Cabuyao City Mayor Rommel Gecolea on Friday extolled Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso for his outstanding work in transforming Manila into a beautiful and progressive city in just two years.
In a speech he delivered as he welcomed Moreno and the rest of the Aksyon Demokratiko candidates who visited their city as part of the group’s listening tour and dialogue with ordinary people, Gecolea said the 47-year old local chief executive is the epitome of a person who grew up in poverty but strived hard and did his best to improve and succeed in life.
Joining Moreno in the Laguna provincial sortie were Aksyon Demokratiko vice presidential bet Dr. Willie Ong and senatorial bets Moro civic leader and women’s rights advocate Samira Gutoc, former Quezon City councilor Jopet Sison, and radio host and entrepreneur Carl Balita.
“When you look at a prosperous government, it is not just about money. We have three uses in the human development index: Education, Health, and Livelihood. This is the first basis. Man is our priority; man is the most important. That’s the true essence of growth and development,” Gecolea told a crowd composed of members of the environmental police, the youth sector under the Juan Kabuyaw Movement, senior citizens, and other local officials.
Gecolea praised Moreno’s vision to bring back the old glory days of the capital city for clean, passable streets, to the much-needed green spaces and parks under urban management and transformation, which also served as inspiration for them to improve their city.
He cited Moreno’s program to clear the major thoroughfares of vendors and other traffic obstructions such as the areas of Quiapo, Carriedo Street, Sta. Cruz, C.M. Recto Avenue, and Divisoria, among others.
The Cabuyao mayor also applauded Moreno for also giving top priority to education by providing scholarship programs to poor but deserving youths.
“Mayor Isko, I saw the University of Manila, the University of the City of Manila. You know both of our directions. The first best thing a parent can give and love is that he can educate his children. All these children are my children. I am the head of the family. But I also want to tell you that they are Iskolar ng Cabuyao, Laguna, in short IskoCab,” Gecolea stressed.
Gecolea also lauded Moreno’s efforts to put a premium to the growing needs of his constituents in terms of their medical needs specifically during the Covid-19 pandemic.
To date the City of Manila has upgraded the medical facilities at the Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Tondo, Sta. Ana Hospital, Justice Abad Santos Medical Center, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center.
A 10-story building that will house the New Ospital ng Maynila is set to be finished and operational before the end of 2021. The old building will be used by the College of Medicine of PLM.
The 344-bed Manila Covid-19 Field Hospital at the Quirino Grandstand, which became operational last June, also accepts non-Manila residents with mild to moderate Covid-19 cases.
“Mayor Isko, I saw the hospital you built, it’s very big but I will also be proud here in Cabuyao, in the whole of Laguna we are brave even though our budget is only one third compared to big cities, I think I built the biggest hospital here,” Gecolea said.
Moreno, for his part, thanked the people of Cabuyao City for the warm welcome and reception he and his party received during their listening tour in this Southern Tagalog province.
The Manila City mayor stressed that his vision to transform the City of Manila to what it is today was brought about by his desire to provide better service to the more than 2 million Manila residents.
“Even if it is difficult, there is dignity in your life. So, to you, thank you very much. And to our workers in the Manila City government. Our roads are shining. Mayor Mel was right. That’s a 30-year problem, 40-year problem gone in 48 hours. The mayor was right, it seems impossible, but it happened, it’s possible, that’s why,” Moreno said.
“Jones Bridge has improved. It’s not rocket science, if done in Australia, done by America, can also be done by Manila and the whole country. It is easy to clean the sea, easy to clean the river, easy to clean the road because there is science there,” Moreno added.
A child scavenger before becoming an actor and then a public servant, Moreno pointed to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew as his inspiration in transforming Manila just like what the late prime minister did to Singapore in the 1970s.
“That’s why I like my favorite Lee Kuan Yew. He says how he brought Singapore to life. I guarantee you, 50 years ago, Singapore was in a mess. No water, no wood, no flat, no gold. Singapore only has people. What Lee Kuan Yew did, he took care of the people first. He gave them housing, he gave them jobs, he educated all Singaporeans, and the rest is history,” Moreno said.