I don’t know it then, I cried, my wife cried, my family cried. We lost our savings and incurred enormous loans just to fund my campaign. I lost my election as City Councilor in 2006 and it was the best thing that happened in my life. When I was 18 years old, the legal age to vote, and was still a college student, I ran and won as an elected Brgy. Councilor (Kagawad) in our Barangay Market Area. I turned 18 in January 1994, then I ran in May 1994, and in June 1994 I officially became a public servant. I ran again for the 2nd and 3rd (last allowable term) term which I easily won. I am a hardwo ..read more

September is “Suicide Prevention Month”. I remember one cousin who took her own life a decade ago. I see people on the verge of stress only a hairline away or already probably thinking of hurting themselves. Life is precious. You are precious. I started and decided to embark on a personal journey. I was stressed and decided to write this topic to all of you who are also stressed right now. Just like me, some of you might be in the stage of starting something new. You might be wondering if you still fit in your current work/careers, academic courses, relationships, etc. Probably you are also st ..read more

To my Baby Girl (Meg), Happy 18th Birthday Anak! You could have been born in August 22 or 23, 2003. But I decided that you get born on August 21 because it is a Holiday. I planned to always celebrate with you on your birthday. Your mother waited more than 12 hours in the labor room when she gave birth to you. But when we first saw you, it was all worth the wait, we saw the most beautiful and cutest baby in the whole world. You got your name from me (minus the letter M). We also think that Erin is a strong/fighter’s name (like Erin Brockovich). Gabrielle on the other hand means “God is my Stren ..read more

Stakeholders participation is one of my favorite topics for several reasons. First is because I served as an elected Barangay Kagawad (Community/grassroot level government) when I was 18 years of age and served for almost 13 years. I relate and I was part of the lowest level of government representing my community. Second is Masters Degree is Public Management major in Local Government and Regional Administration wherein we were taught incessantly the importance of partnerships with stakeholders. Third is I learned about Arnstein’s Level of Participation when I took my Post-Graduate degree in ..read more

This entry is one of my essays submitted to the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP) in 2014 when I was still a student taking my post-graduate education. I thought it would be interesting and informative to share this essay. Utopia in the context of Urban Planning Utopia is a word coined by Sir Thomas More in 1516 as an imaginary island enjoying perfection in law, politics, etc. It is also considered as an ideal place or state or any visionary system of political or social perfection (Dictionary.com). Utopia is based on the imagination and discontentme ..read more

One of the key features of the Philippine 1987 Constitution is its push towards decentralization of government and local autonomy. Local autonomy has two facets, the administrative and the fiscal. Fiscal autonomy means that local governments have the power to create their own sources of revenue in addition to their equitable share in the national taxes released by the National Government, as well as the power to allocate their resources in accordance with their own priorities. Such autonomy is as indispensable to the viability of the policy of decentralization as the other. Implementing the co ..read more

Mandanas, et. al vs. Executive Secretary et. al G.R. No. 199802, July 03, 2018 Garcia vs. Executive Secretary et. al G.R. No. 208488, July 3, 2018 En Banc Ponente; BERSAMIN, J.: Facts: Mandanas et. al and Garcia both filed a case against Executive Secretary et. al challenging the manner in which the just share in the national taxes of the local government units (LGUs) has been computed. The 1987 Constitution continued to push towards decentralization of government and local autonomy. Republic Act 7160 also known as the Local Government Code of 1991 further strengthened the local auto ..read more

Imagine our parents, children, students, women, wheel-chair bound persons with disability (PWD), and the people of a city/municipality in general enjoying and safely using their sidewalks, walkways, and bicycle lanes in their neighborhood. Close your eyes and picture this – Students having fun walking or biking to schools or playgrounds, employees safely biking to work, people going to malls and markets in their bicycles, our senior citizens walking safely to parks, and persons in wheelchair greeting each other in an accessible and safe pedestrian space. As planners, what can we do to somehow ..read more

One of the required plans from Local Government Units (LGUs) is the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). The CDP is a three to six year multi-sectoral plan of the LGU which has its Local Development Investment Program (LDIP) composed of various multi-year projects. The LDIP is the basis of the LGU’s Annual Investment Plan (AIP). AIP on the other hand is the basis of the annual budget. Programs, projects and activities not budgeted are seldom implemented. Hence, it is safe to say that projects in the CDP are likely to be budgeted and implemented and will greatly affect / benefit the people in ..read more

As a City Planner, there are local projects that I am personally excited to see accomplished. Some of these projects are the City Community College, City eco-tourism Park, and the City Pyrolysis facility, among others. For this blog, I’ll focus on our on-going City Pyrolysis facility project. Santa Rosa is a medium sized progressive city in the Philippines. The population growth rate of the city is higher than the population growth rate of the Philippines, CALABARZON region, and the Province of Laguna. This means that more people are attracted to live, study, or work in the City. The continuou ..read more