Page 3 - The PH Source Vol 4 No 2 - Pascual

Gapan City Mayor Emerson D. Pascual:

a MoDEl

of EffECtivE

GovErnanCE

R UNNING a city is a tough job that requires Ecija has a model for other local chief

executives to emulate.
a remarkable leader imbued with a great
His story of selflessness to serve
sensitivity to render judgment calls under
people in distress under the hardest
extreme conditions.
of times amid strict government-im-
posed lockdown in the wake of the
highly-infectious coronavirus pan-
demic made him an instant sensa-
However, running a city under a local leader who went beyond his tion.
one of the toughest predicaments mandate and for which he unwit- His was something spontaneous
today in view of a global pandemic tingly earned the distinction, along and spurred by no less than the local
is something that requires more than with a handful of local executives, folks who finally found a genuine
public servant in every essence of the
word.
at the onset of the govern-
ment-imposed home confinement,
then little known Mayor Emeng as he
is fondly called by his constituents,
found full compliance necessary to
keep his city from breeding coronavi-
rus infections.
He realized quickly that one way
to ensure that “Batang Gapan” would
stay at home is to address the very
purpose for which many are stepping
out of their homes – to find food.
Using his personal resources, he
bought over 34,000 sacks [50 kilos]
of rice which he personally distrib-
uted to each and every family in the
city.
that was where he gained nation-
al prominence that made his style of
governance a model for other local
chief executives to emulate.
wits – it requires honest-to-goodness for their unconventional yet effective in an interview, Mayor Emeng ad-
leadership with a penchant for genu- crisis response. mits that local government funds may
ine public service. Meet Emerson “Emeng” Pascual only be enough to defray the cost of
if there is something good about of Gapan City in the province of CoviD-19 response as their 2020
the national health emergency which nueva Ecija. operational budget has already been
has adversely affected the Philippine earmarked for specific purposes.
economy, filipinos were able to Phenomenal Emeng But that predicament should not
identify genuine public servants from Phenomenal would be an un- be an excuse, says Mayor Emeng
traditional politicians. derstatement to describe 47-year who readily spent even his personal
in a 400-year old locality an hour Emerson D. Pascual whose style of savings just to make sure that not one
and 15 minutes away from Manila is governance in Gapan City in nueva “Batang Gapan” would go hungry for

January – March 2021 | The Philippine Source 49