“Love your job.” This was the reminder of Mayor John Rey Tiangco to Navotas City Hall employees during Monday’s flag raising ceremony, as he prepared to step down from office on July 1.
“Value your work and do it well. Not everyone is given the honor and opportunity to serve others and make a difference in people’s lives,” he said during his farewell speech.
Tiangco will officially leave his office on Sunday. His brother, Rep. Toby Tiangco, was elected to replace him.
Having served as Navotas chief executive for nine years, Mayor Tiangco expressed his gratitude to government workers and other stakeholders.
He said because of their constant support, Navotas has been able to take great leaps and bounds in the sectors of health, education, livelihood, peace and order, and housing.
In 2015, Tiangco noted, the city opened its first government-managed and operated hospital. Its extension is currently under construction, which will increase the hospital’s bed capacity from 50 to 100.
The city has also opened the Navotas Medical and Wellness Center which offers breast checkup and mammography, ultrasound, ECG, xray and others, the mayor added.
Other health facilities built during Tiangco’s term included the hemodialysis center, physical rehabilitation centers in Brgy. Tanza 1 and NBBS Kaunlaran, and additional health centers.
For education, Navotas, under Tiangco’s helm, sent to school 777 scholars who excelled in academics, arts and sports as well as kin of outstanding fisherfolk families. The city also provided scholarships to 2,665 Navotas Polytechnic College students.
The city also instituted Kindergarten on Wheels, COmputer Outreach Learning (COOL) Program, Youth and Kids Ministry for values formation and Avot tours. It also donated smart TVs, Balik Eskwela bags, laptops, electric fans and air-conditioners to public elementary and high schools.
For livelihood, Tiangco’s administration created the NavotaAs Hanapbuhay Center in 2011 that provided services such as Tulong Trabaho, Tulong Negosyo, Tulong Puhunan, Tulong Kooperatiba at Tulong Produkto. Among the beneficiaries of the program were tricycle drivers who were given opportunity to avail of loans to buy their own 4-stroke motorcycles.
Two additional training centers were also constructed in Districts 1 and 2, and more tech-voc courses are being offered in the city to accommodate the growing demand for skills training.
For peace and order, Tiangco pushed for the installation of more than 150 CCTVs around the city monitored by an upgraded Command and Action Center. Forty-two free wifi hotspots were installed in open spaces and basketball courts, and 24 more access points are well on its way to provide public elementary and secondary schools free wifi services.
His administration also invested in rescue vehicles and equipment to ensure that the city is disaster-ready and resilient. A community-based rehabilitation program that helps citizens with substance use disorder was also established.
Navotas City Jail Annex was also built during Tiangco’s term, through a partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
For housing, five in-city facilities were constructed in barangays San Roque, Tanza 2, North Bay Blvd. South (NBBS) Kaunlaran and NBBS Dagat-dagatan, which shelters around 2,000 Navoteño families. Additional housing projects are currently undergoing planning and preparation stages.
During Tiangco’s term, Navotas received a number of awards such as Seal of Good Housekeeping, 2011 and 2012; Seal of Good Local Governance, 2015 and 2017; Unqualified Opinion by the Commission on Audit, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“Navotas is our home and its every citizen is our family. During the three terms that we serve as mayor, we prioritized projects and programs that are essential to our growing family’s need so we can all live a comfortable and productive life,” he said.