"Mas gagalingan pa natin. Mas pagbubutihin pa natin."
That was the pledge of Biñan City, Laguna Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila, Jr. to his constituents as he formally took his office for a third and final term as city executive last June 29.
In a solemn ceremony at the Alonte Sports Arena, Dimaguila, along with Vice Mayor Angelo “Gel” Alonte and eleven out of the twelve city councilors who were under the “LABarkada” slate in the May 9 elections took their oaths of office.
Meanwhile, Representative Marlyn “Len” Alonte took her oath of office separately at the Supreme Court in Manila later that afternoon, before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
Remembering his roots
In his third inaugural speech, Dimaguila started off by remembering his own roots in Barangay Malaban, where he was born to a family of an electrician and a laundry woman.
From those humble roots, Dimaguila had slowly risen to the ranks of local politics – first, in his home barangay where he became chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan, then in Biñan City where he first became municipal councilor, then vice mayor and finally city mayor in 2016.
“Ang theme song ko po ay ‘The Impossible Dream’, dahil ito pong posisyon ko ngayon ay isang pangarap – hindi naman imposible, pero pangarap na hindi ko po inakalang matutupad,” the mayor reminisced. “Dahil ang puhunan ko lang po ay lakas ng loob at sipag sa pag-aaral. Ang anak ng isang electrician at isang labandera ay nasa ikatlong termino na po bilang mayor.”
Challenges
Dimaguila then remembered the biggest challenge the city government faced in his second term in office: the global Covid-19 pandemic which not only infected thousands and killed scores of Biñanenses but also wreaked havoc on the city’s economic and cultural life.
The pandemic, Dimaguila candidly said, was a test not only of his administration’s capabilities but also of his own chances in the 2022 elections.
“Maraming nagsabi sa akin na kapag hindi natugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga kababayan natin, maaalala ng mga kababayan natin kung anong klaseng response ang ating ginawa,” the mayor recalled.
What happened next, of course, was history: the city government’s proactive and all-encompassing response in aiding citizens affected by the pandemic, as well as in protecting its citizens from the virus before and during the national government’s mass Covid-19 vaccination program, singled out Dimaguila as among local government leaders in the Philippines whose performance went above and beyond their call of duty.
“Kinulang man ang ating pondo, pero nakita ng mga kababayan natin na ang mayor, ang vice mayor, ang mga konsehal, ang mga kapitan ng barangay – pwede palang bumaba, pwede palang magbahay-bahay, pwede palang magbigay ng ayuda, pwede palang hindi kami mahirapan – pwede palang ang kamay ng gobyerno ay humaba at makapasok sa loob ng tahanan ng mga kababayan natin,” he proudly stated in his speech.
‘Mas gagalingan pa natin’
Now, as he entered his third and final term as Biñan City Mayor, Dimaguila pledged that his administration will go beyond the performance it has displayed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is especially important, he declared, as the city will face even more challenges as the country continues to recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These challenges include an influx of students to public schools just as “face-to-face” classes are about to begin, the need for more socialized housing in the city.
“Nakita natin na ayaw ng mga taga-Biñan ng puro pangako, ng puro paninira, na puro parang mga kabute ang mga nanunungkulan na kapag halalan lang lalabas. You have to deliver,” the mayor declared.
However, Dimaguila also urged Biñanenses to do their own share and support the city government in its goal to better the living standards of its residents.
“Huwag po ninyong isipin na pagkaluklok namin dito ay gaganda na agad ang buhay ninyo,” he reminded his constituents. “Tungkulin ng pamahalaan na gumawa ng mga pamamaraan para makatulong sa inyo, pero makatutulong lamang ang pamahalaan kung handa kayong tulungan ang inyong mga sarili.”
‘Tagumpay ng Biñan’
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte and Representative Len Alonte also pledged their full support to the continuing programs of the Dimaguila administration.
“Ang tagumpay po natin ay tagumpay rin po ng Lungsod ng Biñan,” Vice Mayor Alonte said in his speech.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami dahil ngayon, sa ikatlong termino namin ay parang bagyo ang pagsuporta ng mga Biñanense sa atin. Kaya asahan po ninyo na ang ibinigay po ninyong pagtitiwala at pagmamahal sa amin, ang kapalit ay patuloy na progreso at paglilingkod nang tapat para sa lungsod ng Biñan.”
In her speech, on the other hand, Rep. Alonte took the opportunity to express the gratitude of the LABarkada Team to the officials and volunteers who continued to support their team during and after the May 9 polls.
Rep. Alonte also congratulated the 11 members of the LABarkada team who successfully made it as city councilors, expressing the hope that they will present a unified front for Biñan City’s continued progress.
United front
“Today, we represent a unified team, for a unified purpose, for a unified Biñan,” she declared, adding her hopes that this election would herald an end to the dirty politics that had been a part and parcel of the city’s political life in past elections.
“Tapos na ang mga hugot, tapos na ang pagpaparinig, tapos na ang pulitika. Dahil ang araw na ito ang simula ng panibagong yugto para sa lungsod ng Biñan,” she declared.
“To all elected officials here, remember that we are here to be the servants of the people. If your aspirations are with the people and for the people, and you strive to better their lives, I promise you, this city and its people will not forget. ‘Yan ang nangyari nitong nakaraang eleksyon: dahil sa sipag at tapat na panunungkulan ni Mayor Arman, ni Vice Gel, ako at ng buong Sanggunian, nakuha natin ang tagumpay.”