Mayor Sarmiento will
take his oath before Hon. Rogelio C. Sescon, Executive Judge, RTC
Branch 6,7,8,9 and 34, during the Regional Development Council meeting
on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 1:30 in the afternoon, at Hotel Alejandro,
Tacloban City.
Mayor Sarmiento who is
known as an innovative and development oriented local government
executive, was the lone nominee of the Regional Development Council.
His nomination was endorsed to and confirmed by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. The confirmation letter was received by the RDCEV
Secretariat on November 9, 2007.
Mayor Sarmiento, who
is on his third term as mayor of the City of Calbayog, ran and won as
mayor of Calbayog in 2001. Since then there was no turning back. Mayor
Sarmiento faced the daunting task of reversing a P144M deficit,
alongside a City Council and City Hall that were largely loyal to the
previous administration. Only over a year in office and already his
administration has exhibited impressive gains.
Through a series of
strategies he attributes to his experience in the private sector and
the Calbayog City Development Strategies process, his administration
has increased tax collection efficiency to 97.65% (from 6.87% in
1997), increased local revenue by 5.4%, and a 130% increase in
revenues from business collections.
His hardwork and
innovative programs won recognition and several awards for the City of
Calbayog, among which, first place in the League of Cities of the
Philippines (LCP) Best Practices Competition with its entry Coastal
Zoning - Delineating Waters for Commercial and Marginal Fishermen, to
respond to the problems of illegal fishing and poverty faced by the
City; and recently, as the Best Local Government in Region 8 in the
localization of the implementation of the Millennium Development
Goals.
Mayor Sarmiento who is
also in his second term as the Secretary General of the League of
Cities of the Philippines, has won the respect and trust of his
colleagues. Recently, Mayor Sarmiento was invited as one of the
speakers in the four-day
United Cities
and Local Governments’ World Congress in
Jeju,
South Korea
where he spoke on the topic Scaling Up City Development Strategies in
the Philippines.
The congress aimed to
exchange best experiences on the City Development Strategies in order
to inspire the delegates to emphasize on the role of cities in a
global context to promote effective economic growth and poverty
reduction.
With the theme "Cities
without Slums - Strategic Responses in Fast Growing Cities," the
sessions centered on local government experiences in using CDS and
slum upgrading tools in cities where Cities Alliance members have
financed interventions and promoted cities as partners of
international cooperation.
The City Development
Strategies process is a tool which aims to help create a well
governed, sustainable, productive and social inclusive city. In
Calbayog, the activities are being monitored and documented by the
City Planning and Development Office.
Mayor Sarmiento has
also recently been invited to attend the Public Policy Forum sponsored
by the Cities Alliance with Housing and Urban Development Coordinating
Council (HUDCC), League of Cities of the Philippines, Asian
Development Bank, World Bank and the UN Habitat.
With his expertise
on development strategies and with his commitment to public service,
Mayor Sarmiento’s term as the chairman of the Regional Development
Council of Eastern Visayas promises to be a fruitful one.
