Acting mayor on character week: Be a good influence

ACTING Mayor Daniel Fariñas urged Baguio City residents to serve as good influence to others in the community by continuing to espouse positive character traits and values.

“If you can influence others with your good traits, then the entire community will be influenced and thus we can achieve our aim of character reformation in our city,” Farinas said during the Character Week awarding ceremonies last Tuesday at the Baguio Convention Center.

The awarding was part of the multi-faceted activities lined up by the city for the Character Week celebration from September 14-21 with the theme, “Let’s Walk our Talk.”

San Antonio Village was awarded for its outstanding barangay character program along with other barangays that participated in the barangay transformation seminars conducted in line with the celebration.

Among the honorees were Hector Valdo, who returned the Canadian dollars he found in his taxicab; and city employees Michael Lopez who returned a lost wallet to a Lingayen city official and Noriel Buenavista who gave back a lost pair of earring to a market association official.

After the program, participants composed of the barangay residents and city employees snaked down Session Road with their colorful umbrellas for the “Parade of a Thousand Character Umbrellas” with each color bearing one of the characters being promoted under the Character program.

The celebration was ushered in by the “Usapang Turismo” program aired at Sky Cable last September 14, while various churches also heralded the observance with prayers for a better Baguio last September 16.

The formal launching of activities was launched last September 17 at the City Hall grounds.

Lending an environmental dimension to the program was the “From the heart to the tree and potluck among the Pines” held last September 19 at the Dominican Heritage Hill where tree planting, rappelling and picnic were conducted.

Also held were the Character on the Air, September 20, 9 a.m. and dzEQ and the Concert at the Park last September 21 at Sunshine Park.

The celebration is spearheaded by the Baguio City Character Council chaired by Mayor Mauricio Domogan.

The celebration is part of city’s thrust to “install positive character values in all aspect of human endeavor in schools, business, churches, barangays, the media, community groups, families, city and regional offices and non-government organizations” pursuant to Resolution 107 series of 2003. (Aileen Refuerzo)