Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson will reap the fruit of his hard work as he is set to graduate magna cum laude in Masters in Public Administration and Government at the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos 78th Commencement Exercises on June 22, a press release from Himamaylan PIO said.
During the Recognition Rites and Baccalaureate Mass yesterday, Tongson also received four awards, becoming one of the most outstanding graduates of Class 2024 of UNO-R Graduate School.
The city mayor was awarded the St. Thomas Villanova Award or Most Outstanding Thesis for his paper “Economic and Social Benefits and Challenges in the Infrastructure Projects Implementation in a Component City in Southern Negros Occidental.” It was presented during the 5th Virtual Graduate Education Multidisciplinary Research Colloquium (GEMRC) on May 24.
He also received the Best Oral Research Presenter Award under the group 6 (Business, Technology, and Wellness category) with the same paper. His study also received the Best Paper Award.
Tongson was also recognized with the Research Conference Productivity Award after receiving the Best Oral Presenter Award during the 2nd International Conference on Higher Education on April 29 to 30 organized by Philippine Association of Institutions for Research, Inc.
“It has been an arduous yet fulfilling journey, but this is just the beginning for better public service” said Tongson who has been diligently taking his graduate program while still working full time as chief executive of Himamaylan.
Tongson will receive a medal and a Certificate of Merit during the commencement exercises, the press release added.
He said he made it a point to take up a Masters in Public Administration and Governance to expand his horizons about government service, and ensure that he is better equipped to serve Himamaylanons.
“Being elected as the city’s chief executive is not enough. As a public servant, one must constantly seek improvement,” Tongson said.
The city mayor looks forward to using his master’s degree to better manage the city government, improve programs, strengthen partnerships, and deliver quality service.*
