Ferddie's World: Ferddie Who?

I was born and named Fernando Marcelino Mendoza on September 1967 in Quezon City, Philippines, the eldest of four siblings. My family lived in Quezon City in a place called San Francisco del Monte where I spent the first 20+ years of my life. I had my primary education at St. Mary’s College, secondary education at Angelicum School and college education at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila. After finishing a Liberal Arts degree, majoring in Political Science (minor in Philosophy) in 1987, I took my post-graduate studies at the University of the Philippines obtaining a masteral degree in Public Administration in just two years (I was granted a College Scholarship by my 2nd year) at the youthful age of 21. In 1988, we moved to Project 8 (still in Quezon City).

I married in 1991. Odette, my wife was a long time resident of Project 8 and schoolmate in DLSU but it was only during our years as junior faculty members in our respective academic departments at DLSU that we met and really got to know each other. Junior, our eldest child was born in 1992. After staying roughly a year in my parents’ home, we moved to Fairview. There, we rented a room in a house at Ruby St. in East Fairview for around 3 months. After that, we rented a small house at the back of a main house at Mustang St. in West Fairview. In 1995, Francis Isaiah my second son was born. Finally, we bought our own house in 2000 at Daffodils St., also in West Fairview. Unto this home, Francis Joshua was added in 2002. My wife gave birth to our only princess, Ma. Fatima or Faith in 2005.

I am currently a Graft Investigation Officer of the Research and Special Studies Bureau (RSSB) in the Office of the Ombudsman. Formerly a full-time Instructor of the Political Science Department of De La Salle, I later became Assistant Professorial Lecturer in the same university and also taught various social science subjects at the Philippine Normal University and Quezon City campus of AMA Computer College.

In 1990, I was chosen to represent the National Capital Region as a Congressional Fellow in the House of Representatives. I briefly served as a Supervising Legislative Staff Officer in the House and was later appointed Executive Director and Secretary-General of the Filipino Drug Association, a national pharmaceutical industry association. On contractual basis, I also served as research and technical consultant to a number of offices that included the Congressional Research and Training Service (CRTS), the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the National Youth Commission (NYC).

Promoted to Graft Investigation Officer II in 2002, I was blessed by the Lord to have also been chosen that same year by the Office of the Ombudsman as one of its Outstanding Employees, in recognition of my exemplary performance for the year 2001. This distinctive award was again conferred on me last 2005, this time, in acknowledgment of my performance for the year 2004.

At present, I am concurrently designated as one of the four (4) Project Officers in the Project Task Force (PTF) of the European Commission - Office of the Ombudsman Corruption Prevention Project under the OMB’s Project Management Office (PMO).