PBA great making impact as town chief

MANILA, Philippines — For Vergel Meneses, coming in handy in handling big responsibility in time of crisis is his long years of experience as player and coach.

“Yung leadership at discipline sa basketball nadala ko. Hands-on kasi ako sa pamamalakad at pagdesisyon. I have to be firm in whatever decision I make, and make sure that it is for the betterment of my constituents,” said Meneses, the Philippine basketball’s Aerial Voyager ably doing his job as mayor of Bulakan town in Bulacan province amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s hopeful they will manage, and even more hopeful of their future, with Bulakan to become the country’s biggest gateway soon.

“There will be more opportunities in terms of jobs and employment, increase of revenues from businesses, and real property will appreciate in value as well,” said Meneses, referring to benefits of the upcoming new Manila International Airport project of San Miguel Corp. in their town.

SMC’s airport project, set to start construction in October, will hold its own against the best airports around the world, with a world class terminal, four parallel runways and a provision for two more.

The massive project is supported by a seamless transport system and includes measures to address flooding in the whole of Bulacan.

Such a project may seem overwhelming for a small town. But Meneses thinks about his constituents’ welfare for the long-term.

“Definitely, airport sa bayan ng Bulakan ay naging excited sila,” he said.

Once completed, the airport project can accommodate up to 100 million passengers yearly, generate over a million direct and indirect jobs, give rise to many small industries in Bulacan, and significantly boost tourism, leading to more jobs across all industries.