THERE used to be not much activity in Mandaue City’s reclamation area, except for occasional complaints about prostitution by the “carton girls” in some of its dark alleys.
There was no sustained effort at sanitation, its street lights were often faulty, and its roads dilapidated.
But that was before.
Today, the reclamation area in Mandaue is one of the places most visited by people because of its hotels, malls, entertainment establishments, and various businesses.
Its increasing activity has compelled Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing to appoint a manager to address concerns in the reclamation area, which does not belong to any barangay.
The mayor appointed Marvin Soco, a barangay councilman in Labogon who resigned that post to take on his new responsibilities. Soco will also serve as assistant city administrator.
The mayor has asked him to make sure the reclamation area is kept clean and safe, and that its roads are in good condition and well-lit.
Here are excerpts of SunStar Cebu’s interview with Mandaue’s first reclamation manager.
Who is Marvin Soco as a family man? What did you do before you entered public service?
I’m a native of Mandaue City and the eldest of the brood of four of spouses Marcelo Soco Sr. and Maria Fe Jornales Soco. I am married to the former Juda Mata Soco of Danao City and we are blessed with two grown-up children, a 20-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter.
Before joining public service, I used to be a banker and was connected with one of the private development banks in Mandaue City for almost 11 years. After getting my master’s degree in Business Administration, I also taught part-time in one of the big private schools in Mandaue.
How many years have you been in public service? Do you have other public officials in the family?
I have been a public servant for almost 10 years now. I started my political career in 2007 as a barangay councilor in Labogon, Mandaue City, the second biggest barangay in terms of population. Politics is in my blood since my father is also a former barangay councilor in Labogon for 12 years and his younger brother was also the former number one city councilor of Mandaue City. Two of their siblings and in-laws were formerly barangay captains and councilors as well. At present, I sit as the vice president of the Barangay Councilors’ League of the Philippines, Mandaue City Chapter.
What attracted you to accept the appointment to become an assistant city administrator and at the same time the North Reclamation Area (NRA) manager?
During one of our casual talks with Mayor Luigi, I already told him of my willingness to help the city I love once my stint as barangay councilor will end since I’m serving my third and last term. Being exposed in the corporate world for a lot of years, I feel it would be best for me to give back to my city by way of sharing my expertise and knowledge in corporate management and finance.
What attracted me to accept the City’s invitation as the new assistant city administrator and NRA manager are the challenges that come with these positions. But having bosses who are very supportive and colleagues who are willing to lend a hand when you need them makes me more confident that I can handle any task that the City wants me to do.
How large is the Mandaue reclamation area? What do you consider as the biggest challenges there?
The Mandaue Reclamation Area under the new Zoning Ordinance 14-2016-1119 is considered a Planned Unit of Development 1 (PUD-1), which is a civic and trade center development and is treated as a central business district. This will be used primarily for high-density commercial, institutional and residential developments on a metropolitan scale of operations.
It has a total of area of 185 hectares; 63 hectares were allocated for roads, parks, and open spaces. The remaining 122 hectares are shared by Mandaue City and the developer (FF Cruz and Company); an area of 27 hectares for Mandaue and the remaining 95 hectares for the developer.
At present, there are about 716 locators based on the issued City Clearances and about 20 major locators, which include Mandani Bay, Parkmall, City Time Square, BAI Hotel, BIG Hotel, Chong Hua Hospital, UC Medical Hospital, and Cebu Doctors’ University, just to name a few.
As regards my biggest challenges, I would base it in the following order: traffic, security, and solid waste management.
Prostitution is reportedly in the reclamation area, specifically the “carton girls” (so called because they entertain their clients while on cardboard recycled from cartons). Is this a big challenge for you? How would you address this?
If I remember right, we encountered this problem two years ago and since then, it just died a natural death. Recently, I was informed by Mayor Luigi and this was confirmed by our two police station chiefs that they are back. During one of our committee meetings, it was brought up by our police chief in Station 1 that they apprehended a few of them and they were warned not to do it again or face the consequences, like being locked in jail.
We coordinated with our City Engineering Office to install LED street lights in identified areas.
How are you able to handle the tasks of the assistant city administrator and the NRA manager at the same time?
To be honest, handling two sensitive positions is not a simple walk in the park for me but as I said, having supportive bosses, colleagues who are willing to lend a hand and prayers make my job easier and boost my morale to perform to the best of my ability. Multi-tasking is not new to me since we used to do this a lot when I was in the bank and, of course, proper time management is the key to all of this.
What’s the most rewarding thing about taking charge of Mandaue’s reclamation area?
The most rewarding thing about taking charge of Mandaue’s Reclamation Area is when you all the locators feel that they are welcome in Mandaue and their basic needs are provided for. Also to have a mutual and beneficial business relationship between the City of Mandaue and our locators. At the end of the day, you will see happy and satisfied faces from our business owners and future investors of the City.
Do you have any plans to run again in the next elections? If yes, what position will you run for?
I already have decided not to run again for any position since I have already been a public servant for the last 10 years and I know I can still help my constituents by way of being in the City, but with a bigger scope.