BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
CALL it “astigness”! The youngest, the smallest and the poorest town in Negros Occidental is leveling up. Really, it’s unbelievable to note.
But Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) town, billed as the “Summer Capital” of Negros Island, is now soaring high. And such seems unstoppable.
As promised DSB, unknown to many, will be the next biggest exporter of durian and dragon fruit in the entire Philippines.
Don’t be shocked, too, that this 4th-Class municipality up there in the mountain will be the next host of some national and international gabs.
Sounds ambitious?
Yes, because Mayor Laurence Marxlen “Mac-Mac” de la Cruz personally admits they’re being ambitious. And being ambitious, he stressed, is their potent guide to level up and make their town smarter.
Complementing such ambitious characteristic is their newest town’s slogan: One Step Ahead!
‘INDI NA MAMATA-MATA’
Thus, on April 14, Mayor Mac-Mac “shocked” the province with the blessing of their newly-acquired 13 brand new vehicles – 11 (4 x 4) pick-up vehicles and two vans.They all cost P21M.
Seven of the pick-up vehicles were given to each of the seven barangays in town. The four others were detailed to the Department of Education (DepEd-DSB), town’s police, health office, and rescue center.
The two vans were given to the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), respectively.
Vice Mayor Nehemiah Joe “JR” de la Cruz said “these new vehicles are our morale boosters”.
“Kon sang una, ginahikayan lang kita nga mga taga-DSB, subong, indi na kita nila sarang mamata-mata,” he said during his speech after the blessing.
What a meaningful phrase! Indeed, truly admirable.
But beyond the status symbol is the essence of these classy yet dependable vehicles: To save lives in times of disaster.
Where did they get the money? Mayor Mac-Mac bared they applied for a loan at the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). First, they applied for P289M. But the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) reduced it to only P246M.
So, P82M was allotted for farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and P21M for the service vehicles acquisition. The rest was earmarked for land banking and construction of vital infrastructures.
Also in the pipeline is the proposed 10,000-seater event dome.
DSB envisions to host some national and international conferences.
“We (already) acquired a 17-hectare lot property. It’ll be the center of everything soonest,” the mayor said.
Such will host the new town hall, police headquarters, convention center, among others. What a vision!
BENEFICIAL FEE
Likewise, to have sustainable local revenues, the town council passed an ordinance compelling land tenants within the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) to pay “Beneficial Fee”.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of the Province of Negros Occidental already approved such an ordinance. It’s up for an implementation in the next quarter, the mayor said.
DSB is now a haven for upland hotels, hostels, resorts, restaurants, spas, camping sites, rest houses, among others.
DSB already made a 100% recovery from COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking, the mayor said they need to exploit lots of opportunities courtesy of DSB’s assets – coolness of the breeze and beautiful sceneries within 1,535 meters (5,036 feet) above the sea level.
Also, DSB is gradually exiting from sugar industry. It’s focusing more on rice, corn, ginger and root crop productions.
Likewise, their soon-to-be-prime produce next to their already-well-known sweet pineapples are durians and dragon fruits. DSB’s climate, Mayor Mac-Mac stressed, is conducive to these two “exportable” agri-produce.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
Meanwhile, Mayor Mac-Mac alongside his mom, Cynthia, always sounds sentimental about DSB’s latest treads and accomplishments.
And all these, he said, are in the name of his father, the late Nehemias “Nene” de la Cruz.
Nene and his wife, former mayor Cynthia, were the acknowledged founders of DSB in 1983. They were rebel fighters-turned-lovers-turned-legal couple-turned social welfare crusaders. DSB was their “special baby”.
Really, they suffered a lot prior to the baptism of DSB via Batas Pambansa Bilang 336 on Feb. 9, 1983. That’s why in everything that Mayor Mac-Mac is doing right now for DSB’s sake, he never fails to attribute such to his Tatay Nene.
Steering DSB into a smart town in Negros is, indeed, a noteworthy attainment. And the phrase, “Indi na mamata-mata pa” is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming! It spells lots of meanings that only the heart knows.
Salvadorians are considered or treated to be “daw mga paaman” in Negros. Quite a hurtful tag.
But Mayor Mac-Mac is now “beyond determined” to let Salvadorians taste the respect and treatment they really long for.
Hence, “astigness” is real! /PN
