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Saturday, February 04, 2006
Aquino recalls lahar days
By Albert B. Lacanlale
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Five years ago this former capital town has been reborn into a bustling component city of Pampanga.
Catapulted to cityhood by an overwhelming "yes" vote in a referendum, this locality dared to overcome its tragic days with lahar and strived to transform its lahar-ravaged lands into an area teeming with economic activities.
After half a decade, former city mayor now Representative Rey B. Aquino still vividly remembers how they laid out the plans to achieve the city's status as the 99th city of the country.
"The concept of cityhood was devised for the expected, which was to set a goal that would motivate business and investment, generate better revenue, unite the community toward a single goal, and create an atmosphere of progress after lahar," Aquino recalls.
The plan to launch a campaign for cityhood, he added, is anchored on the leaders' will to provide a new direction for the local folk, who have started losing hope due to the recent natural disaster.
Aquino credited the locality's recovery to the synergy of Fernandinos who fought against the ravage of natural disaster and hurdled the obstacles for their cityhood.
"The gains of cityhood must be returned to the people and this could only be done with retrospect by those who built the city," he said.
"Today," Aquino said, "everybody is counting five years of actuality and this is good because the people are enjoying the benefits of our becoming a city."
However, Aquino added that it would take more years to realize the optimum potentials of cityhood. "Like other urban centers, San Fernando is affected by national and regional events both favorable and unfavorable."
The solon believes the city needs to continue "re-inventing and re-generating" itself.
"The energy of recovery then must be sustained to new heights and transformed into redevelopment, one that is channeled to the marginalized in their economic, social and health needs," Aquino added.
(February 4, 2006 issue)
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