Pagadian City can attract OFWs

WHEN ONE arrives in Pagadian after having been gone for a few years, one can always notice the difference. When he was honored as one of the best leaders in Pagadian, former Mayor Joaquin Pajares aptly said that Pagadian is undeniably progressing because of the new infrastructures that one can see everywhere.

Building up the infrastructures
The perimeter building around Agora market, in spite of the controversy it created on how it was apportioned, has transformed it from a rustic to a modern public market. The ongoing rehabilitation inside the market after the recent fire might make it one of the best public markets in Mindanao, if not in the entire country.

To follow is the construction of the new commercial center building. City Mayor Sammy Co said he already learned a lesson. This time, the city government will be the one to sell the stall rights of the building so that no businessmen will have a chance of getting rental rights and sell the same to others for a big profit margin. He said that the city government will be the one to make money here, not anybody else.

Recently, Co announced that the rehabilitation of the city airport will soon start. After the rehabilitation, the airport can already accommodate bigger planes. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines already intend to open flights at the airport.

Along with these key infrastructures are the soon-to-open big malls of Gaisano and Best Emporium.

Making the people friendly
As the city infrastructure booms, Co has unleashed a string of activities that keep the atmosphere merry and the spirits of Pagadianons high. The 39th Araw ng Pagadian had a 10-day long celebration full of excitement and merrymaking. The varied competitions from the motocross to beauty pageant entertained the Pagadianons who took a breather from their daily struggles of life.

The entertainment didn’t stop. After the Araw celebration, the city government again initiated the playoff of the Pagadian Explorer against other teams at the city gym. It also hosted the free piano classical concert rendered by renowned pianists Dr. Ingrid Sta. Maria and Prof. Reynaldo Reyes.

Looking back, the city government had its constituents watch a display of spectacular fireworks on the Chinese New Year. To their great delight and mirth, colorful fireworks painted the skies of the city for the first time.

Experience shows that when people are entertained, something is released to their brain that makes them feel happy or merry. When the people feel happy or merry especially in groups, they tend to be friendly. Conditioning the people to be happy or merry in groups which seems to be what the city government is doing could only result to Pagadianons becoming friendly.

Attracting OFWs
Who would not like to live and invest in a booming city where there are lots of exciting and entertaining events and the people are friendly? In this scenario, the Pagadianons working abroad will most likely think of investing their money here in the city other than somewhere else. The increasing number of subdivisions in the city should consider targeting more the OFWs other than the regional employees that are about to transfer here, for the simple reason that the former have more money.

By organizing recently the families in the city who have OFW relatives, the city government can now easily identify whom they have to target to invest in the city.

Though it is preferable to convince big firms to invest in the city due to higher potential revenues, the piling up of investments from the OFWs can help expand the market potential of the city and can eventually attract big investors. Big investors naturally come when the population grows big and the purchasing power of the people is high.

On the other hand, the Pagadianons abroad can also help to maximize the export market since they are more in position to build contacts and establish distribution outlets abroad for the city products, including those found at the pasalubong center. There are a lot of success stories already across the country of entrepreneurs making it big in the export market. If they can, why can’t the Pagadianons?

To further attract the OFWs, the city government has to assure them of peace and order. Since criminality is always a concomitant problem to a growing city, the local leaders has to devise a strategy to contain it to a level that does not destroy the city image. Not a single city in the country can eradicate criminality, but at least the local leaders should find ways how to minimize it.

So far, peace and order in the city has since become better. We cannot anymore hear policemen gunned down one after the other. The police are back on top of the situation.

A combination of building up the city infrastructures and of making the people friendly seems to be the strategy of the city government in promoting Pagadian. Whatever might be the objectives of the city government, this two-pronged strategy enhances its capacity to attract the Pagadianons working abroad to invest in the city. The booming and friendly City is now in a position to attract their green bucks.