Oro wins its first Galing Pook award for ‘rising up from mud’

WINNING this year’s Galing Pook Award, the first for Cagayan de Oro City, is important for the city government and Mayor Oscar Moreno.

During the presentation of the city’s entry, “Rising up from the mud” on Oct. 11, Moreno was asked how he overcame “political obstructionism,” that despite the multiple cases filed against him, he was able to rebuild the city from the devastation of tropical storm Sendong, Moreno said, he had to be firm, perform well and engage the community.

Introduced as “the most harassed mayor,” Moreno said he had to engage the peoples organizations, NGOs and academe to create a people’s agenda and demand from the previous city council development projects.

He said he also judiciously used special funds that do not need approval of the council like the local special fund to build classrooms and the calamity fund to transform the moribund city disaster risk management office to become a world-class DRRM department.

He said city hall built roads in partnership with national government agencies and used Philhealth funds to the rehabilitate and expand operations of the once decrepit JR Borja General Hospital, among other things.

In his keynote speech during the awarding night at the Grand Ballroom of the Novotel Hotel in Cubao, Sen. Sonny Angara described Moreno as a “champion of education and sports.” He particularly cited the city for bagging the “Seal of Good Education Governance” and the sports program that produced world-class boxers.

Queritess Queja, co-chairperson of the City Poverty Reduction Action Team and marketing director of Normin Veggies Cooperative said Moreno’s leadership affirmed the principle that good governance entails genuine people’s participation.

“The award affirms that despite being embattled by harassment cases, the Moreno administration is performing well, never hobbled,” said Teddy Sabugaa, chief of the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

He said the Galing Pook award considered the Gold Standard in local governance is a fitting affirmation of the partnership of the city government and the communities who synergized to overcome the Sendong catastrophe resulting in building the city better.

From 158 entries, down to 20 finalists, Cagayan de Oro City shared the 2017 Galing Pook with nine other local governments.

Social activist Edicio dela Torre said the city under the leadership of Moreno did not only rise up from the mud, but political obstructionism as well.

This is the 3rd time Moreno bagged a Galing Pook Award — twice when he was governor of Misamis Oriental for his administration’s peace building efforts in Lantad and the strategic innovations he made in the provincial government hospitals. (cio-cmo)