It never occurred to me to ask who on earth “San Carlos” was, how he became a saint and what is the connection of the “Saint” with a town in Negros Occidental that is full of secrets. Yes, the name of such a town sounds familiar to many, perhaps because we make a mental association with the “University of San Carlos.” But that university is in Cebu City and the city I recently discovered is in Negros.
I think I was just too excited to look at the remaining old houses, walk by the sea wall promenade (still under construction), sample genuine Visayan / Ilonggo meals, exercise in what will soon be their business center (which is more promenade than concrete jungle) and observe how the local leaders have prudently and methodically managed the progress of their beloved town. In order to do this, our team leader “Boss” Rico Gomez (AVP and national sales manager for BMeg Feeds Business) arranged a courtesy call on Mayor Gerardo P. Valmayor Jr. who started out as a shy, withdrawn kid, drawn and mentored into politics by his uncle. This young leader has brought a corporate but inclusive style of building up San Carlos as a local government.
Unlike other big towns and urbanized places, you won’t feel the typical rush to progress here. Although the land area of San Carlos is 45,000 hectares with a population of 130,000, the people here still stop to talk to friends and visitors and not just to say hi. Almost everybody knows everybody since they either grew up in the same barangay, went to school together or attend the same church. If not, they are sure to be someone’s friend or “amigo.” They will make time for you, size you up if you’re nasty or nice and once you pass, they open up like you were some long lost relative coming back from abroad.
Judging from the hotel we stayed in, the presence of 7-11, several banks and most especially coffee and pastry shops that feature ice cream on top of oven warm chocolate brownies, it was clear that San Carlos City had modern amenities and well kept secrets. They also have a deep-water port and is accessible from Bacolod in one hour and a half up and down a scenic winding route that passes by the edge of Mt. Kanlaon, a couple of water falls etc. Once you get there, you are only 1.5 kilometers from the white beaches surrounding Sipaoay Island and two marine sanctuaries as well as some of the best dive spots in the province.
Our BMeg Fiestahan team members immediately noted how clean the city was. They don’t like litterbugs or people smoking in public and have a very strict policy on waste segregation from source. Meaning homeowners have to sort their garbage and the segregated waste is then collected on assigned days. While there are laws and ordinances that back the campaigns, the enforcement occurs as part of their long provincial tradition and values for peace and order and not fear or fines. Out here, people still look out for, and after each other.
Last week I mentioned that San Carlos hosts a huge solar farm, an ethanol plant utilizing sugarcane but I missed to mention that they also have a 20 Megawatt bio mass power plant and a large land area used as a landfill by the city as well as smaller towns that don’t have the financial or technical capability to handle their waste management concerns.
I don’t want to start a football or soccer feud but word is: “San Carlos has some of the best football players in the country” a couple of whom have been featured prominently in national and international events. As I did two days of walking around, I learned there were more football fields in the parks of San Carlos that there were basketball courts. The city also hosts a very popular tournament for “Under 16” year old player/teams that attract competitors from Metro Manila and around the country.
Aside from promoting sports, San Carlos is known for being the friend of DepEd as the city has the most number of public school buildings in the province. In addition to such, San Carlos now has an on-going housing program for local government employees and subsequently for national government employees where the city provides an 80 square meter lot with a house that’s 47 square meters at a cost of P450,000. Mayor Valmayor also shared details of their upcoming 200+ bed capacity hospital that will replace their old and inadequate city hospital “downtown”. In time, if all goes well, they will also have a full-pledge Agricultural State University.
As I mentioned, San Carlos City has an inclusive view for progress and given that they are largely still and will be dependent on agriculture, Mayor Valmayor shared their various animal dispersal projects particularly goats and some cows that have helped poor families in far flung villages. They are now starting a program to develop their own certified seeds instead of buying them from companies. By hosting and providing a venue for the BMeg Fiestahan, Mayor Valmayor actually helped in increasing the knowledge and competency of his constituents so beginners would have some know how and can rely on a team of technicians assigned to their city to help start up growers and farmers in backyard hog raising.
During the meeting with the Mayor, we also discussed how Bill Gates has reportedly invested some funds to develop and revive free-range native poultry raising for struggling communities to address hunger, malnutrition and poverty. As a result, there is now a possibility that Mayor Valmayor will be one of the first LGU heads to consider and hopefully lead such a program in the Philippines. Between him and his amigo Rico Gomez, they can soon feed the poor and maybe kick the football around!
Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed San Carlos but more than the sights and sounds, it was a pleasure and honor to share our experience and vision on backyard farming. I love being a “Probinsyano.”
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