THE Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan (TTKD) held last week was a record breaker. It filled that stretch of MacArthur Highway in the Balibago area with people. It is always like that. The organizers earned more than seven million pesos on gate receipts and incomes from sponsors.
Many came maybe because they wanted to hear the singing of Angeles City Mayor Ed Pamintuan and his rendition of Sweet Sixteen, his national anthem. "Petmalu, Indimat". The 25th year and counting can be attributed to the vision and partnership of Pamintuan and his erstwhile chief of staff now Clark International Airport Corporation president Alex Caugiran.
Every Angeles resident should give a grade-A to Mayor Pamintuan for his effort to make really the city a liveable place. I sincerely believe he wants to leave a legacy when he leaves office and bequeath such to his family particularly to his sons.
Angeles City is one of fastest growing cities in the country today. But it can achieve more as we continue raising a higher bar. I am used to presentation of what a place should become when I was a member of the board of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation.
I had the privilege to participate in the discussions with the likes of Tony Aquino, president of Ayala Land Inc and his successor Bobby Dy. Seated in a room with them and joined by Fernando Zobel, Butch Campos, Arnel Casanova, Narciso Abaya, Rene Valencia and others is a total education for me on how to build a liveable place.
In a way, Mayor Ed Pamintuan has the bragging rights whenever he claims in his public speeches that under his watch, the city achieved a remarkable growth in terms of number of business establishments located in the city and the increased in the expenditure budget to P1.5 billion this year.
But much is still desired because the city has to cope with the increasing growth of nearby Clark Freeport, more so now Clark Development Corporation President Noel Manankil, a homegrown Angeleno has his roll sleeves and is now in full throttle.
BTW. I suppose with a command center at the city hall in place and monitor on a 24 hour basis movements in all Angeles City roads, it is suggested that aside from the principal and secondary roads, back streets should also be installed CCTV monitors. And public buildings schools, libraries and extension offices should be wired with free internet connections.
Tweets:
+Did you know that Angeles City has more restaurants compared to any other cities in the country. Take your pick. Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cajun, Mexican, Japanese, Filipino and other fusion.
+ There was a time souvenir shops dotted the Friendship Highway in Angeles City. When the American GIs left, the Koreans took over. Visit the area during night time and you suddenly feel you were transported in the downtown Gangnam section of Seoul.
+Food parks sprouted in many business districts in the City of San Fernando and Angeles City. They are giving Jolibee, Macdonalds and other food chain competition.