I AM sure that history will be kind to the Santiago administration. Edwin D. Santiago (Edsa) was first elected as City Mayor of San Fernando in 2013. He surpassed the achievements of his predecessors. He initiated financial reforms that the City has Zero Disallowance from the Commission on Audit. He is the first Mayor who has the political will to demolish the Old Public Market to give way to a new and improved trade center befitting the vibrant City.
Before his term ends, the new market becomes a living monument of Edsa for keeps. Also, he was able to secure from the Shoe Mart Group a donation for a 5,000-square-meter lot in the Paskuhan Village. At a conservative price of P20,000 per square meter, the City became P100 million richer. This is apart from the P10-million building to be constructed therein, free of cost to the local government unit (LGU).
The C3 Satellite Offices in Del Rosario were realized through the vision of Mayor Edsa. You can visit our modern complex, the home of our sustainable digital projects. This jumpstarted Edsa’s drive to make San Fernando a smart city.
When pandemic strikes, San Fernando is the first LGU to have an isolation facility ccommodating more than 250 Covid patients at any given time. This is made possible because of the proactive action of the incumbent Mayor.
Awards and distinctions keep on pouring.
In 2014, San Fernando bagged the Most Business Friendly Award, given by the prestigious Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Inc. In the same year, we copped grandslam the Peso awards given by the Department of Labor and Employment.
In 2015, San Fernando was chosen as the Most Competitive City in the Philippines. The highest award of Seal of Good Governance by the Department of Interior and Local Government was bestowed upon the City.
In 2016, Edsa was declared the Best City Mayor in the Philippines by Superbrand. For the second straight year, the Seal of Good Governance was given to the City.
Wait there’s more -- the Department of Social Welfare and Development chose the city to be bestowed with the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance.
In 2017, Edsa was confirmed the Most Outstanding Mayor in the Philippines. The Seal of Good Governance was given again to San Fernando for the third consecutive year (Hall of Fame). The E-Readiness Leadership Award was awarded to the City. Edsa was chosen by his peers -- Mechanical Engineers of the Philippines as the Most Outstanding Mechanical Engineer in the field of Government Service.
In 2018, the City was chosen as having the Best City Disaster Reduction and Management Council. No wonder, there are no more disastrous floods in the City.
In 2019, the City won over all cities in the Philippines in the Gawad Kalasag (Best CDRRM) Award. In terms of Waste Management, the Zero Waste Leadership Award was cornered by Edsa. The Civil Service Commission selected the City for Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resources. We also received the Seal of Good Governance for the fourth time.
In 2020, the DOCT selected the City as one of the “Digital Cities 2025.”
In 2021, the Civil Service Commission awarded Edsa with the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award.
The accomplishments of Mayor Edwin “Edsa” Santiago should serve as the standards for future mayors who would like to serve the City.