The best men in town

They come in all ages. Governor Art Defensor of Negros Occidental is in his senior years. Mayor Ramon Piang from Upi, Maguindanao and Mayor Oscar Moreno from Cagayan de Oro, are in their 50s. Mayor Ronnel Rivera from General Santos City and Mayor Abubukar Paglas are perhaps in their 40s. Those in their 30s are Mayor Carlo Medina from Vigan and Mayor Rex Gatchalian from Valenzuela. Mayor Jimuel Que from Tawi-Tawi is probably in his late 20s. They all have one thing in common. They are some of the best men in town.

Under the leadership of Governor Defensor, the province of Iloilo has flourished. I see his concern for students through the “Teen-eran Centers” he has established in all public high schools in the province. Long before President Duterte prohibited “tambays”, the Governor had already gone several steps ahead. He provided teenagers with a decent space where they can hang out, study, learn crafts, arts and music, get counseling, or just chill. He minimizes the probability that students may go wayward by providing them with a safe haven.

Mayor Ramon Piang follows the footsteps of Mayor Jesse Robredo. All his development councils have representatives from people’s organizations, religious groups, and tribal communities. His participatory ways generate a vibrant community engagement. Despite the lack of resources, the Mayor has turned footpaths and mountain trails into an impressive network of roads. Credit those to the huge social capital he has built that has resulted to fruitful partnerships.

My heart goes out to Mayor Moreno who is besieged with harassment cases. But you cannot put a good man down. His faith and will to serve the city grow stronger with the punches. The transformation of Cagayan de Oro is not only felt but clearly visible – cleaner streets, bustling community, resilience to disasters, new schools, better hospital services. All these amidst the fangs of politics.

Mayor Ronnel Rivera was not content with his huge success as an entrepreneur. He wanted a clean, and progressive city. He wanted good hospitals, good schools and safe streets. He cast his lot in politics and is well on the way to achieving his dreams. The city is much cleaner and much safer. Health and education are well provided. The Mayor is especially concerned with looking after the poor by making sure that they have access to basic utilities such as water and electricity. He has invested heavily on providing them with livelihood opportunities to arm them with lifetime skills.

Would a Mayor spend a weekend in Samal Island with hundreds of his teachers? Yes, Mayor Tong Paglas did. He twisted the arms of some of his friends to sponsor a workshop for teachers on how to teach reading in the best resort in the island. And he did more. He gave them his time. He joined them in saying their sounds, reciting nursery rhymes, and reading fairy tales.

Mayor Carlo Medina is another Jesse Robredo in the making. During ordinary office days, he comes to work in shorts and rubber slippers. He holds office together with his staff . The Mayor’s office is used sparingly, i.e. when he performs marriage ceremonies. He talks to his constituents as if he were just one of them. But make no mistake. He is dead serious in enforcing the city’s ordinances and makes no exception. He has the cleanest slaughterhouse in the country to support the “bagnet” and “langgonisa” industry. And, he is the chief protector of the historical heritage of the city.

I have written about Mayor Rex Gatchalian in several occasions. But there is always something new about his governance that I need to write about. This year, he plans to adopt “Bottom up budgeting” in drawing up the Special Education Fund budget. He truly wanted the budget to be demand-driven and to give a voice to School Governing Councils. His reading program is now focused on non-readers and tested them to find out their difficulties. The “Pamantasan ng Valenzuela” stands the tallest among universities in the country with respect to equipment, facilities, and services for students. And its beauty is more than skin deep. The university produced the topnotcher in the latest LET examination for teachers. He is obsessed with statistics and demands data to measure program results.

Mayor Jimuel Que looks like a school boy. But behind his charm is leadership and persistence which he inherited from his father. He carries on his work which spurred the reduction of poverty incidence in Bongao. These are through improved health, education, and a bustling trade center.

Why do I write about some of the best men in town? Because they are sources of hope and inspiration. In times when we are nearly driven to despair, we need to hold on to pillars of goodness. We need to discover and nurture more and more of their kind. They should be the rule rather than the exception.

mguevara@synergeia. org.ph