Being a Jaycee is to serve. Being a Quimpo is to lead. Both means to sacrifice.

Principled leadership is to do justice even if its hard, even if it means you need to give up on comforts or to do it alone. “We must be the steady captain of a ship at sea during a storm” – As ALLEN would put it.

JCI started with the Quimpo family, some 74 years ago, when its patriarch, Judge Rustico Quimpo, was a founding member of the Kalibo Jaycees in 1949. It was reinvigorated when Rustico’s son, Allen, banded together with a group of friends to form a JCI charter for Aklan in 1973 – giving birth to “JCI Aklan Kalantiao”.

JCI Aklan Kalantiao has been a big part of the Quimpo family, often establishing lifelong friendships and even marriages within the organization. The JCI Values were ingrained in the consciousness of the Quimpos.

Although Rustico, Allen and others were elected into local government positions for decades, the Quimpos do not have any blemish of corruption charges and were of outstanding performance in public service.

“I would rather not run, rather than engage in corruption to win” – Incumbent Vice Governor Reynaldo Quimpo.

To serve, without expecting anything in return and to do so with a happy heart. The Quimpos are among Aklan’s most active family volunteers with countless projects and millions of funding brought into the small province of Aklan.

Their greatest challenge came in 2017, a year after the death of Allen, when Angelo (Allen’s eldest son) was entrusted to head a people’s organization tasked to manage a mangrove forest in Kalibo. A scrupulous businessman, known for praying on the poor in the guise of ecotourism was able to set foot in the mangrove forest and was destroying ecosystems in the name of business and development. Angelo, knowing the challenge as well as the social contract his family has with their community, removed the said person – with the advice from the authorities, and in turn was filed with a criminal case and a PhP3million civil case.

The Quimpos found themselves left alone by the very people who were supposed to protect the mangroves; some were even in cahoots with the said businessman.

Yet they persevered, doubled their efforts and worked with the right authorities – the fourth JCI Value states “Government should be of laws rather than of man”.

In 2023, six years after the initial case – a decision was released by the regional trial court – dismissing the case filed against the Quimpo siblings.

In these six years – the Quimpos continued to serve in JCI and, in their service, – found joy in a tumultuous time.

A lifetime of service will have countless results. To quantify at best:

1. Over 2million trees planted in ASQ Bakhawan Eco-Park since 1990
2. Creation of an internationally awarded people’s organization
3. Over 10,000 students awarded ASQ Scholarship in NVC, worth over PhP37.5 million since 1990
4. PhP610,000 cash donated to JCI Aklan Kalantiao and JCI Panitan Tumandok during the 2022 Typhoon Paeng covering 8 barangays and 5 towns in northern Panay island
5. 5 million mixed goods and medical supplied donated to Aklan (to over 1000 families) during the Pandemic
6. Over PhP100,000 worth of medical supplies donated to DRSTMH during the Pandemic
7. PhP150,000 worth of food donated through community pantry (initiated by the Quimpo family), the first and longest running in Kalibo during the Pandemic
8. PhP455,000 worth of mixed goods donated to coastal communities (about 200 families) from 2020-2023 – an annual program by the Quimpo family
9. PhP326,000 cash donated to JCI Puerto Princes Kiao and JCI Mandaue in 2022 for victims of Typhoon Odette, sourced from friends and family
10. PhP100 million livelihood project donated by KOICA to develop coastal communities in Aklan