The Cebu experience

By Mayor Belen Fernandez

NOONG nakalipas na linggo, I had a chance to see and appreciate the real beauty of Cebu when I attended the convention  of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) sa programang “Convergence of Public Servants”. Hangang-hanga ako sa Cebu at ang kanyang masisipag na mamamayan. I told myself: “Sana, ganito ang Dagupan”.

Isang malaking karangalan for me and the city of Dagupan na makasama sa convention na ang mga host ay si Mayor Michael Rama, the LCP national president, at si Konsehal Dondon Hontiveros ng Cebu. Kaming mga city mayors from different parts of the country ay mainit na sinalubong sa Cebu ng kanilang mga officials at staff.

It was a learning experience for me dahil the convention gave the opportunity to the city mayors to share their best practices in good governance para ang mga akmang mga programa will be duplicated or replicated in other places.

For us, we shared our UnliSerbisyo program na isinakatuparan natin noong una tayong naluklok sa Dagupan, which we reintroduced when we returned to office after three years. Ito ay ating strategy para matugunan natin as best as we can the problems besetting our people from all walks of life 24/7.

Doon sa convention, masaya kong ibabalita sa inyo that I had a chance to talk in person to Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City and learned from her QC’s best practices in solving their problem tungkol sa basura.

Kaya, inisip ko na imbitahin muli si Ms. Jill Boughton, ang CEO at founder ng Waste2Worth Innovation, para ibalik muli sa ating lungsod ang kanilang modernong Waste 2 Energy project that can convert plastic into diesel fuel at mga solid wastes into methane gas na magagamit sa cooking and lighting homes.

Kahit walang gagastahing kahit singkong-duling ang Dagupan, the former city administration rejected this project na ating plinantsa noong tayo pa ang nasa poder.

Sana hindi na ga-bundok ang basura natin if the past city mayor allowed the project to push through under his watch. Dahil sa maruming pulitika, naudlot ang project. I’m not sure if Ms. Boughton is willing to bring back this project to us. Pero susubukan po natin, at kailangan ko po ang inyong dasal.

Doon sa convention, pinag-aaralan kong mabuti ang mga best practices ng ibat-ibang cities in the Philippines and all of these ay binaon ko pag-uwi ko ng Dagupan.

Siyanga pala, sa socializing ng mga participants, napakiusapan ang aming grupo na mag-render ng special number. Tinungo namin ang banda to lend us their instruments. At alam nyo kung anong instrumento ang napunta sa akin — tambourine. Umani kami ng masigabong palak-pakan mula sa mga kapwa city mayors.

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Before I flew to Cebu, I was with Vice Mayor BK, Konse Dennis Canto at ang mga officials of the Department of Health, during the launching of PinasLakas that aims to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination of our kabaleyans doon sa ating city plaza. 

Here in Dagupan, in order to entice people to get themselves vaccinated, nagbigay tayo ng tig-tatlong kilong bigas sa unang 1,000 na na mababakunahan. 

Ang pinatinding COVID-19 vaccination drive ay pinangungunahan ni Dr. Opal Rivera, ang ating city health officer, na naunang nagdala ng vaccination to Barangay Salisay noong nakaraang linggo. 

Bukod pa dito, mag-iikot pa ang mga CHO workers sa ibang-ibang mga business establishments para hanapin pa ang mga hindi pa nababakunahan o na bibigyan ng booster shots. 

Salamat kay Pangulong Marcos sa kanyang personal na pagsulong ng vaccination against COVID-19. 

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Kahit pa nandon ako sa Cebu, patuloy ang aking monitoring sa mga pangyayari sa Dagupan. Dahil dito, ako ay masaya because the projects are proceeding just as fast as when I am physically around.

The City Engineer’s Office sa ilalim ni OIC City Engineer  Josephine Corpuz is cleaning our rivers without let-up, especially at the Inarangan Lake sa Barangay Malued. Alam ba ninyo na the smallest fresh water lake in the Philippines is the Inarangan Lake?

As a fresh water lake, the Inarangan Lake is teeming with water lilies.  Kasi, habang nasa fresh water body, ang water lily will live and spread. And dies pag napunta sa maalat na tubig.

When I found out noon na ang Inarangan Lake is the smallest lake in PH, naghanda ako ng plano para  mai-develop ito bilang isang tourist spot dito sa Dagupan. Pero ito ay na dead-ma ng dating administration. Kaya ngayon, we will continue this novel project in order to draw more tourists to our city.

In clearing rivers of water lily, we are going to remove any obstruction that impedes the flow of water, so in case it  rains, mabilis po ang agos ng tubig patungong dagat.

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Noong linggo, ako ay inanyayahan ni Kapitan Noel Bumanglag sa launching ng kanilang Palarong Bonuan Gueset. Excited ako sa activity na ito dahil this is the first such palaro during the pandemic.

Miss na miss na ng mga kabataan ang basketball at volleyball na talagang ipinag-bawal during the period of the pandemic. 

I was informed that there are about 80 teams competing in basketball at volleyball sa palarong inihanda ni Kapitan Noel at ang kanyang mga kagawad. 

Good  job, Noel!

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