For Tanauan City Mayor Nelson "Sonny" P. Collantes, a successful leader is one who can lead by example as a hundred days into his mayoral post, he has shown that he can walk the talk.

Since assuming office, Collantes has been at the forefront of public service — always present in the communities and making sure he is easily accessible to his constituents.

"A good leader must lead by example," said Collantes in his speech for his first State of the City Address on Wednesday. "God is my witness; I tried to be a model employee for all of them."

To make his constituents feel more welcome in the City Hall, he has turned the Office of the City Mayor into the "Tanggapan ng mga Mamamayan ng Lungsod ng Tanauan."

"I knew I must gain the trust and confidence of the people, which is why I opened the Office of the Mayor to the people," said Collantes while stressing the importance of helping those who are in need regardless of how big or small their problems are.

A former lawmaker and a military reservist, the Tanauan mayor has proven that despite a political divide, a strong-willed public servant can unite people under a shared vision and to unify the whole city of Tanauan, Collantes formed and revived 18 City Councils to harmonize their efforts and initiatives with the local government.

At City Hall, Collantes has formed a Department Committee, composed of all department heads, who meet every Monday afternoon to report the weekly accomplishments of every office.

Collantes has proven that as long as a leader has the political will, one can accomplish so much as how he did in his first three months in office.