I AM WHO I AM...

A sweet wife of a forester, a patient mom of a 6-year old special child and a hardworking government employee…..I'm Grace Dorothy G. Vicente, going 34 this April. I live with my son together with my parents in our family house here in the Province of Quirino adjacent to Isabela of Northern Luzon. Among four (4) children of an engineer and a teacher who are both working in the government, I am the second to the eldest. In the year 1997, I finished the Degree in Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering at Adamson University in Manila. I got my first job with the Globe Telecommunication as administrative assistant for six (6) months and my second job was with the special project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as a Data Encoder for four (4) years. It was with this special project that I've got my permanent job in 2004 as a data controller of the Provincial Local Government here in our Province. Besides, I was seconded as operator of a Geographic Information System of the Foundation that was turned-over to the Local Government of Quirino. I was detailed as an operator due to the knowledge I have gained when I was with the DENR special project. During that time, GIS consultants from Germany trained me on the operations and applications of GIS with focus on forest cover analysis using specified tools and programs for analysis of GIS results. My terms of reference are to assess the degree of collaboration and data exchange between the foundation’s GIS center and the different municipalities of Quirino Province and identifying problems of communication and weak points within the GIS network; coordinate on-site examinations of GIS related problems at the municipal planning offices of Quirino Province and contributing to their resolution through discussion and improvement of communication procedures; and develop GIS mapping and database projects in response to priorities identified by the municipal technical working groups for the forest land-use planning. In addition, I assist the municipal technical working groups in map data analysis for their forest land-use plans.

At present, I am still with the local government unit in the Province of Quirino. I still hold the position of a GIS operator at the same time assist my mother unit in some areas of concern specifically related to boundary conflict issues.

With regards to my status, my husband and I have been married for five (5) years now. My husband left for a private job in Negros Island since 2004. I can not insist on holding back his dreams for our family. I support his decisions because it is for our family. As long as there is trust, I believe the tie between us will get going till the end.

I love cooking, singing while strumming the guitar, driving on and off-road, and most of all writing articles about learning the strategies of living, living a happy and contented life, articles on helping clean and regenerate the environment and speaking out what is inside my heart.