Governor Salvacion Z. Perez, a UP alumna, may qualify for the UP Alumni Awards for Public Administration for following reasons to wit:

Firstly, if the standards in government/public service are any gauge, she already is in retirement age, having started as Governor in the 2001 elections at almost sixty-five years.

Secondly, not just by being a provincial governor and daughter of Supreme Court Justice Calixto Zaldivar, she has through her stature and influence as chair of the Regional Development Council, been able to project Antique and Region 6 as economic and tourism potential, thus convincing no less than the national government to declare Western Visayas as the Philippines’ “tourism valley”.

In 2002, barely a year after she assumed office, her governance “went through a baptism of fire” in the form of a recall attempt against her and her closest allies. “Not giving her critics the pleasure of answering back and fighting with them” she gave them the best revenge she can think of- PERFORMANCE. Amidst “negative and destructive politics”, Gov. Perez “sustained her efforts for the progress of Antique.”

In the 2004 NEDA report, Antique ranked second in the number of investments among the provinces of Region 6. Total investments that entered the province in 2004 amounted to P217.57 Million, outranking other provinces including Negros Occidental. In the area of construction, Antique ranked third after Iloilo and Negros Occidental, with 52% increase over 2003. Total building construction amounted to 131.716 Million in 2004. Despite prediction of a backlash, she ordered the audit of the provincial government’s partner NGO, the Antique Integrated Area Development (ANIAD).  She fired her sports and historical council chairman, and expelled her longtime ally in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan from the party. With all candor, she expressed her appreciation for these individuals who have helped her but she declared the reasons for her actions.Her ambitious projects of great social and economic impact include the refurbishing and the reopening of Antique airport, the procurement of 12 units of new heavy equipment, service vehicles, communication equipment, the longest Presidential Bridge for Brgy. Solong, in the town of Sibalom. Her growing popularity brought about by her speedy program implementation and sustained rural outreach incited her political foes to intense jealousy that brought about the filing of trumped up charges and harassment suits that were all dismissed by the Ombudsman. Gov. Perez brought medical services to the far-flung barangays by the state -of-the-art clinic van dubbed as Klinika ni Gloria, trained and increased assistance to barangay midwives and health workers. Big medical and surgical missions were undertaken by volunteer medicalworkers from here in the country and abroad because  of her relentless appeal from different government, private and civic organizations. Additional PHILHEALTH coverage was made possible for indigents patients through the joint programs of the province  and the municipalities.

Gov. Perez also amazed her constituents with the construction of an Olympic-size swimming pool in a record-breaking time of four months and a rubberized track oval which in the past was unthinkable for the province such as Antique to realize.

Gov. Perez made Antiqueños proud of themselves through her institution of the Antique First Policy program wherein she inspired local entrepreneurs and manufacturers to produce quality goods and service which consequently were patronized by the local folks. which she herself set the example by patronizing.

     Through her support, Antique saw the blooming of arts and culture, with her being the avid patron of Kinaray-a arts and culture. Under Gov. Perez, never before have the humble Antiqueños felt so proud, enjoying the lavishness of arts and cultural revolution which she has firmly restored in the culturally famished Antiqueno of the past.