Florentino Sanico Solon (September 17, 1931 – June 21, 2020) was a Filipino nutritionist and politician who served as the mayor of Cebu City from 1978 to 1983. He served as the first executive director of the Nutrition Center of the Philippines in 1974 and as Deputy Minister of Health from 1983 to 1986 during the presidency of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

Early life and education

Solon was born to Pio Palacio Solon and Ricarda Sanico Solon. He earned a master's degree in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

University of the Philippines Manila The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, public research university located in Ermita, Manila, Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It is the oldest of eight constituent ...

and a

doctor of medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. He also obtained a diploma in nutrition from the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...

Early career

Solon started as a municipal health officer in

Carmen, Cebu Carmen, officially the Municipality of Carmen (; ), is a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 57,897 people. The town fiesta is celebrated every 28 August in honor of St. Augus ...

and later on worked for the regional office of the Ministry of Health while being a lecturer at

Cebu Institute of Medicine Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) is a private medical school located in Cebu City, Philippines. The medical school is affiliated with the Velez College. Both are located adjacent to each other in F. Ramos Street. Its primary base hospital is the ...

. He became the first executive director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) on July 16, 1974 and founding director of the Nutrition Center of the Philippines in 1974. He served in the NNC until December 31, 1979 and was succeeded by Delfina Aguillon.

Political career

Appointed as mayor of Cebu City, Solon was sworn in by then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

on October 11, 1978 and assumed the position on October 16, 1978. Solon then took part in the 1980 elections where he was eventually elected as mayor along with Ronald Duterte as his vice mayor. During Solon's stint as mayor, the

Sinulog Festival The Sinulog Festival (also known as Sinug and Sulog) is an annual Filipino cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu, with the center of the activities being in Cebu City; and is the core of Santo Niño Chr ...

was realized after David S. Odilao Jr., then regional director of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, organized the first Sinulog parade involving several schools and eventually turned over the organizing of such to the Cebu City Historical Committee under Jesus B. Garcia Jr. In 1983, Solon was tapped by Marcos to serve as the deputy minister for health.

Personal life

Solon was married to Mercedes Aseniero. His son, Juan Antonio Aseniero Solon, is the current president of the Nutrition Center of the Philippines.

Death

Solon died at the age of 88 on June 21, 2020.

Selected publications

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References

External links

SPHERES Profile of Florentino S. Solon
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Solon, Florentino 1931 births 2020 deaths People from Cebu City Cebuano people Mayors of Cebu City Filipino nutritionists Kilusang Bagong Lipunan politicians University of Santo Tomas alumni University of the Philippines Manila alumni Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine