BONTOC, Mountain Province – Former Mayor Franklin Odsey wants the municipality to regain its previous status as one of the well managed local governments not only in the cordillera but also in the entire country through the implementation of holistic programs, projects and activities that contribute in spurring progress for all.
He said that overall development could be achieved through sound fiscal management and good governance anchored on the 10-point agenda of the Seal of Good Local governance (SGLG) to be able to address the varied issues and concerns of the population.
“Development does not only relate to infrastructure or delivery of services but it encompasses all aspects ranging from human resource, fiscal, environment, business, among others,” Odsey stressed.
The former local chief executive was instrumental in laying the foundation for the recent recognition of the Maligcong rice terraces as a cultural heritage site in the municipality that will surely contribute in boosting the town’s tourism industry which must be taken advantage to help in significantly improving the present state of the local economy.
Odsey served the municipality as its three-term mayor from 2013-2019. He was eventually appointed as the Provincial Administrator of the Mountain Province provincial government from July 1, 2022 until October 2024 where he resigned from his post to pursue his desire to go back to the locality and serve the people of Bontoc.
He was designated by Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. as the focal person for SGLG that paved the way for Mountain Province to be conferred the coveted award over the past several years.
According to him, there is also a need to strike a balance between development and the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the environment because of the need for the present generation to be able to pass on to the upcoming generations a good state of the environment for them to enjoy reaping its fruits.
The former mayor explained that the effective and efficient delivery of social services is inherent on the government and that whoever will be an authority will be the ones to implement the said programs, thus, people should not be obligated to those incumbent officials who are distributing funds under the various assistance programs of the national and local governments.
He pointed out that what is important for the government is to inculcate into the minds of the people the need for them to be resilient in life and not for them to be over dependent on the funds being distributed in the guise of providing them the necessary assistance as the same is temporary in nature compared to people having sustainable sources of livelihood such as being gainfully employed and having other sources of livelihood.
The former local official underscored that genuine public service cuts through political barriers since the welfare of the people is the primordial consideration irregardless of their political affiliation among others as what matters is their interest as they try to hurdle the challenges that happen in their lives. By Dexter A. See
