THE list of awards the city government of Biñan has been receiving for good governance just keeps on growing.
Last July, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cited the city as a 2020 LGU Compliance Assessment in Regional Level - City Category for the implementation of the Manila Bay Clean-Up Rehabilitation and Preservation Program.
This was on top of the recognition given by the Department of the Interior and Local Government CALABARZON to Biñan City, for being one of the first local government units in the region to finish distribution of the government’s financial assistance (also known as “Ayuda 1”) last April.
For many who have worked at the city government, these awards are just the tip of the iceberg – a testimony of the drive and passion that City Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila, Jr. has put into public service in his five years as mayor.
Destined to lead
City officials interviewed by OpinYon Laguna – many of whom have witnessed Dimaguila’s long years of public service – agree that from the very start, his vision and his perseverance to achieve that goal has transformed Biñan City.
Even during his childhood days in Barangay Malaban, people around him saw a potential as a leader, Ron Roscain, currently head of the Office of the City Community Affairs, said.
Roscain, who first joined Dimaguila at the barangay’s Sangguniang Kabataan (where he became chairman), fondly remembers him as establishing a scholarship program for Malaban’s youth – a precursor to the Iskolar ng Biñan program that the mayor has supported even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Yun talaga ang kanyang ‘pet project,’ yung Iskolar ng Biñan, kasi may pinaghugutan siya – yung kanyang karanasan,” he recalled.
“Alam naman natin na kapag sinabing SK, usually sports. Ang ginawa ni Mayor Arman, Sports and Education – actually, mas prioritize niya ang education.”
‘Down to earth’
Radyo Biñan station manager Christopher Alba, who like Dimaguila served as a Sangguniang Kabataan chairman, described the mayor as a “simple, down-to-earth” leader.
“Sa tagal ko ng pagkakakilala sa kanya, maituturing ko si Mayor Arman na isa sa mga ‘above average’ na lider pagdating sa performance, sa kanyang commitment, sa kanyang passion – by heart, alam niya kung ano ang kanyang gagawin,” he told OpinYon Laguna.
Like Roscain, Alba saw Dimaguila as a future leader – “Hindi niya alam noon, pero noon pa lang, nakikita ko na siya as a future mayor of Biñan. Malaki na ang paniniwala ko sa kanya.”
In politics, it has been said, it is hard, if not impossible, to please everybody.
However, Alba believes that it was Dimaguila’s hard work and passion for the job that ultimately won the hearts of Biñanenses. “Napapahanga niya yung mga tao sa pamamagitan ng mga accomplishment niya,” he attested.
Energetic
Another person who has watched Dimaguila’s growth as a public servant is Roman Carencia, head of the City Information Office, who has known the mayor since high school days.
Carencia, who first got a “closer look” at the mayor during his days as municipal councilor, remembers him as a “magaling na administrador” who gets things done.
“Cool na cool lang si Mayor pagdating sa kanyang mga tungkulin,” the city information officer recalled. “Composed siya lagi - never ko siyang makitang nara-rattle. “
Carencia also characterized Dimaguila as an energetic leader who wants to get into the action immediately.
“Noong una siyang manalo bilang mayor noong 2016, usually, dapat may ilang araw na pahinga between the election and the turnover,” Carencia recalled.
“Pero hindi iyon ang ginawa ni Mayor Arman. Pinag-meeting niya agad lahat ng department heads. Inilatag agad niya ang kanyang magiging programa para sa amin at para sa lungsod, at kung paano kami makakatulong. Ganoon ito lumaban, ganoon ito magtrabaho.”
Visionary
Aside from his energy and drive, other officials say it was Mayor Dimaguila’s “vision” for Biñan City that transformed it from a sleepy market town into a socio-economic powerhouse in Laguna province.
“Noon pa man, nakikita ko na si Mayor Arman as a ‘visionary,’” City Budget Officer Octavio Almenanza told OpinYon Laguna.
“Kahit na noong Vice-Mayor pa lang siya, malinaw na sa kanya lahat ng mga programa na gusto niyang ipatupad. Matagal na niya iyang na-conceptualize sa isip niya,” he related.
“Kaya noong naging Mayor na siya, hindi na siya nahirapang ipatupad ang mga programang iyon.”
Another trait that set Dimaguila apart from other leaders, Almenanza added, is the consistency in which he would pursue his goals for the city.
“When he sets his mind to a particular thing na gusto niyang gawin, talagang matitiyak mo na gagawin niya.”
On the other hand, City Education Officer Dr. Edmil Recibe, who had known Dimaguila since his days as a former barangay councilor in 2007, describe the local executive as a “proactive” leader.
No better example could be given, he pointed out, than the city government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Hindi sya nag sayang ng oras na humanap ng mga tamang hakbang upang ma solusyunan ang kakaharaping problema, at sinisiguro nya na ang bawat mamamayan ng Biñan ay maging ligtas at may makakain sa panahong ito,” Recibe explained, alluding to the assistance the city government gave to residents affected by the pandemic.
“Ang kanyang pagmamahal at malasakit ay hindi matatawaran,” he added.
Compassionate
But what endeared him most to Biñanenses, according to people around him, is that his drive and passion for public service is fueled with compassion, especially for certain sectors that, to him should be given the outmost assistance.
The city's senior citizens in particular could personally attest to that kind of compassion that Mayor Dimaguila has given to them.
"Sa panahon ni Mayor Arman, marami kaming naramdamang pagbabago," Nanay Viring, a long-time president of Barangay Malaban's Senior Citizens Association, recounted to OpinYon Laguna.
"Una, yung medical at burial assistance, on the spot na ibinibigay basta makumpleto ang papeles. Pangalawa, nagkaroon na rin ng birthday gift na P500, saka kapag naging centenarian ka na, agad-agad na ibinibigay ni Mayor yung P100,000 na dapat ibigay sa amin."
Irreplaceable
With Mayor Dimaguila’s impeccable and admirable leadership, anyone who might take his place once his term ends, will have big shoes to fill.
In fact, he is one of those rare breed of leaders who can be described as irreplaceable because of the many good things that he has done to the city and to the people.