Message on the Occasion of My Graduation as Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) on May 15, 2015

Life is a never ending process of learning. Managing a local government unit (LGU) has become more challenging with the devolution of more powers, responsibilities and resources to provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays. It is our duty, nay our obligation to continue capacitating ourselves with new knowledge and creative and innovative approaches in the field of governance to be able to meet the many challenges of managing our LGU's, including but not limited to the prudent and transparent management of public funds and resources, the planning and implementation of programs, projects and activities in education, health, peace and order, environmental management and protection, gender and development, disaster preparedness, climate change adaptation and even preparing for the ASEAN integration to make LGU's globally and regionally competitive. Local governance must continue to reinvent itself and establish a network of public sector practitioners imbued with a deep sense of integrity and excellence with the public interest as its main consideration. We may not be able to change the world for the better in our lifetime, what with its complex problems, but we can certainly change the world one city at a time! The small stone thrown into the sea can create a ripple that can produce positive changes in our communities. If every LGU in our country and in the whole world have this kind of attitude and mindset, then we can have a better world to live in, not just for our own benefit, but most especially for the benefit of our future generation.