By Stewart Ocampo and Mizpah Grace Castro
Matthew Marcos Manotoc, Senior Provincial Board Member of Ilocos Norte, will be receiving his second Outstanding Local Legislator Award from Superbrands Marketing International, Inc. (SMI) at the Alpha Land Building in Makati City.
SMI is an award-giving body that recognizes quality governance throughout the country. Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos has been a three-time awardee from 2015 to 2017, placing her in the Hall of Fame.
Manotoc currently chairs the National Movement of Young Legislators – Ilocos Norte Chapter.
The majority of his acts as board member are anchored on youth welfare, such as Provincial Ordinance No. 005-2016, which provides for the Sirib Athletic Scholarship; Ordinance No. 008-2016, mandating the creation of city and municipal youth offices province-wide as counterparts to the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office; and Ordinance No. 009-2016, which made possible the Ilocos Norte Youth Games (INYo Games), a summer youth sporting event joined by all towns and cities of Ilocos Norte.
The three-generational (3G) playground projects throughout the province, many of which are in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), were also the initiative of Manotoc.
Through setting up safe and conducive spaces for outdoor play and exercise, he aims to improve the general well-being of Ilocanos, saying that these could “contribute to health, and subsequently, the productivity of the people – and not just physical health, but also mental health.”
Likewise, Ordinance No. 010-2016 institutionalized the Sirib Awards as a yearly awards ceremony recognizing and incentivizing young Ilocano achievers, and Ordinance No. 017-2017 was enacted to regulate and standardize the operation of boardinghouses and dormitories in the province.
Last year, Manotoc passed the Transparency in Appropriation Ordinance of Ilocos Norte, which underlined his commitment to transparency and accountability of the Provincial Government. All constituents are also given equal access to local government transactions and decisions through this ordinance.
Previous recipients of the award in Ilocos Norte include Former Bacarra Mayor Jonathan Blas Ramit (2015, 2016); Vice Governor Angelo Marcos Barba (2016), and the late Laoag City Vice Mayor Michael V. Fariñas (2016, 2017). – (Stewart Ocampo and Mizpah Grace Castro, PGIN-CMO)
