A "learning hub"

CEBU, Philippines - After being recognized by the United Nations as a global leader in good governance, San Francisco town’s achievement has gained interest from other local government units.

Mayors from Oslob and Carcar City in southern Cebu visited the Camotes group of islands to see how they can replicate San Francisco’s success. Legislators from Compostela, Sogod and Cebu City also came for a visit, as well as barangay captains from Liloan.

Moreover, officials from Bangladesh also arrived in Camotes for an educational tour in San Francisco.

This July 5, Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano is flying to Sri Lanka after he was invited by its government to share the San Francisco experience.

It was the purok system in San Francisco, which plays a crucial role in dissemination information and implementing policies on disaster preparedness, which got the UN’s attention.

There are 120 puroks in San Francisco, with each purok composed of households numbering between 50 to 200. Arquillano only has to talk to the purok leaders and they immediately relay information to their member-families.

The purok system helps the local government in holding evacuation drills in the coastal areas and other places vulnerable to the effects of strong winds and heavy rains. The last time San Francisco was severely hit by a storm was in 1982 yet during typhoon Bising.

“Let’s pursue a culture of safety and prevention,” said Arquillano.

The focus on prevention is one thing that struck the UN’s jury most. Other finalists did the disaster-preparedness strategies only after calamity struck their places.

Now, the purok system is also being implemented in Oslob, Carcar, Liloan and other places. And it’s not just the Cebu towns that have embraced something from San Francisco. The UN statement from mayors also adopted what the plenary learned from San Francisco - the preservation of local heritage. This, San Francisco adopted from the advocacy of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who included this in the assessment of annual winners of the provincial contest for cleanliness and conservation of the environment and heritage. San Francisco has won the E-gwen this competition for two successive years.

“We take on something so big, by starting small,” added the vice mayor, who made this very same statement before the UN plenary wherein two high school students from San Francisco had the rare chance of speaking about the active participation of the youth sector.

 And starting small he did. In 2001, he decided to be a vegetarian as part of the culture of safety that he is advocating. This was welcomed by the poor, who only have to prepare vegetable soup and not spend on meat whenever the town’s top man visits their house. Also until now, Arquillano goes around his town on his bicycle. As he puts it, using the bike saves on gas and money, helps promote clean air and keeps him fit.

“Living healthy is living safely,” Arquillano advocates.  (FREEMAN)