Going above and beyond – Catorce’s Passion!
“Going above and beyond the call of duty” is what she upholds, which has taken her to the farthest and most remote places to reach out to the out-of-the-way and vulnerable.
City Councilor Ester Marin-Catorce’s humble beginnings as a Barangay Councilor in the year 1997 up to 2004 had well prepared her for greater heights of public service. Even in her private capacity as a broadcaster, she never hesitated to go above and beyond the call of duty, even if it meant making sacrifices on her part.
When asked what motivates her to continue serving for the last 18 years as a Board Member of the province and as City Councilor of Koronadal during her guest appearance on the “Tingog sa Pagsanyog” facebook live program, she simply replied that it is her passion to serve that keeps her wanting to serve. Catorce has faith in her integrity. She claims to be striving for the best in her own capacity, with a strong desire to contribute and affect change in the lives of others. “Ang integridad, amo man ni ang dapat naton tindugan para ma-maintain man naton ang love man sang tao kag ang respect”, Catorce said.
On the other hand, Catorce went an extra mile as a Board Member to reach out to the province’s most remote areas through its program “Ambag sa Hapag,” which she plans to continue as a City Councilor. The program allows a breadwinner to be relieved of the burden of working to earn food for their family by providing them with sustenance for a week. Those living in the highlands and remote areas are the most likely to benefit from the program, particularly during these trying times caused by the pandemic. In fact, Catorce personally delivers the program, even if it means riding a horse, especially in difficult-to-reach areas, and even sleeping for nights to do so.
Furthermore, Catorce is about to launch the “Ambag sa Kalinisan” as part of her local initiative program. This is in support of Mayor Ogena’s Barangay Empowerment Program, which aims to help barangays with their cleaning and greening efforts. She currently employs two grass cutter workers, which the barangay or purok can request for free. Both manpower and fuel are provided for free. Further, a monthly outreach program will be added to her regular program.
On the other hand, Catorce outlined her plans and priorities as Chairperson of three committees, including the Committee on Rules, Resolution and Ordinances, Committee on Civil Services, Employees Welfare and Development and Committee on Education, Science and Technology. With the fresh mandate, Catorce hopes to focus on legislations that will aid the Executive Department and eventually address the needs of the people. She intends to meet with the Mayor as soon as possible in order to avoid delaying the plan she is eager to accomplish.
In the aspect of education, Catorce intends to pursue amendments to some provisions in the “Iskolar ng Koronadal” ordinance in order to increase the scholarship benefits of the beneficiaries as well as upgrade the scholarship to more exclusive courses for those who wish to pursue a career as a doctor or lawyer. Meanwhile, she will work to improve the organizational structure in order to create more permanent job opportunities in the local government.
Moreover, Catorce listed that one of the ordinances that should be prioritized in her opinion is one that ensures that no one is left behind in terms of the opportunity to study. Her deepest hope is that the proposed ordinance will result in more professionals. According to her, this is the best way to improve the family’s economic status. Furthermore, without ignoring the environment, she wishes to distillate on pursuing amendments that will ensure the qualities rather than the quantity of trees planted during the Tree Growing Festival.
When asked about her longer-term vision for the City of Koronadal, she stressed that she does not want to focus on short-lived programs that address people’s needs temporarily, but rather on programs that improve people’s economic status in the long run. “Tani mag-abot ang panahon nga hindi na mag-suffer ang aton nga katawhan,” Catorce said, referring to the actual problem of heavy rains causing flooding in the city, which the current administration has consistently addressed through ongoing projects.
Part of her larger vision as an experienced leader who is passionate about public service is that there will come a time when people can truly say they are satisfied with the city government’s services.
Catorce has served three terms as a City Councilor and three terms as a Board Member, and she is confident and even more motivated to go above and beyond the call of duty, especially now that over 58,000 Koronadaleños have elected her to the top spot.
Eighteen (18) years of public service and counting. What keeps her serving is this one powerful word: PASSION!