Councilor Vladimir Cayabas has proposed an ordinance that sought to set every second Sunday of October as Pastoral Appreciation Day in the city.
The institutionalization of the Pastoral Appreciation Day shall prompt the city government to spearhead programs and activities to express profound gratitude and appreciation to the commendable contributions and good services of pastors, priests, reverends, ministers, clergymen, and other religious leaders in the city.
Under the proposed ordinance, a committee shall be created to spearhead the programs and activities during the appreciation day.
The committee shall consist of the City Administrator as the chairperson; the chairperson of the sanggunian’s committee on tourism special events, parks, and playgrounds as the vice chairperson; and the city tourism officer, representatives of religious sectors in the city, and a representative from the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcaster’s Club as members.
The proposed activities shall be thanksgiving program, health fairs, free legal assistance, presentations on effective church management and people leadership, and other activities as may be determined by the committee.
An amount of P100,000 shall be appropriated for the purpose and shall be included in the annual budget of the City Administrator’s Office subject to the regular accounting rules and auditing system.
In 2003, Baguio was designated as a character city by virtue of Resolution 107-2003 passed by the city council.
This paved the way for the launching of city-wide programs enriching the character of residents and officials.
Cayabas said local churches have greatly contributed to this endeavor, thus, the efforts of local religious leaders need to be recognized and appreciated.
The proposed institutionalization of the Pastor’s Appreciation Day shall be in consonance with the National Pastor Appreciation Day and National Pastor Appreciation Month held every Oct. 9.
The councilor said while various church-based groups promote and celebrate the National Pastoral Appreciation Day on their own, it’s about time the city government spearheads a harmonized program with the same objective of thanking and appreciating the commendable contributions and services of religious leaders.
Doing so is a good expression of sincere gratitude to those dependable partners who have modestly helped Baguio transform into the character city that it is now, Cayabas said.
The proposed ordinance was referred to the sanggunian’s committee on tourism, special events, and playgrounds for review. – Jordan G. Habbiling
July 27, 2024
