President Bongbong Marcos and the Filipino nation hail Carlos Yulo for winning two gold medals in men’s artistic gymnastics in the Paris Olympics 2024. As of 7 a.m. on 4 August, the Philippines was ranked 19th in the medal tally, out of 204 countries that are participating in the Games.

If fate could turn the three potential sure medal winners into gold, the Philippines would instantly become a sports world power to complement Bongbong’s New Philippines as an economic world power.

The year 2024 marks a significant milestone in the administration of Honorable Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano as mayor of the City of Pasay.

Since it became a city, it was only on 30 June 2024 that the Commission on Audit (CoA), through its Resident Auditor, rendered an unmodified opinion on the fairness of the presentation of the financial statements of Pasay City for the Calendar Year ending 31 December 2O23.

An unmodified opinion is issued when the auditor concludes that the financial statements are prepared in all material respects following the applicable financial framework.

Being accorded the unmodified opinion by CoA means a lot of sacrifice and discipline on the part of the city management in observing accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations.

Mayor Emi, to satisfy the requirements of the Commission on Audit, shifted the city’s attention to upgrading the financial proficiency of its barangays.

Included in the city mayor’s idea is a thorough review of what has been learned under the book, in schools, and the rules and regulations imposed by the CoA in government service.

She required all barangays of Pasay City with their heads and kagawads, including bookkeepers, treasurers, and secretaries, to attend the three-day financial proficiency forum conducted by Fulgencio M. Darunday, a certified public accountant and OIC of the Office of the City Accountant, whose decades of experience in both private and public practice have afforded him a well-rounded skill set, including first-rate professionalism and strong team capabilities which he shared with the forum attendees.

The perspective of the financial proficiency training was to facilitate the work, and help everyone gain the desired efficiency, economy, and effectiveness in accomplishing their respective tasks.

Pasay City is exceptional. It won the DILG Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award five times — four times consecutively 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 — plus the most difficult and significant one in 2022, for the fifth.

The 2022 SGLG Award was the most significant because it was a recognition of the exemplary performance of the city amid the Covid-19 health crisis, “of being able to deliver quality service to the constituents, and “its response to the call of the times,” the DILG said.

Mayor Calixto-Rubiano received the most coveted 2022 award for the people of Pasay at the Manila Hotel last 13 December.

The SGLG Award upgrades performance standards that focus on the outcomes of the LGUs’ efforts in addressing challenges in local administration and public service delivery.

To receive the SGLG Award, LGUs must pass the assessment criteria across various governance areas — financial administration; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity; health compliance and responsiveness; sustainable education; business friendliness and competitiveness; safety, peace and order; environmental management; tourism, heritage development, culture and the arts; and youth development.

This Thursday, 8 August, we shall see if my prayers helped our EJ Obiena beat Sweden’s Armand Duplantis in the Paris Olympics. Last night, Obiena said: “I will beat Duplantis in the Paris Olympics.”

Then we shall continue with the “Wonders of the New Philippines in Pasay” and unto Las Piñas City. whose mayor was cited as one of the best 10 mayors in the NCR.

(To be continued)