Forget politics

Egay Uy .

IN a recent meeting with department heads, Mayor Oscar S. Moreno put it aptly. The department heads of the city government which he heads as the local chief executive are his alter egos.  And he did not even have to say that, if only for emphasis and a source of inspiration.  The department heads are always Mayor Moreno’s alternative or secondary personality when it comes to governance and to the delivery of services to the constituents.

An alter ego is part of someone’s, i.e., Mayor Moreno’s, personality which permeates with an aura of empowerment.  “Use power to empower,” as Mayor Moreno puts it.

This is the message that the mayor delivered to the hearts and minds of the department heads and heads of offices of the city government with the intention of inspiring them to “serve the people the best way possible,” his brand of public service.

Engraving this in the hearts and mind of the people in government that compose the local bureaucracy will ensure the continuity of the brand of service even beyond the tenure or term of Mayor Moreno.  Local chief executives come and go but the organic members of the local bureaucracy stay put and continue delivering the right service to the people – hopefully the best way possible.

This is one indication of the visionary personality of Mayor Moreno.  He not only looks after the present but looks beyond his term of office to ensure that the right services are delivered to the people of Cagayan de Oro and eventually to the neighbouring localities.

The local government’s department heads must provide the right inspiration to the members of their respective departments for the latter to also replicate when they face the public whom they serve.  The continuity in delivering the right and effective services to the people really depends on the bureaucracy.

Forget about politics. Think of the welfare of the general populace. As Mayor Moreno has provided the inspiration, so must department heads and heads of offices to their respective team members.

Just do the job right, and we can be assured of a better Cagayan de Oro for everybody.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer.  He is the chairman of the city’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, chairman of the city’s Joint Inspection Team, and co-chairman of the City Price Coordinating Council.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)