For Mayor Hernani A. Braganza, who had dedicated more than half of his life in public service, its time to shift to a higher gear of politics.

On Monday’s Traditional New Year’s Call and Turn-over of brand new patrol vans to 21 barangays and attended by Senior Board Member Danilo B. Dizon and the heads of various government agencies and sectors in the city, Braganza became more vocal in advocating the new brand of politics here in the 4th and youngest city in the province.

“Let us have a kind of politics that are based on platforms and programs” said the mayor in his New Year’s message before a mammoth crowd at the Don Leopoldo Sison Auditorium.

Braganza recalled that in 2004, he returned to the city after working in three sensitive and challenging cabinet posts under the Arroyo government.

He was named as Secretary of Political Affairs, Chief of the Office of the Press and the top honcho of the Department of Agrarian Reform before finally deciding to follow the footsteps of his father- the late Dr. Pedro Braganza Jr.

Dr. Braganza  was appointed as OIC-Mayor of Alaminos by former President Corazon Aquino after the successful EDSA revolt in 1986.

“My father served as town chief only for two years but he served very very will and he is my idol,” the youthful Mayor said.

In seeking the top post, Braganza presented to his citymates a platform of government focusing on 10 key development areas which easily earned him the post.

And at the very beginning, he said that illegal activities have no place in the city and made good his promises to wipe-out jueteng, illegal drugs and illegal fishing here.

“I implemented the city ordinances and the national laws that govern the city. I will continue to stand by the principles and my dedication to public service," said the Mayor.

Just recently, various groups in the province hailed Alaminos as jueteng and illegal drugs-free city. In fact, according to the Mayor, “we are the first city not only in province but probably in the entire country that declared an all-out-war against all forms of criminality.

“I made it very clear that I also wanted to stop illegal fishing in our area that continues to destroy our marine ecosystem and the source of living our marginalized fisherfolks in the city’s 10 coastal barangays.”

With the syndicated effort of the city government through the Public Order and Safety Office and Bantay-Dagat, Alaminos City PNP and the 106th PMG and concerned fisherfolks organizations, the city’s vast waters had been successfully guarded from illegal and blast fishermen.

The city government has already caused a massive rehabilitation of the city’s marine  ecosystem which was heavily damaged by illegal fishing activities of greedy individual and businessmen.

If the increased yield of fishermen nowadays could be an indication, the local government’s sustained efforts to protect its protein bowl are definitely heading on a right direction.

Today, city takes pride of its people living peacefully and in harmony.

It’s the concept of democracy and culture of Alaminians that further lure more investors and  tourist to visit in the city and invest their fortunes.

The former first district solon is convinced his administration has already set the tone of the city’s major turn-around when it adheres to economic democracy and equality in serving the people. 

He believed in democracy and that the majority of his constituents should benefit from the wealth of the city and not the powerful few.

For him, democracy is fair play, wherein leaders must at all times look for the general welfare or interest of the people.

Leaders must lead by example, said Braganza, who considered himself more of a manager and public servant rather than a politician.

“I am only a politician in the 45 days that is required of me to seek the votes of my constituents. But once I am given the opportunity to serve either as your mayor, as your congressman, as member of the cabinet then I became a public servant.“

He added though that they should always be ready when they are criticized by the people because that is there job to remind their leaders that they should work for their interest.

The Mayor cited that everybody commits mistakes even leaders, in the same manner that the city faces so many problems.

But what is important, he averred, is that those mistakes are not done deliberately. “What is wrong is when those mistakes are pointed out in public not because the intention is to serve but to malign other people.”

He said with this New Year’s call, the city’s leaders have the luxury of time to look back what they have done for the city in the past and what are