Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon called on city government employees to exceed public expectations and urged residents to embrace “shared responsibility” during the first flag-raising ceremony of 2026 on Monday.

Leading the traditional New Year’s Toast, Biazon characterized the start of the year as a decisive moment for the city to apply lessons learned from the challenges of 2025.

“I hope that as we look back, we learn from the lessons of 2025 and ensure that mistakes are not repeated in 2026,” Biazon told city hall staff. “We have an entire year to improve the service we provide to every Muntinlupeño. Let’s turn our resolutions into making Muntinlupa better.”

The mayor issued a specific challenge to civil servants, emphasizing that public service often requires labor that transcends official job descriptions. He noted that the expectation for those in government is to work “beyond the call of duty.”

“Perhaps for some, this is too high a demand,” Biazon said. “But when you enter public service, you should be ready to do your job even if there is no overtime. We entered this field because we are ready to serve more than what is expected.”

Biazon also addressed the broader community, stating that the city’s progress is not the sole burden of the local government and stressed that sustainable growth requires active participation from the citizenry.

“The rise of Muntinlupa is not just the job of the government — it is a shared responsibility of us all,” he said.