ALABEL, Sarangani (June 29, 2013) – Outgoing Governor Migs Dominguez delivers his final message to his constituents at the oath-taking ceremony of elected officials and turnover to incoming Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon. Dominguez thanked his constituents and lauded the “strength of its people, perseverance and the hardwork, (that) we’ve been able to perform with many challenges.” Dominguez was well on his way up the corporate ladder of the family-owned Alsons Aquaculture Corporation when politics and public service beckoned. He was a reluctant last minute candidate who happened to be at the right place and the right time. At 26, he ran for governor in Sarangan in 2004. He turned 27 during the campaign period and quickly shed off his corporate executive image to become one of the most effective young rising politicians in Mindanao by winning on a platform of good governance and committed public service. He won over a graft-ridden set of officials and gave Sarangani and its residents a fresh start. When he won for the first time in 2004, he became the youngest to be elected governor in the history of Mindanao and the second in the country. Educated in exclusive private schools and finishing his college with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree in Boston College, Dominguez saw how the lack of it in the province made Sarangani one of the poorest in the country. Marshaling his ability to draw support and grants from corporate entities and donor countries, Dominguez made education, or providing opportunities to have access to education, his priority. From being the bottom dweller in the National Achievement Test (NAT) for elementary and high school in 2006, Sarangani became SoCSKSarGen’s (Region 12) best performer by 2011, just seven years into his term. He found sponsors for 113 new schools from private sector partners. As an education reformer, Dominguez mentored and engaged Sarangani communities to rally with him in revolutionizing Sarangani education. He launched the Quality Education for Sarangani Today in 2007 that became the Galing Pook awardee for 2013. The Galing Pook Award is given in recognition of innovation and excellence in local governance. Together with his JEEP (Justice Enhancement and Empowerment Program) and Kalinaw Sarangani (Comprehensive Peace and Development Program), both also Galing Pook awardees for 2011 and 2009 respectively, the QUEST program shoved Dominguez into the Hall of Fame, one of the very few local executives to earn such honors and distinction. In 2009, he was appointed president of the Lakas-Kampi coalition at the age of 32, one of the youngest to hold such kind of position in a major political party. He turned the graft-ridden province into one of the best ran local government units earning the Seal of Good Housekeeping in 2011. Dominguez almost singlehandedly put Sarangani in the national map as investment and tourism destination by rallying residents, involving the participation of indigenous peoples in local governance and engaging armed combatant of Moro rebels in peace dialogues. He reached out to his political opponents to make Sarangani a better place to govern. In February, Dominguez was honored with a Devex Manila 40 Under 40 award for outstanding work in the international development community. The Galing Pook Foundation honored Dominguez with the first ever Jesse Robredo Leadership Award. Named after the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, the leadership award is conferred to incumbent mayors or governors who have shown effective, transparent, accountable, participatory, innovative and ethical leadership. Governor Dominguez is going back to private life when his term of office ends on June 30. He will leave behind a lasting legacy every Sarangan can and should be proud of. Dominguez has joined the board of Galing Pook Foundation and Synergeia Foundation, a coalition of individuals, organizations and institutions that aims to improve basic education around the country. For more news and updates, please visit the http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/ > Province of Sarangani </a>. (Jake T. Narte/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
No comments:
Post a Comment