Lim shares Sikatuna award with people of Tagbilaran

Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday said he was sharing his Sikatuna award with the people of Tagbilaran City. Lim was chosen as one of this year's Sikatuna awardees during the 152nd Bohol Day rites held Saturday. He was honored on the basis of his leadership that placed Tagbilaran as one of 10 investor-friendly cities in the Philippines.

In his brief response, Lim said that when he stood to receive the award yesterday, he did so with a clear declaration that he shares it with the citizens of Tagbilaran. “Indeed, this recognition would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of the thousands of nameless, faceless residents of this humble city,” Lim declared. He said this cooperation had been manifested many times, recalling the rightsizing of the bureaucracy that demonstrated his political will. The mayor also paid tribute to city residents who responded to the new garbage collection scheme and the implementation of the helmet requirement for motorcycle drivers.

Tagbilaran has also been cited as one of the most peaceful cities due to the effective law enforcement network that counts on the support of barangay officials in all 15 city barangays. “A leader is only as good as those who follow his leadership. It is better for a sheep to lead a pack of lions than a lion leading a pack of sheep,” he stressed. Lim said he received the award “only in my capacity as the father of this great city”. “I do so merely as a representative because this award would not have been possible without the city and all the people who continue to toil and work,” he added.

Calling Tagbilaranons as “a people who deserve the future”, Lim said the citizens of Tagbilaran “are no ordinary people”. “We have declared our desire to rise to the challenge and go against the tide. Instead of being discouraged, we are optimistic and bullish about the future,” the mayor added. While Tagbilaran is setting the pace, Lim said it has not forgotten its responsibilities as the Boholanos' big brother. He however pointed out that “the best is yet to come”. Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lim said the reward of a thing well done is to have done it. “Without growth, our task is not over,” he noted.

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