At the helm, is MS. CRISTY CALADO CATABAY-UBANDO, who was born on October 12, 1977 in Santiago Island, Lucero, Bolinao, Pangasinan where the family’s source of living is predominantly derived from fishing. She diligently went to school and “burn eyebrows” as she professed that education is the key to alleviate one from poverty. Because of her hard work and perseverance, she graduated her Elementary and Secondary with flying colors. She endeavored to send herself off to college, and finished Bachelor of Arts in English at the Pangasinan State University in 1998. She also earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Major in E-Marketing) at the ABE International Business College. She completed Master in Public Administration at the Lyceum Northwestern University in 2014.

She possesses Career Service Sub-professional and Career Service Professional. In 2015, the first ever Basic Competency on Local Treasury Examination (BCLTE) was conducted in the Philippines, and she was among the 15.66% elite-successful passers of the said Examination. BCLTE is a pre-requisite for her current designation as Acting Provincial Treasurer, and is part of the Standardized Examination and Assessment for Local Treasury Service Program of the Department of Finance, which seeks to professionalize the ranks and improve the competencies of treasurers.

She started off her career from the Provincial Treasurer’s Office in 1999 as Buyer I, and promoted as Bookkeeper I in 2002, as Administrative Assistant II in 2005, and as Administrative Officer I in 2006. Clearly, she rose through the ranks of the office and became the Local Treasury Operations Officer III in 2013. And it was all because of her performance that she became the Supervising Administrative Officer in 2020. On August 25, 2022, she became the Acting Assistant Provincial Treasurer, and on November 1, 2022, she became the Acting Provincial Treasurer. The Bureau of Local Government Finance conferred her appointment as Assistant Provincial Treasurer on June 9, 2023.

True enough, great things happen from small single steps. As the saying goes: “Epic things start with small humble steps. Pay respect to your beginnings. And if you’re just starting out, know that it’s OK to be sucky. To be small. To be messy and chaotic. Just make sure to never ever stop dreaming.” (Vishen Lakhiani)