As it celebrates its 18th founding anniversary
MAASIN CITY- As this city is to celebrate its 18th founding anniversary on August 10, Mayor Nacional Mercado said that he is proud that the city is basking of various awards and recognitions.
All these awards and recognitions received by the city government were testament of a solid cooperation between its officials and residents, the city mayor said.
“In spite of our limited resources, for we are only a fourth class city, in fact, we are the smallest city in terms of area and internal revenue allotment in Region 8, yet we are big in our dreams and big in our collaborative efforts which consequently we have been recipient of various national and regional awards and recognitions,” the 36-year-old mayor said.
Under his watch, Maasin City was adjudged as one of the 359 awardees of Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) in 2017 out of the 145 cities and 1, 715 local government units evaluated by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Maasin, the provincial capital of Southern Leyte, has also bagged awards such as Child-friendly Local Governance Award; Most Improved LGU for Component Cities, second place; Best LGU on Pabasa sa Nutrisyon in 2016-2017; Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar and Council, and a hall of fame awardee of Red Orchid due to its no smoking policy, among others.
The city was also declared as a drug-cleared city as it launched a rehabilitation program for illegal drug users dubbed as “Rehabilitation without Walls.”
On nutrition, health, sports, and wellness, Mercado said the city now have life-saving devices such as automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and additional ambulances and doctor to its roster of three existing physicians while institutionalizing sports and fitness programs like the Zumba and Hataw sessions.
In support of its agricultural and commercial development, the mayor reported on the increasing number of commercial establishments, banks and farm inputs to the farmers in the city.
He added that more health centers and infrastructure projects will be implemented in the city.
Mercado also took pride in the operation of additional transport services like the Weesam Express and the opening of Guadalupe port to provide easy access for investors and tourists from nearby Cebu and Bohol.
Commercial airline travel through Air Juan is now opened in the city coupled with newly-installed improvements at the Panan-awan Airport.
The city also enacted local investment and incentive code, tourism code, and other measures on public-private partnership approach towards development to further invite tourism-oriented and related enterprises.
To ensure peace and order particularly in times of disaster, Mercado said they already have the Maasin City children’s code, traffic code, gender and development code, city anti-narcotic unit, the establishment of VAWC (Violence against Women and Children) desks in all 70 barangays of the city, including streetlight project particularly in danger-prone areas.
The mayor also assured that the city has a ready team and equipment on local disaster and risk reduction management along with its firefighting and extricating equipment.
He maintained that environmental conservation is a top priority in his administration as he backed the comprehensive solid waste management ordinance in the city.
“All these are because we are helping each other, in the Maasinhon way of bayanihan, nag-ajonay tang tanan, nagtinabangay ta,” also said the mayor during his state of the city address recently, thanking the barangay officials, socio-religious and civic sector, private sector, academe, and business groups for their help in the growth of the city.
Meanwhile, Mercado announced the upcoming job fair at the city gymnasium on August 13 in line to its charter day and its fiesta celebration on August 15 in honor of Our Lady of Assumption.
(RONALD O. REYES)
