Thanks to Mayor Richard Gomez, Ormoc City is still COVID-free. Residents can sleep safer at night! So what is the secret of this Visayan town that immuned them to the pandemic?
The name is Richard Gomez. He is not only a mayor but also an actor, director, sportsman, and TV presenter. The 54-year old mayor graduated from the University of the Philippine Open University, an online educational system linked to the UP schools. He also studied at the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
Lucy Torres captured the heart of Richard after they starred in a shampoo commercial. She’s from Ormoc, and after marrying in 1998, he embraced the province as his own. Today, he is now the mayor of this thriving area.
He’s a busy-bee aside from taking care of Lucy and their daughter, Juliana, who is now 19 years old.
And now that the Philippines is undergoing another difficult situation, Richard is doing everything he can to protect the people of Ormoc. He announced the quarantine period of Ormoc on March 13. This was even when the municipality didn’t have a COVID-91 case yet.
He knew there” be lots of challenges now that there’s a pandemic. So, he closed the city and didn’t let anyone enter. The only exemptions were emergency cases on pregnant women. They allow someone with respiratory ailments to enter, but with a clearance from the City Health Office.
Richard is taking initiative. He is acting fast because he doesn’t want the virus to spread in his area of responsibility.
Many mayors are doing their renditions in taking care of their areas. With the support of the national government, the mayors are doing everything to decrease the number of patients.
A lot of news, real and fake, is circulating about the pandemic. Many people are scared and getting bored in their homes. This is a difficult time. But with government officials like Richard, we can at least get some hopes up.
Kudos to Mr. Mayor for the support you’re giving for your constituents!
See his video interview here: