By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
At the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected officials of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) on Tuesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the importance of their role as stewards of public service at the grassroots level.
In his speech, Marcos touted local governance as the fountain of true leadership, with the responsibility of serving residents within their respective locales serving as the benchmark upon which their performance as public officials will be gauged by the masses.
President Marcos reminded the local chief executives, “Nasusukat ang mabuting pamamahala sa mga pagbabagong nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan sa kanilang araw-araw na buhay. Kapag may sakuna at agad ninyong narerespondehan, doon nagkakaroon ng saysay ang salitang lingkod-bayan.”
He added further, “Tuwing nakikita nilang may maayos na kalsada, tulay, o silid-aralan, doon natin naibabalik ang kanilang tiwala. Sa gitna ng lahat ng ito, isa sa pinakamahalagang aspeto ng mabuting pamamahala ay ang pagbibigay ng pagkakataon sa bawat mamamayan na umunlad.”
The President moreover encouraged the local government officials to partake in the administration’s progressive steps towards curbing corruption and other malpractices within the government, even citing examples from his earlier inspections on some ‘ghost’ and anomalous flood control projects in several areas across the country.
He also directed the LCP and LMP to foster synergy with the national government, which he cited as pivotal in ensuring a whole-of-government approach in responding to the needs of the citizenry.
Rounding up the Chief Executive’s remarks at the event were his pledges on the construction of more Child Development Centers (CDC) across the archipelago under the Early Childhood Care and Development Program, proposed public-private partnership (PPP) for the construction of school buildings under the supervision of DepEd and DPWH, and the restoration of the original functions of the Regional Development Council (RDC). (with report from Harley Valbuena | PTV News)
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