Meet the Gen Z mayor of Alaminos City
In this Covid-19 crisis, Mayor Arth Celeste is empowering local farmers despite small budget
Since the beginning of the extended community quarantine, people have been on the lookout for stories of hope, stories that inspire. This is why, on social media, netizens laud local government leaders who have been stepping up to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 outbreak. These apples of the public eye include Mayor Vico Sotto of Pasig, Mayor Isko Moreno of Manila, and Mayor Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City.
But all the spotlight should not just be on Metro Manila mayors.
Attracting the attention of social media eyes is the 23year-old mayor of Alaminos City, Pangasinan, Arth Bryan Celeste. This Gen Z public servant is strategically supporting his constituents by empowering their community’s famers.
In a phone call with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Mayor Arth talks about the differences between urban and rural quarantine and how Alaminos is fighting this pandemic.
Urban vs rural quarantine
According to Mayor Arth, it is easier to contain the virus in Alaminos compared to Metro Manila because they have a smaller population. But he clarified that it doesn’t mean that they are not having a hard time coping with the domino effect of the imposed Luzon-wide enhanced quarantine.
“It’s easier to contain [the virus here] because it’s not crowded and our barangays are composed of barrios,” he explains. “What we are watching now is the bayan (city proper). And we asked our barangay chairmen to guard their own jurisdiction.”
With a population of 100,000, the challenge for Alaminos City government is to support workers that are displaced because of this pandemic. A majority of its people rely on tourism for their livelihood, with the beautiful Hundred Islands National Park as one of the city’s tourist attractions.
“There are a lot of people affected by this situation, especially our tourism sector because we closed down the Hundred Islands,” Mayor Arth says. “Our boatmen and tricycle drivers are directly hit.”
He says that there are about 1,000 boatmen and 3,500 tricycle drivers that have temporarily lost their jobs. When asked what kind of assistance the LGU is providing these workers, Mayor Arth admits that due to a limited budget, his office can only offer relief goods to their families.
“For now, we have very a limited budget,” he adds. “Hindi namin kaya yung ginagawa ni Mayor Vico ng Pasig (we can’t do what Mayor Vico of Pasig is doing) where he is giving financial assistance because our budget can’t afford it.”
The mayor told Manila Bulletin Lifestyle that he is doing his best to work within the R50 million calamity fund since no one knows how long this pandemic will last.
Supporting local farmers
His office may not be able to give financial assistance but it doesn’t mean they can’t do anything about it. The city government is keen on supporting their community’s farmers.
Included in the relief goods that they are distributing to 25,000 families across 39 barangays are watermelon and vegetables from local farmers.
“It all started with pakwan (watermelon),” the mayor says. “Someone came to us, asking if we could buy his produce. Given the situation, he said that he couldn’t sell it anymore. There was no longer a demand for it.”
His office decided to buy this farmer’s produce. This started the idea of working with other farmers, buying their produce and including them in the relief goods.
“It’s watermelon season and these fruits would rot if we don’t purchase them,” he says. “Other than watermelons, we also bought around a ton of other vegetable produce from other farmers.”
Mayor Arth personally helps his people in repacking these supplies. Every day, they go around to different areas to distribute the goods, making sure every family receives their share.
These relief goods include six kilos of rice, canned goods, coffee, and, of course watermelon and vegetables.
“The other challenge for us is the limited supply of canned goods. So the contents of our relief bags are not always the same but we make sure they are of equal worth,” he explains.
Mayor Arth is proud that these challenges don’t stop the people of Alaminos from showing the true spirit of bayanihan by volunteering to help in repacking and delivering the relief goods, while others give donations.
Mayor Arth hopes that his constituents continue to support one another. “We are asking for your discipline and cooperation. Let’s work together for we can’t do this alone,” he says. “We have obligations toward one another and we are counting on you.”