Message of the Chairperson and Editorial

This quarter is the last in the term of our local chief executives and the end of my three terms as Mayor of General Santos City. Consequently, this is also my final one as RDC XII Chairperson after three consecutive terms of having been nominated by the Council and appointed by the former and current presidents to this position.

And so, let me express my heartfelt gratitude for all your support in my stint as RDC XII Chairperson. These past two years have been very challenging after we experienced the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw businesses close due to our need to restrict the movement of people. We saw our colleagues fall ill with the dreaded disease; some sadly lost their lives while in service. But together, we rose above the pandemic. As our new Hon. Ronnel C. Rivera City Mayor, General Santos City

Teresita Socorro C. Ramos Regional Director, NEDA XII

battle cry goes, together we RISE, which means revitalize and innovate towards a safe and strong economy.

As the new set of RDC members and officers take over in the next half of this year, I hope you will continue to have the fire of selfless service burning in your hearts. I may no longer serve as the Chair, but I will continue to support the Council and the Region in its desire to achieve a Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay para sa lahat.

I believe our actions will come to nothing if the Almighty does not will it. And so I pray that the Almighty continually bless all the efforts of the Reliable, Decisive, and Caring Regional Development Council and the people of SOCCSKSARGEN.

Editorial

Don’t lose sight of the vision

The elections are done, and we have voted for our candidates. The outcome may be good news for many and not for others. The varying sentiments are heavily evident in social media, especially days after all returns were in and the winners were proclaimed.

This is normal, though, and we have seen these in the election pre and post-1987 Constitution. The freedom to express differing views is a sign that our country is indeed democratic.

But as a nation, let us not be focused on our differences. Instead, let us support the elected leaders while still maintaining the vigilant persons that we are, not letting our guards down on injustices. The point here is, we still face challenges. One of them is rebuilding the economy ravaged by the crippling COVID-19 pandemic. Let us not forget the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and its effects on the world economy, such as the surge in fuel and commodity prices. Then, we also have the ongoing call to increase budget for innovation to allow us to be competitive in the whole world, and for health to make our health care system more robust.

Most of all, let us not forget our vision as a Filipino people encapsulated in the AmBisyon 2040. The present administration is only the second of the four administrations that our long-term vision will traverse. This vision is not a vision of a single administration. AmBisyon Natin 2040 is the collective vision of the Filipino people. Let us set our eyes on our shared vision, which is,

“By 2040, Filipinos enjoy a strongly rooted, comfortable, and secure life. In 2040, we will all enjoy a stable and comfortable lifestyle, secure in the knowledge that we have enough for our daily needs and unexpected expenses, that we can plan and prepare for our own and our children’s future. Our family lives together in a place of our own, and we have the freedom to go where we desire, protected and enabled by a clean, efficient, and fair government.”