by: Alberto Vicente
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy commits to truth-telling and encourages the people to have the courage to fight fake news.
Addressing the public from the Kiosko Kagawasan at the Plaza Divisoria, the mayor paid homage to the sacrifices of Filipino heroes against foreign invaders for the freedom enjoyed by the people today
“Hinaut nga kining kasaulugan sa atong kagawasan magpahinumdum kanato nga ang atong katigulangan nakigbisog ug nakig- away alang sa gisaulog nato nga kagawasan karun. Aduna unta kitay kaisog sa pakig-away batok sa mga sayop nga impormasyon, (May this celebration of our freedom remind us that our forebears struggled and fought for the freedom we are celebrating today. Hopefully, we can have the courage to fight false information),” Uy said.
The city government he said is confident in achieving further development and prosperity for the people of the country’s emerging 4th metropolitan city. Mayor Uy said he would continue to bring the government closer to the people.
He highlighted the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award, which the city got for the first time in 2023 as an affirmation of the unified efforts of the City Hall bureaucracy to provide basic services to all.
“Serbisyo nga walay gidapigan. Serbisyo nga walay gipaburan. Tanan alagaran, tungod kay nagtuo kita nga angayan lang gobyerno ipaduol sa katawhan. Ang katawhan duol sa gobyerno, (Service that is fair. Service that favors no one. Service to all, because we believe that the government should be within reach by the people. The people is near their government,)” he said.
Sincere, transparent, and participatory governance, he said gives real meaning to independence.
Mayor Uy wished all Filipinos equal opportunities to become successful.
“Naghinaut ako nga ang matag Pilipino maka-angkon sa patas nga kahigayonan. Kahigayonan nga maka-angkon sa trabaho ug panginabuhian. Kahigayunan ng mulambo ang kinabuhi sa tanan. Kahigayonan sa mahayag nga kaugman, (I am hopeful that all Filipino can claim equal opportunity. Opportunity to work and livelihood. Opportunity to improved well-being. Opportunity to have a bright future),”said Mayor Uy.
But fake news, he said hinders the fulfillment of the aspirations of many people. He laments pervasive fake news in newspapers, TV, radio, and most especially, social media.
“Hinumduman nato ang mga pagtulon-an sa kasaysayan nga daghan nga kinabuhi ug kaugmaon ang ma apektuhan sa mga sayop nga impormasyon (We should remember the lessons of history that false information had affected the lives and future of so many people),” Mayor Uy said.
Mayor Uy’s Independence Day speech comes when the city is experiencing rapid growth. According to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority released in March this year, Cagayan de Oro City has the second highest per capita GDP outside Metro Manila with P343,936. This is only surpassed by Baguio City which registered P420,016 per capita GDP. The city’s per capita GDP is almost twice the national average of P178,751.
According to the 2024 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, Cagayan de Oro City has the 3rd largest urban economy in the Philippines. For the Philippines, Manila and Cebu came in first and second respectively, and Davao City placed 4th. The city was 487th on Oxford’s list of the 1,000 largest urban economies worldwide.
BRILLIANT
History is replete with stories of disinformation that may have thwarted the aspiration of the Filipino people for genuine independence. “Filipino revolutionaries fought and died fighting the Spanish colonizers in what is now the infamous Mock Battle of Manila in 1898. Those who survived later on learned that Spain had already ceded its rule over the country in exchange for P20 million at the Treaty of Paris,” said Jordan Ian Apat, in Radyo Natin 106.3 FM’s Punto por Punto program that reviewed the mayor’s speech.
“Mayor Uy’s reference history on fake news was brilliant. Very timely and very relevant. People need to be reminded that fake news is anti-development,” Apat said.
Lately, his political critics have been trying to pull him down by blaming him for the water crises experienced by the city. Mayor Uy has been projected by his critics as ‘anti-business’ for wanting to review the 2017 contract between COWD and COBI.
“In truth, Mayor Uy has inherited problems from the previous administration.
The truth, according to Paguidopon, is that Mayor Uy had suggested to the company of business mogul Manny V. Pangilinan to explore the possibility of entering into a joint venture, through private-public partnership, with COWD. The city’s water utility has been has been hobbled by extremely high water wastage or non-revenue water of over 50%. “Mayor Uy made that suggestion in the January 25 meeting with COWD and COBI,” said Leo Paguidopon, a veteran radio commentator said.
“The city’s water crisis is a result of a 2017 contract entered between the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) and the Cagayan de Oro Bulkwater Inc.(COBI), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Waters,” he added.
For his part, KBP president Ronald Rufin lauded the mayor for joining the call to combat fake news. The local chapter of the KBP adopted the theme “We can’t stop fake news, but we can stop sharing it” when it celebrated its 50th anniversary recently.
(photo: City Mayor’s Office Communications Group)
