04 April 2024 │Alegria, Surigao del Norte – The Municipal Mayor Rene G. Esma claimed for a Wealth and Progress with Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi – CIDSS) in his speech during the National Reconciliation Workshop Cum Community Volunteers Finance Congress on April 4, 2024, held at the Don Francisco Kikoy ‘Bagol’ Sports Complex, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.
“As a Mayor, we need to set the direction of our town. Our vision is Wealth and Progress – wealthy people and progressive municipality. Let’s liven up our town to get rid of stereotypes. If we work together in unity with the local officials, heads of offices, and people for a change, I believe that soon Alegria will shine. We need to start today, because if not now, then when?” said the Mayor.
He stressed how stagnant the situation of the Municipality was way back then, emphasizing the dilemmas encountered by their community and how those issues prompted investors not to invest in their municipality.
“There’s no improvement. Fear prevails; no one wants to invest because Alegria has had problems with political issues. There is war here, an attack on the police station, and the kidnapping of armies. For 45 years, we have been the victims of these insurgencies. Our Municipality did not improve because of this propaganda,” he remarked.
Mayor Esma reiterated his goal of making the 5th class Municipality better, saying that to achieve this, a large budget is required.
“Our budget is not enough to provide services to our community. That is why we work together with the help of our Alegrianhons, Municipal Department Heads and employees, Sangguniang Bayan, and the Barangay officials who work hard for a change,” Mayor Esma said.
He emphasized that tourism would provide jobs for the town and give people confidence that Alegria has a bright future, encouraging them to invest.
“We built the hanging bridge just to change the phrase ‘From terrorism to tourism’. Then we have eco-tourism,” he added.
Mayor Esma emphasized that the Municipality still has a lot to give and must get done while reiterating the vision of achieving wealth and progress, which will provide the additional jobs that the public seeks.
“We must forecast, not at present, but for an extended period, to save future generations from suffering such problems, but rather to enhance and continually enhance. Making modifications rather than dealing with the same problem for 10 or 20 years is more beneficial. We improve our activities today. If not at this moment, then at what point in time? This is a difficult task. Therefore, tourism exists to facilitate a swift recovery in employment within our community.
Mayor Rene Esma subsequently called upon the DSWD KALAHI-CIDDS for assistance in facilitating the advancement of the town and enhancing the economic well-being of the residents of Alegria, a truly driven Wealthy and Progressive municipality by implementing KALAHI clusters of projects that would bring huge impacts in the locality.
Meanwhile, Municipal Vice Mayor Dominador G. Esma, Jr, revealed that despite the financial challenges in providing a monetary counterpart for the implementation of the KALAHI-CIDSS projects, the municipal government under his leadership with the project inception in 2012 found ways just only to avail the projects that truly benefit the municipality even this day. KALAHI facilitates the realization of the municipal vision of Wealth and Progress.
The National Reconciliation Workshop Cum Community Volunteers Finance Congress held in the Municipality is one of the significant activities of DSWD’s National Project Management Office to gather more than 90 community volunteers and KALAHI-CIDSS partners to discuss challenges and best practices in the project implementation, especially on the financial aspect. (Julia Rena O. Reyes, ASASHS Emersion Student / JSN)