MikeLigalig.com

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim said he is optimistic that the city will reap more victories in his upcoming term.

Speaking on the eve of his induction for his second term, Lim said that notwithstanding the gains in the first three years, so much needs to be done.

Lim noted that what has been achieved so far merely elevated the city to the next level in the struggle for a better life.

In his first three years, Lim was able to accomplished several historic pro-people initiatives particularly in education, health, peace and order and environment.

The city has implemented the multiple intelligence theory to pre-school children in Day Care centers that prepare them for the educational requirements of the future.

To encourage pupils studying in government learning institutions, the city distributes free school uniforms including shoes, bags and school supplies. This year, the freebies include umbrellas and raincoats.

The Blue Card program provides free hospitalization to indigent patients confined in government hospitals while the Botika sa Katawhan distributes free prescription medicines to the poorest of the poor.

The tough-talking Lim has introduced an innovative peace and order approach that gives premium to crime solution more than apprehension of violators.

Lim has also introduced a new garbage collection scheme that has not only removed trash from street corners but also free up the air pollutants.

On the occasion of the 41st year of Tagbilaran as a charter city, Lim said that the future holds much for a city that is only starting to realize its potentials.

"Notwithstanding its limitations, Tagbilaran has awesome potentials because it is relying on its best asset - its people. What it lacks in size and resources, Tagbilaran more than makes up for it with a citizenry that has the right tools for growth," the mayor said.

In paying tribute to Tagbilaranons, Lim described them as "God-fearing, law-abiding, hard-working and unassuming".

The mayor however acknowledges the challenges saying "the odds are daunting".

"Around us we see the festering wounds of anger, resentment, bitterness, cynicism and skepticism due to the years of official neglect and opportunism," he said.

But while the situation seems bad, the mayor said "something exciting is happening in the city by the bay".

Lim said that today, there are enough reasons to be optimistic about the future and to hope for a better life in Tagbilaran.

The mayor said hope will only thrive in the hearts of people who are willing to give the future a chance.

"Despair has little to do with what we have around us but is determined by what is in our hearts and in our minds. If we have already given up, all the efforts to improve external conditions will no longer make any difference," Lim noted.

He reiterated his optimism about a brighter future saying "the best is yet to come" "With God's blessings and provisions, all that will come to pass," the mayor concluded. (July 1, 2007)

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