Cortes turns challenges into strength, outlines development agenda

"It made me stronger," Cortes said.

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Despite the challenges Cortes has faced on his path back to the mayoralty, he said these trials have also opened up new opportunities for him.

Cortes, a firm believer in the Performance Governance System (PGS), implemented this framework in Mandaue City starting from his first term as mayor up to the present.

Through this, Cortes said that residents have learned to actively participate in problem-solving and decision-making, rather than relying solely on their leaders.

During his early years as mayor of Mandaue City, he said that through PGS, the city underwent a significant transformation—something he considers one of his major milestones in governance.

One of the success stories he highlighted was the transformation of Mandaue City's former open dumpsite, which he recalled used to emit a stench strong enough to reach neighboring cities like Lapu-Lapu City.

He said that as mayor, he convened all department heads to ensure that not only government agencies but also the public were involved starting from information dissemination all the way to execution.

He eventually enforced the “no segregation, no collection” policy for waste management, which was fully implemented and embraced by the barangays down to the residents of Mandaue.

Additionally, through the Performance Governance System, Cortes said Mandaue City was able to push forward and achieve many firsts in its history.

It positioned Mandaue City as the first local government unit (LGU) to establish a command center equipped with fiber optics, to pioneer the Electronic Business Processing and Licensing System, and to partner with the Department of Information and Communications Technology for the city’s digitalization.