Belen’s hard work and performance

By Gonzalo Duque

WE were among thousands of Dagupeños who want to give Mayor Belen Fernandez a resounding applause when she delivered her State of the City Address on March 20 at CSI Stadia.

Give it to her, she had done much for the city and people. 

More than that, she installed Dagupan to its rightful place under the sun, what of the many awards bestowed to the city under her watch – the biggest of which was when it was adjudged as the nation’s most-child friendly city last year.    

As a lawyer-educator, we take particular pride of her awesome effort in raising the level of  education for the youth of Dagupan so that they will be at par, if not better than their counterparts in other urban cities not only in the region but likewise in the entire Philippines.

Her administration not only built schools (the lowest building of which was two-storey high), libraries and covered courts for sports and social gatherings but also sent to college sons and daughters of poor Dagupeños at a time when their hopes of going to school was already fading.

Records show that  the city invested  P22 million for scholarships . And looked what this amount of money has produced after only five years–357 graduates, 22 of them are board passers, from among the 1,600 youth who were granted the Mayor Belen T. Fernandez Scholarship Program.      

No other  mayor in the history of Dagupan ever thought of investing in the  poor but talented youth of Dagupan because under their administrations, education was relegated to the backseat.

Belen did not stop there. She continued to hold Children’s Summit, Science and Technology and Arts, Summits and for the last two years, Journalism Summit in order to develop the hidden potentials of the youth in different fields.

Note that when  Mayor Belen was ushered in by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) to deliver her SOCA on stage, did you see who were following her? The children, beaming with pride and showing off the gold medals that they won from their week-long campaign in the Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) meet.

Yes, the children acknowledged that the key to their back-to-back victory in the R1AA was the support and prayers given them by Mayor Belen and the whole city of Dagupan.  

Good job, Mayor Belen!

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We are enjoining delinquent employers, numbering 132,000 all over the country, to avail of the penalty condonation program being given them by the Social Security System (SSS) based on a recent circular providing for the non- imposition of penalties on delinquent contributions. 

Approved during a Social Security Commission (SSC) meeting presided by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III as ex-officio chairman, which we attended, the move will benefit some 1.4 employees in the private sector.

While this is a good news to the employees, this will be likewise good for the employers because  when they avail of this new policy, it  will make them compliant with the social security laws. 

Delinquent employers have until September 6 this year to avail of the condonation program.

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Our brother-in-law, the late Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. who died a few weeks ago, was recognized by President Rodrigo Duterte as having been instrumental in strengthening the country’s monetary system that made the peso attain a better standing in the international community.

Proof of President Duterte’s respect for Nesting, as we in the family affectionately called him, was that during his wake, the chief executive and other high officials in the government came to pay their last respect.   

Nesting is the brother of my wife, Atty. Ruth Espenilla Duque. As everybody all knew, Nesting succumbed to tongue cancer. He took a leave of absence from the BSP for months to undergo treatment in the U.S. He briefly returned to his post but eventually, the Big C prevailed. 

We pray Nesting is resting in peace.

Nesting was replaced by President Duterte’s personal choice–Budget Secretary Benjamin  Diokno, who is equally qualified to head the BSP.

Diokno’s post at Department of Budget and Management was given to Undersecretary Janet Abuel, a Dagupeña, in an acting capacity. Atty. Abuel is a product of Dominican School in Dagupan. 

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