IN AN AD contained in the June 28 issue of the Manila Bulletin, outgoing Mayor Bobby Eusebio announced to all and sundry that he is leaving his post with the city awashed in cash: a whopping P15 billion.
In that ad, Mayor Eusebio detailed his accomplishments thus: ISO 9001: 2015 certification, DILG Seal of Good Local Governance two years in a row, land accounting, P1.024 billion, property, plant and equipment-P33 billion, income realized from P150 million in 1992 to P12 billion in 2018 and trust fund-P562 million, general fund-P2.02 billion and special education fund-P1.8 billion.
As to doing business, Pasig City has been awarded twice for being most business friendly local government unit (city level 1) in 2017 and 2018.
Quezon City, meanwhile, cannot be far behind as outgoing mayor Herbert Bautista also had his landmark achievements published in the Manila Bulletin issue of Sunday, June 30, 2019: Quezon City became one of the most competitive cities in the Philippines in 2016, 2017 and 2018;No. 1 in Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency in the Philippines; 2018 National Kalasag top awardee and consistently ranked within the top 3 nationwide, Seal of Good Local Governance 2017 and 2018; recognized globally for its socialized housing program, awarded internationally for its Geographic Information System program for property tax mapping.
As to its financial status, Quezon City effected a 103% or P9.97 billion increase in its income, from P9.08 billion in 2010 to P19.65 billion in 2018.
Mabalacat City, compared to these two leading cities is still far behind, but it is striving, with its stringent financial orientations, to approximate the financial standings of the former.
In sum, it is up to the incoming mayors Vico Sotto for Pasig and Joy Belmonte for Quezon City, to maintain their supremacy. Mayor Garbo is also bent on giving Mabalacat City prominence in the race for the most competitive city. Abangan.
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CSC reminder. Commissioner Aileen Lizada of the Civil Service Commission reminded the human resources departments of offices and LGUs that the hiring of applicants for civil service posts should be based on merit and that reserving positions for insiders is prohibited.
I just hope that the Human Resource Management Office of the LGU of Mabalacat City is complying with this directive from the Civil Service Commission and not hiding information from deserving applicants.
The directive requires posting of vacant positions to serve as notice to all interested applicants including outsiders. Hiring or promoting civil service applicants, therefore, should be based on merit and fitness for the positions.