CLARK FREEPORT – City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin “Edsa” Santiago was the guest of the “Balitaan” media forum when he narrated how he came into public service from the private sector.
A classmate of Jesse Robredo
“I had also as my classmate Secretary Jesse Robredo in graduate school. He came from La Salle and I came from Mapua,” he said.
“Pepagaral nakami ning SMC bilang maging leader, manager (SMC sent us to school to become leaders, managers ),” he said.
“So, I studied in Southern California with him (Robredo) as my classmate.”
“We never realized that we would end up in politics,” he laughed. “We were long-time friends. We were together for a long time because of SMC. He was assigned to Magnolia and I was assigned to Coca Cola.”
The training in corporate life is about service and establishing a lasting relationship that is why companies are focusing on relationships, he said.
Santiago said Robredo was an outstanding public servant as gleaned from the fact that he was a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service and the only one at that.
The President Ramon Magsaysay award is recognized around the world. It was established to perpetuate Magsaysay’s integrity in governance, courageous service to the people and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.
“During those times, we shared a lot,” he said. “Sometimes, we call each other on the phone, sometimes I go to Manila to meet him.”
Santiago said before Robredo died, he advised him to “contribute something” to good governance in San Fernando.
The mayor said almost all of the good leaders around the world did not enrich themselves in public office just like Magsaysay.
“Lee Kuan Yew, Park Chung Hee, Nelson Mandela… they have one thing in common with Magsaysay when they died,” he said.
“They looked and examined their money and they didn’t have money in the bank. Magsaysay’s wallet was all he had. He had no money in the bank the same as Park Chung Hee and Lee Kuan Yew who said they brought him to office in a carriage and requested that they bring him back to his modest apartment in the same way,” he said.
Coming home to San Fernando
“But I really wanted to come home here in Pampanga,” he said. “Sese ku kasing matwa – abugadu Santiago ampo itang ingkung ku principal ya (I was cared by elders – Atty. Santiago and my grandfather was a principal),” he said.
“Magumpisa king malati ku ing penabilin da kanaku nung ninu man ika king daratang a panahun emu kakalingwan nung nokarin ka menibat, nung makananu ing pibatan mu anya pin migbalik ku San Fernando (Since I was a child the wisdom they imparted to me was whoever I become in the years to come, don’t ever forget where you came from, on how your beginning was , so I came back to San Fernando),” Santiago said.
Crossroads
Santiago said the City of San Fernando is now in the crossroads of progress with the rapid development of the region.
Santiago said there are now seven economic growth areas in San Fernando: Barangay Telabastagan is now the location of an SM City mall; an agri-industrial plant in Barangay Lara, Barangay Sindalan to Barangay Calulut, Barangay Dolores, the downtown area and the southern part of the city like barangays Pandaras, San Felipe and San Nicolas.
“I pushed for the tourism road in Barangay Sindalan to Calulut and all the way to the Mexico exit for a circumferential road,” he said.
“I asked President Aquino to widen it than the 12-meter original plan,” he said. Santiago said he was the one who sketched the plan for the road project and told Aquino that it will be named Aquino byway.
“It will the first green road and it is a discipline road that will ease traffic,” he said.
The mayor said another road project that is seen to ease traffic is the Porac-SCTEx four-kilometer road where all gravel and sand trucks will pass.
Santiago said the NLEx toll exit going to the Lubao-inalupihan road which is now being constructed will lessen the travel time from the NLEx to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to only 20 minutes.
“It is a shortcut from San Fernando passing the towns of Sto. Tomas, Minalin, Lubao and Sasmuan which is the shortest distance to Subic,” he explained.
There is also a road in Barangay Del Rosario there which will be a parallel road going to SCTEx as well as a coastal road, he said.
But Santiago said San Fernando is not part of the Build-Build-Build program of the Duterte administration because it has its own mega development plan. “Ginawa tamu sariling Build-Build-Build (We made our own Build-Build- Build),” he said.
To be continued
