General Santos native feted for winning 2013 Nobel Prize
DAVAO CITY—The General Santos City government feted on April 15 a native of the city, who was part of the Netherlands-based group that got the 2013 Nobel Prize for its work to prohibit the proliferation of chemical weapons.
Mayor Ronnel Rivera said in a statement issued on Saturday that Michael Conche helped prove that General Santos was living up to its moniker of being the “home of the champions.”
Conche works for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Hague-based group that was cited by Nobel for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, including in Syria.
Aside from him, the other Filipinos who work for the group are: Helen Andriessen and Gemma van Oudheusden-Vincoy of this city; Jenniefer Balatbat, Allan Laroza, Roycelynne Reyes and Mary Ann Nieto-Schroor of Metro Manila; Emily Castriciones of Quezon City, and Franz Ontal and Van Dasler of Bacolod City.
In January last year, the Senate also passed Resolution No. 29 honoring Conche and the other Filipinos working for OPCW.
The significance of Conche’s achievement brought pride to the city, Rivera said.
“It is good to know that there are a lot of Generals that have been giving glory to the city. This is the reason why we are working hard in the city government in order to help aspiring individuals in the city excel in their lines of work,” he said.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod also passed Resolution No. 10641, which expressed “the highest salutation of the entire Gensan” to Conche for his achievement.
The OPCW, through the support of the United Nations, helped to eliminate the Syrian army’s stockpile of chemical weapons. This action was reckoned by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its extensive efforts to eradicate chemical weapons while promoting world peace and progress.
Conche was a former policeman and graduated from the Mindanao State University in General Santos City in 1991.
As a policeman, he was part of the Philippine delegation to the United Nations International Tribunal in Yugoslavia.
In 2010, he resigned from the Philippine National Police to join OPCW as an associate. RC
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