Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
In 2024, the City of Santa Rosa celebrates two remarkable milestones: its 20th cityhood anniversary and the 25th Sikhayan Festival. These twin celebrations, held annually on July 10, symbolize not only the city's rich cultural heritage but also its sustained socioeconomic growth, rooted in a dynamic partnership between the public and private sectors.
A significant highlight of this year's Sikhayan Festival was the inaugural participation of private sector companies in the annual street dancing competition. This innovative involvement showcased the city's harmonious relationship with its business community. As Mayor Arlene Arcillas expressed, "The business sector truly deserves the title of 'partners in progress.'"
This powerful partnership has been a hallmark of Mayor Arcillas' leadership, transforming Santa Rosa from an agricultural municipality into what is now famously known as the Lion City. Through her inclusive governance, Santa Rosa has effectively collaborated with businesses to foster infrastructure development, job creation and community growth. Mayor Arlene's administration has embraced private sector engagement, seeing it as essential for harnessing additional resources to drive the city's development agenda.
Catalysts of growth: Public-private partnership
Since her first term, Mayor Arcillas has cultivated strong ties with the business community, which has been pivotal to the city's rapid transformation. The establishment of the Santa Rosa Business Club in 2005 marked a turning point in strengthening the relationship between the local government and private enterprises. This collaboration has since spurred numerous development milestones such as the arrival of Santa Rosa's first call center, Infonxx (now KGB Philippines), in 2005, and the opening of SM City Santa Rosa in 2006, which ushered in a new era of economic prosperity for the city.
In recognition of the private sector's integral role, Mayor Arcillas launched the Top Business Establishments Awards in 2008. This pioneering initiative honored companies not only for their financial contributions but also for their positive impact on the community's social well-being. The awards program evolved into the prestigious Lion Awards for Business in 2013, expanding its scope to include small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which were critical drivers of innovation and job creation in the city.
Further underscoring its commitment to sustainability, Santa Rosa held the first joint awarding ceremonies for the Lion Awards and the Green Awards in 2018, highlighting businesses that prioritized environmental stewardship. Many awardees were recognized in both the Lion and Green Awards categories, underscoring the private sector's role in the city's eco-friendly development.
Resilience amid crisis
Santa Rosa's strong partnership with the private sector was most evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Lion Awards for Covid-19 Partners and Heroes were introduced to recognize private donors and public partners, who contributed to the city's pandemic response. Their efforts were critical in ensuring the city's resilience, and their contributions ranged from providing essential supplies to supporting the local government's public health initiatives.
In 2022, Mayor Arcillas personally presented special awards to honor the individuals and organizations that aided in Santa Rosa's successful vaccination campaign. These partnerships helped the city navigate the challenges of the pandemic and emerge even stronger.
As Santa Rosa continued to recover and thrive, the city would, once again, honor its private sector partners at the Grand Awards Night 2024 to be held on September 27. This prestigious event would recognize outstanding taxpayers and environmental program partners, emphasizing the city's gratitude toward those who contribute to its ongoing development. These partnerships have been key to delivering humane services to the community, achieving a modern, forward-looking city for the extended Santa Rosa family.
A vision for the future
Mayor Arlene Arcillas alongside Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas and the sangguniang panlungsod, has spent nearly two decades shaping Santa Rosa into a model city. The combined leadership has embodied the governing slogan, "Serbisyong makatao, lungsod na makabago," a call for inclusive and progressive governance. The Grand Awards Night was a reflection of the city's achievements and an opportunity to honor the people and businesses that have contributed to its remarkable growth.
As Santa Rosa embarked on its next decade of progress, Mayor Arcillas called for even greater public and private sector collaboration. She reaffirmed the city government's commitment to transparency, accountability and participatory governance, guided by the Four Pillars of Development: sustained growth, improved quality of life, enviable living conditions and secured communities.
With these guiding principles, Santa Rosa is charting a course toward becoming a beacon of progress and prosperity in the Calabarzon Region and beyond. As the Lion City roared into the future, it stood as a testament to the power of public-private partnerships in building a vibrant and sustainable city for all.