A DAY before he turned over Cagayan de Oro City’s official seal to his successor Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy, former mayor Oscar Moreno called on Kagay-anons to remain vigilant in protecting themselves from Covid-19.
“There are signs of an uptick in cases and we’ve seen how Covid-19 transmission is confirmed only after the swab tests, after the fact…by that time, the infection had spread to others…hence, I hope that City Hall continues with the Covid-19 press briefing if only to continually inform the people,” Moreno said in his final City Hall press briefing on the city’s Covid-19 response Wednesday afternoon.
At past 10 am Thursday, Mayor Uy was greeted by several department heads and employees upon arriving at City Hall and he greeted them back with fist bumps.
“Dili ko nangayo tabang para nako. Tabangi ko para sa katawhan sa Cagayan de Oro,” Uy told City Hall’s employees and department heads.
Uy then proceeded to the City Mayor’s office where he embraced Moreno and received the city’s official seal from him. The two then posed for photos along with administration councilors before leaving City Hall together.
The day before, Moreno paid tribute anew to the City Health Office (CHO) and to City Hall’s bureaucracy for doing what they can to protect the city during the pandemic.
While CHO medical officer Dr. Ted Yu Jr. and Dr. Gina Itchon, research and development department chief of Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) thanked Moreno for his administration’s support of the city’s Covid-19 response, Moreno’s daughter Councilor Imee Moreno-Lapuz recalled how he remained steadfast in the face of mounting criticism and calls for a lockdown in the city.
“At that time point, I was praying that God give him the wisdom, the discernment because he wasn’t looking out after his own life but for the welfare of everyone in the city…when I was in Manila, that’s when I realized that when Papa makes decisions he will not base it on what he thinks is right, he will base it on what is right and what’s for the good of everyone,” Councilor Moreno said.
As former Mayor Moreno recounted the challenges his administration faced at the onset of the pandemic right down to the last days leading to his departure from office, Moreno said City Hall under Mayor Klarex Uy’s administration should sustain the city’s vaccination campaign.
“We should sustain our efforts and take preemptive action (to prevent surges in the future),” Moreno said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)