The city remains on the right track in the desire of the present administration to improve the quality of life of the people and achieve a better Baguio in the future.
In his first State of the City Address (SOCA) delivered during the 111th Baguio Charter Day anniversary program held at the Baguio Convention Center, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong stated that his governance was able to stay true to its course to institute change and that the same remained amidst the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Our fifteen-point agenda was drawn up to be the guidepost of this administration. It serves as the beacon to our true worth, that no matter what challenges and surprises will be thrown during this leadership, we will forge ahead. We took the painful but necessary steps to reconfigure the way we do things in government. We aimed for a breath of fresh air,” Magalong stressed.
He added that his administration made sure that during the most difficult times, when the city’s survival is challenged and when the economy is brought down to its knees, public welfare and safety is ensured, peace and order is kept, and more importantly, the people’s resilience is always put to the fore through constant community engagement aligned with the principle of equity, and inclusivity.
The city chief executive pointed out that the 15-point agenda is his contract with the people, a clear and palpable agreement between each and every one, and that he will fulfill his obligations with the public to lead the city to that desired quality of urban life and that the people agree to cooperate with each other.
According to him, as a community, there will be a consolidated effort to build back together a better life now and beyond 111. He said that the gains of administration is partly a continuation of the gains of the previous leaders who steered the city to what it is known today in the global village.
Amidst the threat of the global pandemic, the mayor cited that reaching 100 is an achievement but it is the extra 11 that everyone will remember as the present administration sits at the 11th and its task is to make sure that the city and its people will see themselves in a better position, in a better way of life now and beyond the 11th.
“We are the lucky ones who will be able to towards that better life ahead, to be able to experience what life would be in the now normal, and to see to it that our children will carry on even amidst the damage that the pandemic has done to the world,” he said.
He claimed that a little over a year ago, when he took on the role as the city’s top executive, he had an idea of what was over the fence, and that he was ready for it knowing fully well that there was a need to work as this is the 11th hour.
The city mayor said that the city heard and responded to the call for change, change in the way we see ourselves, change in the way we see the present and past challenges, change in the way we must govern and that the administration came in knowing that there were critical development challenges that needed to be solved and major urban problems that have to be surmounted. By Dexter A. See