Dr. Mimi N. Abella, Labangon, Cebu City
Mimi Victoria fondly called as Inday Mimi was born on March 10, 1937 to spouses Faustino Zabate Abella, a school teacher, and Maria del Amor Nacua, who served as Secretary of the Visayan Electric Company of its presidents, from Don Mamerto Escano and Don Gil Garcia.
Inday Mimi graduated as valedictorian of the Labangon Elementary School (named after the war as Labangon Farm School, it is the only public school in what was called the Greater Labangon, the district composed of Barangays Labangon, Tisa, and Punta Princesa) in 1949. Her younger brother, Oscar also graduated as valedictorian of the same school in 1950. Oscar became a lawyer (admitted to the Bar on March 6, 1964), appointed by President Corazon Aquino as Commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission and Regional Trial Court Judge until his death on December 14, 1997. Commissioner Oscar Abella married Corazon Peggy.
Inday Mimi, after finishing high school and Pre-Medicine at the Colegio de San Carlos (now University of San Carlos), went to the University of Santo Tomas for her College of Medicine. After passing the Medical Board Examinations she opened a clinic along Tres de Abril Street, a few meters after the corner of what is now called the Eddie Jabonero St.
Dr. Inday Mimi Abella for decades became the family physician of thousands of people not only in Barangay Labangon but also in the other barangays of Cebu City and Metro Cebu. In her first few years of practice of medicine, she attended the clinic of Dr. Pablo U. Abella, a cousin of her father. Dr. Pablo was elected Cebu City Councilor, so was his father, Tomas Abella (the street in Barangay Sawang Calero formerly named as Tuti was renamed after him). Dr. Mimi married Ben Villamor, she died on December 24, 2008.
The youngest sibling of Dr. Mimi, Renato Ulysses, also graduated as valedictorian in 1952 of Labangon Elementary School. Renato, who, while in college, started to work in radio in 1960 and became a popular broadcast personality in Cebu. Renato became announcer, staff, and program director of Republic Broadcast News used to be owned by the American Bob Stewart more known as Uncle Bob. The station was later bought by GMA. It is now the tv station called GMA 7 and radio station, DYSS. Renato worked with Antonio V. Cuenco since 1960 (who in 1965 was elected Congressman), while the latter was waiting for the result of the Bar examinations. Antonio, with the support of Renato became station manager of DYSS and the duo brought the station to greater heights. Renato for decades, starting in the 1970's, was news anchor of GMA Cebu with Archt. Melva Rodriguez Java and was the number one news program in Cebu. Renato retired as News and Program Director of GMA in 1985 and opened a pharmacy. Renato later served as councilor of Barangay Labangon.
Renato married Evelyn Lo. The couple are the parents of Atty. Nendell Hanz L. Abella (admitted to the Bar on March 9, 1997) who was elected councilor of Cebu City in 2013. The daughter of Renato, named Jewell, also became a doctor and is now the one who takes care of the clinic of her aunt, Dr. Inday Mimi.
The parents of Dr. Mimi's father Faustino were Anastacio Taboada Abella and Leocadia Zabate. Another famous physician in Labangon, Dr. Cesar Fajardo Uy, is a close relative of Dr. Mimi. Dr. Uy's grandmother, Gregoria Daclan who married Dionisio Uy, was the daughter of Irene Zabate, who was the sister of Leocadia Zabate, the grandmother of Inday Mimi.
Dr. Mimi served the people of Cebu City especially in Labangon through easy access to health service, her patients grew up to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, priests, engineers, and many other professions. She was part of their success by making them healthy and curing them of their sickness, for every time a child in Labangon had fever or cough, the first succor was Dr. Mimi Abella.
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