EDITORIAL - January 2018

Editorial for January 2018 Yearend Report

Fast-tracking change to make the best things happen

The year that was – 2017 – may be characterized by one thing: the desire to fast-track change. As the local chief executive himself was often heard saying during meetings, “O, pakibilisan ha!”

The impatience for delays is understandable, even necessary, given the often circuitous bureaucratic process, particularly the longish paper trail. It can also easily be explained away by the fact that change – meaningful if not profound change – has long been overdue for a long-suffering town and thus in fact much-awaited.

2017 was therefore a string of programs and projects that were sped up to give the people concrete proof of change. Building on 2016’s landmark achievements (new offices, CCTV command center, emergency hotline, dialysis center, etc.), Bayambangueños continued to witness so many firsts in the history of the town in so short a time: official hymn, murals along the Agno dike, contest for babies, Color Run, traffic lights, modern ‘welcome’ marker, barangay talipapas, a fleet of official vehicles, community service card, LGU computerization, flower garden at the plaza, Tourism Month celebration, Pasalubong Center, the hiring of Palafox Associates for long-term planning, Anti-Poverty Summit, the purchase of several ambulances and more CCTV cameras, giant animated Christmas display, etc.

Old ideas that worked were not relegated to the backburner but were revitalized and leveled up: local bodies and cooperatives, LGU and inter-barangay sportfests, Bb. Bayambang beauty pageant, book and school supply donations, free medicines, and monthly mobile outreaches offering an entire suite of municipal services other than the medical-dental.

There was also a construction boom around the municipality, requiring the emergency hiring of almost a thousand people. This paved the way for the renovation of the old Covered Court (now the Events Center), Tricycle Terminal, and Bus Stop (now with the Police Community Precinct #1 on top of it) and the construction of the new Municipal Library, new drainage systems in Poblacion and nearby areas, Kusina ng Balon Bayambang, Balaybuaya Footbridge, and core local access roads and other construction projects in the barangays. Construction was also started for RHU III in Carungay and RHU IV in Macayocayo.

The highlight of the administration’s second year is its reaping of notable awards, recognitions, and commendations. These are as follows: Model LGU in Drug Rehabilitation Program, Model LGU in Materials Recycling Facility Management, Seal of Child-Friendly Governance, Regional Awardee in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2016 (#2 in Region I and #1 in Pangasinan), DILG Commendation for Good Financial Housekeeping, Seal of Retiree-Friendly Community, and Seal of Good Local Governance in three consecutive years. Just as it reaped recognitions, the local government likewise did not shirk in honoring and recognizing outstanding Bayambangueños from all walks of life.

There is a cynical expression that goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Not here in Bayambang, where things change a lot and change fast to make the best things happen.