CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Mayor-elect Jose Antonio Bustos III gears initiatives towards his vision of a “Bayung Masantol (new Masantol)”.
Primary to paving this path, he said, is the strengthening of families through education and improvement in the delivery of health and social services.
“In terms of education, we will have a two-fold approach wherein we will implement programs for both the students and teachers. While we support the youth through scholarships, feeding programs, capability enhancement, and other programs, we will ensure that teachers will also receive adequate support from the local government. We will design scholarship package for our teachers for their further studies so that when they return to school to teach, they will be able to provide the learners with quality education,” he shared.
Bustos said his administration will also ensure the adequacy of classrooms and learning facilities, and their responsiveness or conduciveness for learning.
The mayor also plans to coordinate with telecommunication companies if there is a need for flexible learning scheme to support online classes so that the level and quality of education among students will not be sacrificed.
However, the local chief executive stressed that while he is open to flexible learning if the need arises, he fully supports face-to-face classes because this is more productive for both the learners and their parents.
When it comes to health, Bustos said the local government will deploy doctors and nurses who are available on a 24/7 basis to respond to the primary care needs of Masantoleños.
“When our constituents are sick, they should not wait until the next day to avail of services and medicines. We do not want to add to the burden of the people. Even without a physical hospital, we will strengthen and prioritize the delivery of our health care programs,” he said.
The mayor cited that the local government will also continue to closely coordinate with the provincial and national government to ramp up its Covid-19 vaccination efforts, adding that they plan to give incentives to people who will avail of the Covid-19 shots as a way to encourage more Masantoleños.
Meanwhile, he also shared that they are preparing for a comprehensive flood and disaster response policy and mechanisms to ensure the safety of the people and their properties.
“Given that our town is coastal and flood-prone, there is really a need for massive infrastructure development. We also need to invest in equipment that can really help us immediately respond in times of disasters. We need to be proactive in this aspect and explore partnership with organizations that are competent and experienced in the field of disaster management,” the young leader said.
Bustos also shared that they opt to focus on educating the people on proper waste disposal as the simplest way to avoid flooding in the town.
Also among his executive agenda is the empowerment of the youth sector by designating a youth development officer who will focus on addressing youth concerns like malnutrition, teenage pregnancy, out-of-school youth, illegal drugs, and unemployment
“We will provide avenues for our Masantoleño youth to voice out their concerns. We will facilitate values formation among them. We will involve them in our programs and services so that they will be empowered citizens of our town,” he said.