MABALACAT CITY – “Our farmers first, our workers first, our small entrepreneurs first, our students first, our senior citizens first, persons with disability first, and every ordinary Mabalaqueño family first.”
Thus, Mayor Atty. Geld Aquino institutionalized “Mabalacat First” not only as a catchphrase but a core value of governance on the 14th anniversary of the town’s transformation into a component city on July 21.
In ceremonies at the old municipio now the Tabnuan Cultural Center in Barangay Poblacion, Aquino cited the celebrations as the time “not merely to look back with pride, but to take stock of how far we have come and to renew our commitment to the journey still ahead.”
This, as the mayor noted how the cityhood since 2012 have opened greater opportunities for the Mabalaqueños, with concomitant greater responsibilities and accountabilities for the city government.
“Opportunity because cityhood opened doors—greater resources, wider authority, and a stronger voice in shaping our own destiny. Responsibility because with that status came the duty to prove year after year that Mabalacat deserved it,” Aquino explained.
Every road built, classroom constructed, business established, and public service delivered over the past 14 years reflected the city’s commitment to fulfilling that responsibility, he stressed.
Aquino also paid tribute to officials who played a critical role in Mabalacat’s transformation into a city, notably long-time Mayor Marino “Boking” Morale, the cityhood’s father along with the late Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, who sponsored the cityhood bill in the House of Representatives; Sen. Lito Lapid, who sponsored the counterpart measure in the Senate; then-Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who chaired the Senate Committee on Local Government and backed the measure; and the late former President Benigno S. Aquino III, under whose administration the cityhood law took effect. Punto News Team/Contributed photos
