Former Civil Service Commission chair Karlo Nograles on Thursday underscored the need for every resident of the country’s largest city to see, hear, and feel the presence of its local government.
“Every Davaoeño, not just those living in the center but more importantly those who are farther away, should see, hear, and feel the presence of the city government and avail of its services easily. Gobyerno ang dapat na lumalapit, hindi ang tao,” said Nograles.
The lawyer explained that with a land area of 2,443.61 square kilometers, Davao City has a land area that is almost four times the size of Metro Manila, which has a land area of 636 square kilometers and is composed of 16 cities and 1 municipality.
The former Davao City representative said that it would be a challenge to create “smaller hubs of City Hall” across the vast city, but that it was doable by using technology and other innovations.
“Imagine, Metro Manila is roughly a fourth the size of Davao City, but NCR has 17 separate LGUs, 17 different city halls—while we only have one LGU, one city hall. Kaya we have to be creative and imaginative if we want to regularly and properly reach out to our 1.7 million residents.”
He added that “if we have to walk to get to the hard-to-reach communities in District 3, for example, then we will do that to assure Davaoeños that their city government is looking after their welfare.”
In this regard, Nograles bared his plan to organize service caravans and satellite offices in Davao’s three districts to provide easier access to the residents of the city’s 182 barangays.
The former Davao City representative said that it would be a challenge to create “smaller hubs of City Hall” across the vast city, but that it was doable by using technology and other innovations.
He emphasized that “all challenges can be solved through a careful study of the facts and the use of available technology and the adoption of best practices.”
Establishing such hubs in areas beyond the center, said Nograles, would help address gaps in services such as health, aid distribution, and even the filing of permits and application of government documents.
“Mas madali ang pagpapabakuna at check-up, pag-apply ng permit at mga dokumento gaya ng birth certificate, kung mas marami tayong service caravan at satellite office. Tipid sa pamasahe, at hindi masasayang ang oras ng Davaoeño.”
