MAYOR Edwin Olivarez on Tuesday enjoined his constituents to participate in the 20th cityhood anniversary celebration of Parañaque on February 13, as Malacañang declared it as a “special non-working day” by virtue of Proclamation 409.
“I encouraged the whole community—from students to the constituents—to participate and get involved in several activities, dances and shows at the city hall the city government has prepared starting this Friday, February 9,” he told the BusinessMirror.
Signing the proclamation on behalf of President Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea said that such declaration will give the local government and residents the time to join the occasion.
“It is but fitting and proper that the City of Parañaque be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies,” he said.
From a municipality, Parañaque was converted into a city by way of Republic Act (RA) 8507, which was signed by then-President Fidel V. Ramos on February 13, 1998, and Parañaque City Ordinance 98-07.
Olivarez said the annual cityhood commemoration serves as a gathering for all Parañaqueños where they can enjoy the services and programs of the local government, while commemorating the transformation of the municipality into a highly urbanized city.
Kicking off the observance are a photo exhibit, medical and dental missions, job fair, Sulyap Kultura and Sunduan Festival.
Scheduled on the 10th day of the month are the Green Run and Sumba, Interpretative Dance, Star of the Road, Mamita (Senior Citizen) and Binibining Parañaque pageant.
The highlights of the celebration include the Mayor’s State of the City Address, awarding of outstanding barangays and the 10 outstanding taxpayers in 2017 on the eve of the anniversary.
Last year’s top taxpayers, led by Belle Corp., developer of the City of Dreams and other hotels and casinos in the Entertainment City, contributed P400 million in revenue to the city’s coffers, according to the Office of the City Treasurer.
Come February 13, several multimillion-peso infrastructure projects of the Olivarez administration will be inaugurated.
These include the Hospital ng Parañaque and Bahay Aruga and the housing project in C5 Extension and Animal Compound.
On the same day, there will be the Sunduan Festival and concert of Manila Symphony Orchestra in Saint Andrew’s Cathedral, Barangay La Huerta.
Each winner in Districts 1 and 2 of the city’s “Clean and Green” search will then be feted in an evening gala, with a cash prize and plaque of recognition.
The local government of Parañaque launched this competition among 16 barangays to keep their respective jurisdiction, including coastal and waterways, clean and green.
This is the first-of-its-kind local government project that is compliant to RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“This contest is a big challenge to our barangay leaders, which will also motivate and inspire them in keeping their respective jurisdiction clean and green. It will also show how effective they are as community leaders,” said Janet Olivarez, wife of the city mayor and head of the city’s Cleanliness, Beautification and Sanitation Office.
The yearlong contest is divided into four categories: cleanest barangay; best in composting and gardening; best in solid-waste management, cleanest waterways; and dengue free/smoke-free barangay.