Butuan Mayor On Training To Korea

Butuan City (20 August) -- City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. left Butuan on August 18, 2010 to join 14 other Mayors from other regions of the country to attend a14-day training from August 21 to September 3 in Local Administration Improvement to be held in Seongnam and Suwon, Korea. Participants will be housed at the KOIKA International Cooperation Center.

The South Korean government, through the Korea International Cooperating Agency (KOICA) will conduct the trainings that are aimed to help promote faster and more sustainable growth in the Philippines, and paved the way for future collaboration and aid opportunities in particular cities or municipalities.

The 15 participants from the Philippines will undergo a short study program with the objectives of offering Korean perspective of national development by introducing Korean development experiences, to enhance understanding of Korean local administrative system and to promote better understanding and more friendly relations between Korea and participating countries.

It was learned, that KOICA offered to invite 132 Filipinos for 2010 to Korea to attend 36 training courses, five of which were designed exclusively for Filipinos, one of which is the Local Administration Improvement that Mayor Amante will be attending.

The trainings offered by KOIKA are the following: National Integrated Vehicle Management and Inspection System Development, Economic Development in Mindanao, Immigration Management, and Railway Management and Operations.

"The interaction of Mayor Amante and Korean experts may help identify areas where the Korean government can provide interventions as well as for us in the city government to adopt Korean best practices in relation to effective governance," said Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun.

The Vice Mayor was appointed to act as the Officer in Charge from August 18-20 and shall seat as the Acting Mayor of Butun City on August 21 until September 3, 2010. (dxBN-Radyo ng Bayan Butuan/PIA-Caraga)

Mayor Reaching Out To Butuanons

Executive Order No. 3 issued by the incumbent Butuan Mayor is a welcome development for Butuanons.  The Order provides for the creation and establishment of Adlaw Hong Butuan every Wednesday of the week.  This is a chance for every Butuanon to personally meet and raise his/her concerns with the Mayor.

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Who is Butuan's Dr. Ferdinand Amante, Jr.?

The surname rings a bell, however, I really did not know a single thing about Butuan's new mayor, Dr. Ferdinand Amante, Jr.  Not until I read an article from dateline.ph.

Accordingly, the newly-elected mayor was a first-term barangay captain of vote-rich Ampayon (which is just a few kilometers away from Butuan City proper).  Also a practicing physician, Dr. Amante, Jr., must have done something good in Ampayon that he gained the support of his constituents.

Although he was a neophyte barangay captain, Amante is actually connected with a clan of politicians in Agusan del Norte.  His father and Mr. Edelmiro Amante, a seasoned politician, are brothers.

Dr. Amante's impressive entry to Butuan City hall finally ended the 18-year reign of the Plazas in Butuan City.

Attention: Butuanon voters!

Just when I thought that my What's in Butuan? blog is the most-widely read among my blogs, nobody seems to care of joining my survey of mayoralty bets for Butuan City.  There are about 20days more to go before the May 10, 2010 national and local elections.  FYI, I have respondents, for the surveys I conducted thru my other blogs, scribbles and ripples in surigao.  Although these respondents are few, but still they participated.  And that already means a lot to me.

Hey, butuanons!  Where are you?  Please make your presence known... at least in this blog.

Thank you. :)

Hot, hot, hot Butuan

With the news that two major fires recently hit Butuan, Butuanons, particularly, those from the other side of the globe have reasons to worry about. Scorching heat triggered by El Niño and 4-10 hours of power failure posed serious danger to life and property. Hence, the local government of Butuan, spearheaded by Mayor Democrito Plaza, advised the locals to be extra careful and responsible enough in any undertaking that might be the possible cause of fire.

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Most Child Friendly City Awarded to Butuan

Here's another good news! Butuan City garnered the 2007 Presidential Award for the Most Child Friendly City under the Highly Urbanized City Category. A cash prize of P50,000 was received by the Honorable Mayor Democrito Plaza from the Council for the Welfare of Children. For more information, please get the news from the Philippine Information Agency by clicking this link.