Mayor Onal Golez and his sister Kagawad Jasmin: Centralian public servants of Dumangas

The Centralian Mayor of Dumangas Ronaldo “Onal” Golez and his sister, Jasmin Golez-Ocampo, a former senator of Central Philippine University Student Republic in the early 80s, are well-loved and well-respected by Dumangasanons because of their compassion and generosity. This is seen in the development of their municipality and “down to the grassroots” programs for the people in Dumangas.

Mayor Onal proved his good public relations skills during his birthday when he went to the Municipal Gym and solemnized the marriage of forty-five couples in a celebration attended by municipal officials, sponsors, and guests. In his capacity as the father of the town, he reminded the couples that marriage is so important that it has to be legalized. He further advised them to look at their children’s future and see how not being legally married could affect these children. To make sure that the ceremony had some fun, the Mayor asked the couples to stand and kiss each other. To the couples who kissed the longest, Mayor Onal awarded each of the pair with one sack of rice and P1,000.00, causing the spectators to give a big round of applause. He observed that most of the couples who registered were poor with no sufficient sources of income. He assured them that programs for livelihood are being studied.

His Kagawad sister Jasmin, the number one municipal councilor, was there to support him. Jasmin also found an opportunity to serve the people of Dumangas. Although already residing in the US for 20 years, she went home and ran for Kagawad of the municipality. Both were already civic-oriented back in their college days at Central Philippine University.

Success, according to the Centralian Mayor, owes much to attitude and dedication, which must be learned through education. Mayor Onal and Kagawad Jasmin look forward to some programs to link up with CPU in the future.