Macanlalay awed by Japan, mulls a return

CALASIAO – The young mayor of this burgeoning town has been impressed by his 17 - day study stints recently in Japan that he contemplates for a return there to learn the efficient operation of local governance. Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay said he found the Japanese industrious where many of them catch some sleep in a train or walk briskly just to arrive in time for work.
 He said he was struck by the vaunted Japanese punctuality He said he was inspired by the Nippon how it runs effectively its local governance. “Ito sa isang island municipality. 19 thousand ang residents napapatakbo nila ng maayos iyong municipio nila na kakaunti ang empleyado, and their MRF (material recovery facility), water treatment plant nila na pinatatakbo lang ng six persons kasama na iyong chief ng department,” he explained.
 Together with 16 Filipinos, where eight came from the local government units and nine hailed from the national agencies, the mayor said they learned in the land of the Rising Sun how government officials managed their public affairs, culture, government, and economy.
 “They have a local autonomy college where government employees are trained on finances “mag-aaral sila for three months or six months they will be studying about taxation, finances, economics, architecture, nakakatutok sila sa isang subject,” he stressed. The Philippine delegation also visited the Diet (the Japanese parliament) according to Macanlalay .
 He said that if given again an opportunity for another scholarship grant like his first stint there, he will study solid waste and management, disaster, or agriculture.
 He said what he would learn there he would apply to boost up the local governance here. He said the Japan International Cooperation Agency can finance through a grant a project there that he would emulate for application here (MCO).