Good day to everyone.

I stand before you today your councilor, your public servant. I am also a father to four wonderful sons, a husband to a beautiful wife. A friend, a brother, and a family to a lot of you here.

As a father, I have learned the challenges of providing for the sustenance of a family. The value of being a model to your children, proving them not only food, clothing and shelter, but also guidance, love, care, respect, and time together. As a husband I have learned the importance of relationship, understanding, listening, patience and most of all love.

My forty nine years in this world has taught me not only the lessons of life, the challenges of survival, the value of respecting authority, the courage of standing up for others, the responsibility of leadership, the humility of servant hood, but the most important of all, understanding and accepting who you are, and who you are going to be.

If the journey I have taken would be plotted on the map of life, it would show the many exciting places I have visited, from my place of birth in Cagayan De Oro, to Kalibo Aklan where I finished my high school, to Iloilo where I started my college, then on to Cotabato City at the height of a war, to rejoin my father who was transferred there (he was the manager of DBP at that time), a few months in Kidapawan, and eventually as I wanted to find my own place in the sun, decided to be independent, and celebrated my 18th birthday here in Davao City, alone but hopeful. The journey would also show the hills and mountains of challenges and hardship I have taken. At two years old my mother died, my father who was always working would visit us once a month or as his time would allow. I grew up with a foster parent. I was nine years old when my father remarried and decided it was time to take us back and be whole again as a family. Though my childhood memories would only be snippets of happy, at times lonely moments, I would cherish the time when I was starting it out here in Davao City.

My first job here was as an announcer of DXMC of UMBN. I was doing only part time, Saturdays and Sundays, and with a talent fee of P1.50 per hour my first income was P50 a month. I learned to sell airtime, to augment my income and to pay for my college education. It was one of the most trying times of my life. I decided to etch in my mind the time when I had to walk going to school, to University of Mindanao, and I had to continually check the road I was walking on so I may find some lose change along the way hoping to find enough to pay for my jeepney fare. I stumbled on ten centavos only, not enough for a ride so under the heat of the sun I walked. I told myself, don't forget this moment, and remember it always. There is a lesson here somewhere.

At times it was so hard that I started to question the wisdom of my decision to go independent, as I know I would have had an easier time if I just go back home to my family. But as the saying goes, "nabasa ka na sa ulan, maligo ka na lang", so I continued on. So I decided that if being an announcer or a disc jockey would be my means of supporting me, as I was already beginning to enjoy the benefits of popularity, not financially though, then I will have to be the best disc jockey in this part of the world.
Since my young days, I have always been a searcher. I believed that there was a reason why I am existing. Other than going to school, getting married, having children, growing old and then die, there must be something that I am cut out to do.

On my second year here, I was 19 yrs old then, when I took the first accreditation exam for announcers as required by the KBP and the Broadcast Media Council then. Martial law was at its peak so regulations were also very tight. I decided to prepare for it as I reminded myself that I am going to make a career out of broadcasting. I did not expect the outcome. I not only passed but I was the topnotcher, nationwide. It took awhile for it to sink in, but me? a topnotcher nationwide? I couldn't believe it. Neither would veteran commentators nor grizzled announcers, how can a green horn DJ beat them? They said there was something wrong with the exams. I topped the highest category, as commentator analyst. Little did they know that I really applied for the highest category because as I said, I made a vow of excellence in this field. And my topping that exam served as a sign that I was on the right track.

So I went on to be one of the more popular disc jockeys here, the stations I worked for consistently became number one that I became sort of addicted to it. DXUM became the number one pop music station at that time. Then when I transferred to Radio Mindanao Network, DXXL, the pride and Joy of Davao City not only became the number one FM in Davao City but broke the record as number one over all, besting the AM soap opera or drama radio stations. It was the first time that a mere music station would be more popular then a drama station. This went on with the last radio station that I managed DXBM, Love Radio, which continued its dominance until this day. Now I knew that if I put my mind into something and decide or make a choice for excellence, it can be done.

I was with DXXL-FM then when the door of politics opened to me. At first I hesitated since I have never entertained an iota of thought that I will be in politics. It seemed such a strange world for me. It was the first local elections after martial law, everything was full of hope, and I decided to pitch in my share for the country and specially the city that has been very generous to me. But not after so much soul searching, as you know I did not come from a political clan, I do not have the resources that are available to traditional politicians. I was just hanging on to a newfound belief that I must do something for the children. I suddenly have an awareness of the presence of street children, the hungry, deprived and unwanted children. There will always be a tug in my heart every time I see a street child sleeping on the street pavement with only a cartoon as bed and his own arms to wrap himself as a warm blanket against the cold night air.

When I reflected on life as I stare on those children, I would remember those lonely moments in my life when I was also seeking for warmth, care and love. But my case was understandable, my mother died when I was two, my father was working hard somewhere, and I had a foster parent to look after me. But these children, and there was hundreds of them, had no one. How can these be? As I breathed deeply, I said to myself that this is not correct, there is something very wrong here. I asked the question "why would a child suffer the pangs of hunger, deprived of love, care and attention, no shelter, no warmth, no hope." "Why would a parent abandon a child and expose them to harsh and dangerous conditions of life, exposed to elements that may bring them to their tragedy?"

Once more I saw a sign, this time a reason for me to enter politics. A very strong reason to work hard this time in a new environment called public service. I told myself if God wanted me here then he better help me. So I ran in 1988, no party affiliation, an independent, no political organization to back me up, no resources available, just the strong belief and passion to do something for the children. I declared that I was dedicating my candidacy for the children. And I won. I became the first disc jockey to win a political position.

Just like the time when I chose to be the best DJ in this part of this world, I also decided to focus my political position for the welfare of the children. I worked on the children's program, established the Send a Street Child to School project, I started with P50,000.00 educational assistance to them. It is now a P1.5 million regular educational program of the city to poor and indigent children, with the aim of taking them out of the streets and bringing them into the schools. We now have kindergarten known as Project Hope Day Care Centers in every barangay, Madrasah for the muslim communities and even for the lumads in the hinterlands. We became the first city in the country to have a legislated policy for the children known as the Children Welfare Code. Eventually we became the most child friendly city in the Philippines for two consecutive years.

During a lull in 1998-2001, I was curious as to which sector do the most marginalized children belong. And I found out that the sector with the highest mortality rate for children (this is the number of children who die before they reach one year old) highest malnutrition level, highest drop out rate in school, in short, highest unmet needs based on the minimum basic need index, were the children of fisher folks. Next came the children of farm folks, then the children of indigenous people of lumads. And this surprised me. These sectors belong to the food producing sectors. They catch the fish, plant our rice and vegetables, harvest our fruits, they practically feed us. But how come their children are malnourished, dropping out of school, etc.?

As I dug deeper I found out that the biggest reason why there is so much poverty, and our quality of life is environmental degradation. Our waters are over fished, illegal fishing was rampant, there is siltation, pollution, our trees are fast disappearing, we are losing our fertile lands to soil erosion and too much use of chemical or inorganic pesticides and fertilizers, improper agricultural practices, illegal logging, smoke belching, we are losing our watersheds, families who face the daily struggle for survival, looking for food and means of living, etc. etc. etc.

When I ventured to ask, oh my God why are you showing this to me? Then the face of that child sleeping on the pavement would flash back to me. And I realized that poverty or extreme poverty is brought about by improper management of our resources, and this is mostly good governance.
So here I am, working and focusing on environmental issues, struggling to balance it with sustainable development, searching for allies who believe in social responsibility, individual or corporate, allies who practice and believe in good management practices, either in agricultural, industrial or in any resource intensive endeavor. The bottom line is addressing the most basic requirement for survival now and to the future, and that is food security for all, access to gainful livelihood or employment, promote a city for entrepreneurs, assure abundant clean water and clean air. Will we be able to see families whose children are in school assured of a bright future, go home to a place that assures them of care and love, a picture of a happy family enjoying each others presence in an atmosphere conducive to the fulfillment of their dreams and aspirations in life, where everybody can be happy.

I am now approaching my last term, and I am asking myself again, as I seem to keep on talking to myself quite often. Will this be my last term? Or at least my last term as a councilor? Again, I am looking for the sign, and your presence here may provide it.

Leonardo "Happy L.A." Avila III
City Councilor