Born poor, it was a long climb to the top for this boy from Loboc who assumed last week the position of top gun of the Bohol division office. Dr. Elpidio Jala remembered how it was to be poor when he trekked daily the distance from barangay Calunasan to Poblacion Loboc— a good four kilometers apart. It was at the Loboc Central School where he finished his elementary grades. The life and times of Dr. Jala as a poor boy from Loboc are now part of history but it became current event when he was named as officer-in-charge of the division office. Although still an OIC, it has all the trimmings of a full-fledged division head since he is already exercising the full powers of the top honcho of the Bohol division of schools. Under his command is more than 7,000 school teachers and presiding over that number of public servants is no mean feat.

It helps in good measure that he has for a nephew the third district congressman in lawyer Adam Relson Jala. The new division head is the elder brother of former congressman Eladio Jala. As uncle of the congressman, it was easy for Dr. Jala to solicit the endorsement of the other Bohol solons, Congressmen Roberto Cajes and Edgar Chatto and Gov. Erico Aumentado. When Dr. Cerina Bolos retired last year, Jala positioned to take her place. He was appointed as division OIC by Education Sec. Jesli Lapus. Before becoming division chief, Jala was the interim superintendent of the city division for four years. He pioneered the city division following its creation in 2003. It took all of 43 years for Jala to assume the top division post. Starting as a school teacher in Pilar in 1965, he went on to become assistant division superintendent, then head of the city division and finally claiming the Bohol division office totem pole.