As the local campaign for the midterm elections kicks off, Davao mayoralty candidate Karlo Nograles on Friday said that his campaign will be focused on Davaoeño voters and informing them of his vision and platform for the city.
According to the former Civil Service Commission Chair, “voters will be at the center of our campaign. We will work to make sure that every Davaoeño knows what we stand for, what our plans are, and how we intend to move Davao City forward.”
“Dapat klaro sa tao ano plano natin, saan tayo papunta, ano mararating natin.”
Nograles also vowed to heavily invest in health and education, as well as kickstart long-term solutions to flooding and heavy traffic.
“Paniniwala ko na we owe it to the electorate to present our vision and platform clearly—and that means reaching as many voters as possible, by any and all means available to us,” added the lawyer.
The former Davao lawmaker also vowed that “whether through rallies, town hall gatherings, or modern digital platforms,” his campaign would be accessible to all and his platform clearly understood.
“This election is about the future of our city, and we believe it is our responsibility to be visible, to be present, and to be accessible to our voters. Especially during these times of confusion and uncertainty, people need to know and understand what is happening and what is going to happen, yung tunay at tapat, yung klaro,” Nograles explained.
Nograles is running on a platform of “choice, chance, change.” He had earlier bared his plans to pursue the aggressive digitalization of Davao City, which he said would improve the local government’s service delivery and entice businesses to invest in the city, thus creating jobs for Davaoeños.
The longtime public servant also vowed to heavily invest in health and education, as well as kickstart long-term solutions to flooding and heavy traffic.
In his last year in the CSC, Nograles was appointed as the inaugural Chairperson of the Asia Public Service Network (APSN), an organization of civil service leaders and senior officials from the Asian region who serve as the bridge to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) community, to facilitate the sharing of reform experiences, best practices and common opportunities to shape the future of public service delivery across the region.
Nograles served three consecutive terms as representative of the 1st District of Davao City. In the House of Representatives Nograles was instrumental in passing significant laws such as the Green Jobs Act, lauded by the International Labor Organization as a first of its kind in the world; the JobStart Philippines Act, which helps improve young Filipinos’ prospects in the job market right after graduating from school; and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which provides for free tuition in state and local universities and colleges in the Philippines.
After serving in the House Nograles was appointed Cabinet Secretary and also served as Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Co-chairperson and Spokesperson of the Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). In addition to this he headed Task Force on Zero Hunger, which formulated the country’s first ever National Food Policy. This policy now serves as the blueprint for national programs to end hunger and malnutrition.
For his outstanding contributions as a public servant, Chairperson Nograles received numerous awards. He was conferred the Order of Lakandula with the Rank of Grand Cross (Bayani), one of the highest civilian orders of the Philippines. He was a TESDA Kabalikat Awardee in 2013 and 2015 for advocating technical-vocational education and training. He received the Golden Globe Awards for Excellence in Public Service in 2015 and 2016, and was also recognized as an Outstanding Congressman in 2012 and 2015.
