Cebu Province had the chance to share its best practices and programs in a gathering attended by provincial and municipal officials of “Region 7” provinces, namely Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental.
The officials gathered at the Cebu Provincial Capitol on August 12 to witness the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 7’s launching of the “Recovery Initiative for Sustained Economy” or RISE program.
The program is aimed at promoting local economic development and resilient communities by enhancing the LGU’s capacity to drive recovery and growth; and to empower LGUs with the necessary tools, strategies, and partnerships to drive economic recovery and nurture sustained growth.
The Capitol’s presentation touches on Cebu’s innovative and trailblazing programs in tourism, economic enterprise, digitalization, food security, and educational support which have concretely demonstrated why Cebu is the premier province in the country today.
But aside from these, Gov. Gwen Garcia’s message to the officials of neighboring provinces was for them to assert local autonomy by upholding the welfare of their constituents in the face of a one-size-fits-all solutions usually imposed by the national line agencies.
“I believe that the best possible way we can repay our constituents is to insist on what is due to the local government unit under Republic Act 7160 [Local Government Code of 1991]. You can never go wrong if you will stand up for your constituents even if it means a threat against you. Eventually you will be proven right,” Gov. Gwen said in her speech.
OTHER PROVINCES LOOK UP TO CEBU
Gov. Gwen’s institutional knowledge and vast experience in local governance — having been Cebu’s longest-serving governor for an accumulated 14 years in five terms — have gained the awe and admiration of her fellow provincial officials.
“It is also good that Cebu Province has shown us their best practices para pod ma-replicate namo,” Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado said in his speech.
“Blessing ang mga empowered leaders, visionary leaders like Gov. Gwen,” Siquijor Vice Governor Mei Ling Quezon-Brown said.
“We need to be inspired also by other leaders also because sometimes morag moingon ta kapoy na. But hearing from these visionary leaders, we are furthermore reenergized, revitalized, and we are reminded what are we in power for,” she added.
Both officials were also joined by their Provincial Board Members. Negros Oriental mayors were also present at the event that gathered what used to be a united Central Visayas before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law Negros Island Region Act (RA 12000) in June this year.
The said law effectively separated Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor from region 7, leaving behind Cebu and Bohol to comprise Central Visayas.
DILG Assistant Secretary for Local Government Atty. Jesi Howard Lanete described the gathering as “pagpakabana,” a Cebuano word which means “to be deeply involved with” — as the LGUs demonstrated their concern and genuine care for the region and their respective areas of jurisdiction by their mere presence.
“This term ‘pagpakabana’ is what I believe has driven Cebu to achieve the success that we are celebrating today,” he added.
Also in attendance were DILG Assistant Secretary for International Relations Lilia De Leon, DILG regional 7 director Leocadio Trovela, DILG assistant regional director Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, and Bureau of Local Government Development director Anna Liza Bonagua. I Mary Ann Malaya
