A total of 1,504 village officials in Caloocan City who won in the recently concluded Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) took oath as public servants on Friday, Nov. 10.
Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo "Along" Malapitan led the oath-taking of the officials of the city's 188 barangays at the Caloocan City Sports Complex.
In his speech, Malapitan congratulated the winners and reminded them that that a life of public service is heavily dependent on the trust given by their constituents.
“Kaya ang unang una kong bilin sa inyo, huwag niyong sisirain ang tiwalang ipinagkaloob sa inyo dahil sa ilalim ng aking administrasyon, hindi ko papayagan ang sinuman na umabuso sa mga Batang Kankaloo (So my first instruction to you is do not break the trust given to you because under my administration, I will not allow anyone to abuse the Batang Kankaloo),” he said.
He added that barangay officials are important in the governance as they are tasked to ensure that the programs of the national and city governments have an impact on their respective residents.
“Sa paggawa ninyo ng mga programa at proyekto, isa-alang-alang ninyo palagi ang makabubuti para sa nakararami. Iisa lang naman po ang ating pinagsisilbihan kaya naman itatak po natin sa ating isipan na kapakanan nila ang palagi nating prayoridad sa lahat ng ating mga plano at ginagawa (As you create programs and projects, always consider what is good for the majority. There is only one that we both serve (the city residents), so let's always think that their welfare is always our priority in all our plans and actions),” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the local government said that the elected Sangguniang Kabataan members will also undergo mandatory training in relation to their duties and responsibilities before they start their terms.
Present during the event were Caloocan City Vice Mayor Karina Teh, District 1 Representative Oscar "Oca" Malapitan, District 2 Representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy, District 3 Representative Dean Asistio, and the city councilors.