Thursday, June 14, 2007 I left legacy of performance: Ouano
ENDING his last term that also saw the defeat of his son in the mayoral race, outgoing Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano is confident that he left behind a “legacy of performance and progress.”
“I would like to believe that history will not judge me by the mistakes I made.
I would not wish to rationalize those mistakes. I am confident, though, that history will judge me fairly,” he said.
He delivered his end-term report last Tuesday night at the Cebu International Convention Center before Vice Mayor-elect Carlo Pontico Fortuna and eight elected councilors who took their oath of office.
Reporters were able to interview Ouano before the program but when asked to comment about the administration of Acting Mayor Amadeo Seno Jr., Ouano chose not to say anything.
Up to people
“It is up for the people to judge,” Ouano said.
Ouano, Seno and their lineup of councilors have been partymates since they ran for public office in 1998. In 2001, their group won straight.
In November last year, the mayoralty bid of Ouano’s son, Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, was formally launched. In January this year, Seno broke away from the party and announced he was running for mayor.
About a week later, Councilors Jonas Cortes and Glenn Bercede also broke away from the party and announced their bids for mayor and vice mayor respectively.
Ouano was put under preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman last March for alleged involvement in the purchase of overpriced lampposts.
Seno was eventually appointed as acting mayor while Cortes, being the councilor with the highest number of votes in the 2004 elections, was appointed acting vice mayor.
Last month, Cortes was proclaimed winner after garnering a lead of over 15,000 votes over Jonkie.
In his speech last Tuesday night, Teddy expressed pride in his projects such as housing for the urban poor, the Mandaue City College, construction of public schools, new public market and the food terminal or bagsakan.
He also reported that under his administration, Mandaue became the fastest-rising economy in Central Visayas in 2005.
The City’s income has also grown from P319.12 in 1998 to P643.12 million in 2006.
Business sector
Teddy also reported that the business sector has confidence in his administration. New establishments numbered about 194 in 1998 and rose to 1,340 in 2006.
Gross receipts from private sector investments increased from P38.8 billion in 1998 to P85.5 billion in 2006. He explained that the gross receipts figures indicate the strength of the export sector and the purchasing power of the city’s residents.
It was also under Teddy’s administration that garbage bins and compactor trucks were purchased through a bank loan to implement the City’s solid waste management program.
Teddy also mentioned that in the last three years, he was accused of being “a rice smuggler, a drug protector and an accomplice in the lamppost controversy.”
He said that the first two accusations were not proven and that the last will not prosper because he wasn’t part of the actual procurement.
“Past experiences are lessons learned and should transform us into better persons. The good times we had are good memories that we need to cherish.
The bad times became good lessons and should make us even more determined and focused. In all these, we gained in life. We never lost,” Teddy said.
Teddy also spoke of memories worth keeping and lessons worth learning.
“As I bow out of public office, I shall keep these memories and lessons close to my heart...I hold no rancor nor bitterness in my heart,” he added. (AAG)
