VIGAN CITY – For one whole day, the school children lorded over the operations of the city government here.
Last October 16, Mayor Ferdinand C. Medina gave way to C-Jay Rafanan as the chief executive while Vice Mayor Franz Ranches stood by the sidelines as Andreev Martineau Bajet presided over the session of the city council here.
The following took part in the session with their counterparts: Erro Rommel Fabriga (Councilor Jun Figuerres), Annabelle R. Raquepo (Councilor Audie Agdamag), Ciaro Angela Ped (Councilor Everin Molina), Martha Isabel Quimin (Councilor Herminigildo Apelin), Katrine Anne Arce (Councilor Germie Goulart),, Inah Marciana Cerafica (Councilor Loreto Quibilan), John Nicole Reyes (Councilor Felix Aninag), Jivan Chester Reyes (Councilor Maximo Alves), Carl Jade Ramos (Councilor Andres Adriatico), Hans Joel Piano (Councilor Henry Formoso), Macy Mac Absolor (ABC Pres. Constante Benzon), Charles Aquino (SK Pres. Fieldad), and Jeremy Raymund Avila (SP Sec. Jayson Avila) who took charge of the minutes of the meeting.
Mayor Medina lauded the participation of the child-officials even as he stressed that they had a first hand taste of the daily operation of the city government.
Medina said Rafanan was overwhelmed by the work of the mayor as he helped attend to the needs of the people who trooped to the city hall for assistance.
"He saw how greatly occupied the mayor was but he found the job very fulfilling," Medina said.
The little mayor later went with Medina to the Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives where he released loans to several recipients.
Ranches, also was impressed with the ease by which Bajet and the little legislators conducted themselves during the session. The little councilors sat by the side of their counterparts during the whole session.
Ranches said the participation of the little legislators will be incorporated in the minutes of the session and that the committee reports they have submnitted and consequently confirmed by the elder councilors were binding.
"This early, we should make our children aware that politics is not dirty; there are only dirty politicians," Ranches said in a short remark after the mock session held in the morning at the city hall.
The city government has initiated the one-day participation of the child-officials in the affairs of the city government as part of the celebration of Children's Month and in line with its program that Vigan is a child-friendly city.
The theme of this year's celebration: Bright Child: Yaman ng Pamilya, Yaman ng Bansa.
The City of Vigan was adjudged recently as the most child-friendly city in Region I.