Vice mayor: Council awards a legacy, challenge to next leaders

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Vice Mayor and mayoralty aspirant Edwin Santiago said Thursday that the consecutive awards and national finalist entry of the City Council is a legacy and a challenge he and the 12 lawmakers will leave to the next batch of leaders in the august body.

San Fernando’s City Council has just entered into the regional Hall of Fame as “Most Outstanding Sanggunian” in the component city category by the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine Councilors League, after it won the award for three consecutive terms from 2006, 2009 and 2012.

It has also been officially declared as national finalist for the “Most Outstanding Sangguniang Panlunsod of the Philippines,” where it hopes to be a back-to-back awardee.

“More than just laurels on our cap, these awards the City Council has been conferred are our legacy to the next lawmakers of our city. Above that, the distinctions and honors as the best council in the country is a challenge to the next set of leaders who will run the city and look after the welfare of Fernandinos and Kapampangans alike. We could be the best, but we want the next batch of legislators to be better than us. Gusto namin, mas magaling sila sa amin because the job is very important in serving and addressing the various needs of people,” Santiago said.

He told Sun.Star Pampanga that the gains and headway of the City Council were born from the dedication, commitment and good governance of the councilors.

“Our gains and headway, like the implementation of laws covering social services, environment, disaster preparedness, infrastructure, health and other essential programs were because of the efforts, hard work, dedication and commitment of our local legislators in support of the advocacies of our Mayor Oscar Rodriguez. Aside from that, our Executive-Legislative Agenda was an unparalleled partnership that resulted to landmark ordinances and enabling laws that are supportive of regional and national directions. Since 2004, the august body has been relentlessly working for the people much that we took the sessions to barangays to make them participatory and have digitized and updated our laws from 1945 to the present so the public could have easy access to them via the internet,” said Santiago.

He said the main responsibility of the council at hand is developing the next members of the body in the field of legislation.

“That is our main responsibility as many of our incumbent councilors are on their last terms. Some will hopefully stay to guide the new leaders and carry on the traditions of excellence and good governance of the City Council. We will leave behind the legacy as we pose the challenge to them to be better than us,” said Santiago.

Along with the vice mayor and presiding officer in the City Council are end-termers Reden Halili, Ruping Dumlao, Rose Calimlim, vice mayoralty aspirants Jimmy Lazatin and Ato Agustin, re-electionists Noel Tulabut, Lito Ocampo, Dein Henson and Ayzel Macalino, Append party-list candidate Alex Patio and ex-officio Councilors Arnel Sicat and Carla Panganiban. (Jovi T. De Leon)