of becoming one. If not probably for an ailing cousin, the late Estanislao Camacho, Board Member of the 2nd District of Bohol, who withdrew his bid for reelection in 2004, MAFE could not have ran in his stead and won as Board Member of the Province of Bohol.

The new Board Member is dynamic. She is output-oriented. MAFE is religious too. Her being a nurse makes her an ideal surrogate mother to all her constituents.

Being a working mother is already a tough task. Being a politician at the same time multiplies the challenge quadrofold. But effective time management can allow her to be an efficient wife, mother and public servant at the same time.

MAFE is happily married to Mr. Cristopher O. Lejos, a businessman from Capiz, who also once an oversea worker and they are blessed with two children, Kevin, who is now in his second year college in political science at the University of Bohol and Kristofferson, a high school sophomore of Holy Name University.