Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday acknowledged the contributions of business owners in the City of Taguig, recognizing the importance of the right choices made by the city government to become ‘The City of Choice.’
“We want your first choice to be the City of Taguig. But the city has to make good choices. In fact, it has to be the city of right choices,” the senator said during his speech at the thanksgiving luncheon for the city’s top 100 taxpayers on May 15, 2024.
Cayetano reflected on the history of Taguig, sharing that 23 years ago when the city’s development was beginning, officials faced decisions about whether or not to establish an old-style casino and how a ‘simple choice’ changed the outcome.
“[Back then,] Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga wanted it but yours truly, together with the spiritual leaders of our city, said ‘Hindi pwede’ because we will be sending the wrong message of values and even the type of businesses that we want to attract will be very different,” he said.
The independent senator, who has served as a councilor, vice mayor, and House Representative of Taguig, said life is “all about choices” and that making the right ones for the Taguigeños has driven the city’s continuing progress.
“Taguig is guided by a vision, purpose, plan, and guidelines. Our purpose and our vision is always based on principle. We can argue with facts and we can argue with opinion but we all go back to principles. If you know your principle, the decision is easy,” he said.
He also highlighted that through this principle-based approach, Mayor Lani Cayetano has achieved significant goals for the students of the city, noting that 14 years ago, the city only had P5 million allocated for scholarships.
“Currently, our scholarship fund is P850 million. Because of the [inclusion of] EMBO Barangays, it looks like we’re going to go up to P1.1 billion this year, and P1.4 billion next year,” he said.
Expressing his appreciation to the city’s taxpayers, Cayetano emphasized that their contributions have been crucial to the city’s success and that their partnership has greatly benefited the people of Taguig.
“Twenty-three years later, we are celebrating with many of you. We are very, very grateful,” he said.
“I hope you really feel that in Taguig, you are partners. I hope it is a free and a happy choice to be here. Of course, we are always happy to listen if there are concerns,” he added.
