No one could better attest to the brand of leadership Biñan City, Laguna Mayor Walfredo "Arman" Dimaguila, Jr. brought than the ordinary Biñanenses who personally felt the benefits of the programs during his administration.
“Sa Lungsod ng Biñan, mamamayan ay maaasahan!”
Since 2016, that has been the rallying cry of Biñan City, Laguna Mayor Arman Dimaguila, with the pledge that all Biñanenses will benefit from the extensive programs of the city government.
In the past six years, Dimaguila has managed to accomplish that, and more.
This “inclusivity” refers not only to the much-celebrated “ayuda para sa lahat ng Biñanense” at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to the public welfare programs crafted during his administration that aims to uplift the lives of every resident of the “City of Life.”
And no one could better attest to this brand of leadership than the ordinary Biñanenses who personally felt the benefits of the programs during his administration.
‘Mas malinis na palengke’
Relations between the so-called “informal economy” and local governments in the Philippines have always been tense, with clearing operation sometimes leading to outright violence.
But in Biñan City, the street vendors who have made the city a magnet for bargain hunters from Laguna province and even Metro Manila have enjoyed a harmonious relationship with Mayor Dimaguila.
Florida Aquino, a so-called “bolante” who has been selling vegetables near the Biñan City Public Market since 1972, personally saw the rapid changes to the public market since Mayor Dimaguila took over in 2016.
From having a notorious reputation for uncleanliness, the Biñan City Public Market now boasts of a modern, more sanitary building where market stalls are clean and orderly.
“At ang maganda na po ngayon ay nabigyan na po kami ng disenteng pwesto ni Mayor dito sa palengke,” Aquino, who is also president of a vendor’s association in Biñan City, told OpinYon Laguna. “’Bolante’ pa rin kami, kung tutuusin, pero naging maayos na ang kalagayan namin dito.”
Aside from the regular pick-up of waste material inside the market, Aquino added that the vendors themselves now ensure the cleanliness of their surroundings.
“Sa totoo lang, sa tagal ko na pong nagtitinda rito sa Biñan City, ngayon ko lang po nadatnan ang isang palengkeng malinis,” she added.
Business-friendly LGU
Having belonged to what she called a “family of entrepreneurs”, it was no surprise for Mavie, a resident of Barangay San Antonio, that she would venture into the food business by creating Mango Madness, which has since expanded into a franchise brand with branches inside and outside of Biñan City.
What's so inspiring about starting up a business in Biñan City, she said, is the support given not only by fellow entrepreneurs but by the local government itself.
"Maayos po ang pagkuha ng business permits dito sa Biñan, kasi one-stop shop na po ang sistema dito," she related.
"Dito, hindi mo na kailangang pumunta ng barangay o sa kung anumang opisina para makakuha ng business permit. Kapag nag-apply ka, nandoon na lahat ng mga kailangan namin para makapagsimula kami ng negosyo. Isang araw lang, okay na po lahat. At sila pa ang tutulong sa inyo upang makumpleto mo ang lahat ng requirements."
It was this “ease of doing business,” among other factors, which led Biñan City to earn the moniker of being Laguna’s “Food Park Capital,” Mavie added.
Medical programs a ‘big help’ for indigents
The extensive improvement of healthcare facilities under the Dimaguila administration is also a boon for those who needed immediate medication, like what 57-year-old “Susan” from Barangay Langkiwa found out.
Susan has suffered from cataracts and diabetes for nearly five years and was about to give up hope, when one of her children pointed out to her the free eye surgery being offered by Mayor Dimaguila’s office.
“Ine-expect ko po na yung operation lang yung maisasagot, pero yung buong procedure po yung sagot ng Serbisyong Arman, simula screening at iba pang procedure,” she reported. “Pati po yung transportation sa ospital ay kasama rin po sa sinagot nila.”
Kaya lubos po ang pasasalamat ko sa lungsod ng Biñan, sa GAD Office, higit kay Mayor Arman para sa programang ito, sa pag-oopera nang libre sa aking mata,” she said.
‘INB’ scholars motivated to finish studies
Another of Mayor Dimaguila’s programs that residents said had made a big impact on them is the “Iskolar ng Biñan” (INB) scholarship program for senior high school and college students.
One of these INB scholars is Diosdado Dela Rosa, a Secondary Education graduate from the University of Perpetual Help – Biñan Campus who has since found a way to “pay back” to the city government by working at the Biñan City Youth and Sports Development Office (YASDO).
Diosdado, or "Dodi" to his friends, said the opportunity to become an "Iskolar ng Biñan" came when he was about to graduate from high school.
“Noon po kasi, na-realize ko na hindi po ako makakapagtapos ng kolehiyo nang walang scholarship,” he related to OpinYon Laguna. “The ‘Iskolar ng Biñan’ program was the only scholarship that I had learned about during that time, so I decided to grab the opportunity.”
The fact that he had to maintain a high academic standing to maintain his scholarship also motivated him to pursue his studies well, Dodi added.
“I met some people who just take the opportunity given to them for granted dahil kaya naman nilang mag-aral,” he recalled. “Pero naisip ko po na this is the only opportunity I had, so kung hindi ko po pagbubutihan ang aking pag-aaral, mawawala po ang pagkakataon na ito.”
That was also the sentiment of Karen Revilla, another INB scholar who is now a teacher at the La Consolacion College in Biñan City.
"Naranasan ko po ang hirap ng buhay kaya naman po ako nagsikap upang makakuha ng mataas ng marka para makapasok sa Iskolar ng Biñan," Karen told OpinYon Laguna.
"Sa loob ng apat na taon ng pagiging Iskolar ng Biñan ay masasabi kong hindi ganoon kadali sapagkat ang bawat grado na aming makukuha sa bawat asignatura ay talaga namang dapat paghirapan," she added.
New life for wayward youths
Speaking of the youth, Mayor Dimaguila has also earned praises for helping Biñan City’s delinquent youths get back on their feet and become once again productive members of society.
Through the Balay Silangan reformatory facility for former drug dependents and the Bahay Pag-asa “transformational facility” for children in conflict with the law, the Dimaguila administration is giving the city's "wayward youth" a new chance to start a new life.
“Akala ko wala ng saysay ang aking buhay,” “M,” a youth offender who was arrested for illegal possession of firearms, recounted.
“Ngunit sa paglipas ng mga araw unti-unting nalibang ako sa mga gawaing bahay na hindi ko ginawa sa aming bahay. Sa loob ng bahay natuto akong sumayaw ng folk dance at tumugtog ng drums.”
“M”, who graduated junior high school inside the Bahay Pag-asa facility through the government’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), said the Bahay Pag-asa helped him rekindle his relationship with God and his parents and enabled him to turn his life over even under custody. He now owns a clothing company and tattoo shop.
“Ang pangungulila sa mga mahal sa buhay ay hindi ko na namalayan, hanggang sa mahigit na dalawang taon na pala ako at makakalabas na sa Bahay Pag-asa dala ang tunay nag pag-asa sa buhay. Sabi nga, habang may buhay, may pag-asa,” he added.