MALAYBALAY CITY – On a typical bidding day in Malaybalay City, anyone with internet access can watch the entire procurement process unfold live on the local government’s Facebook page. While live streams may be the norm for this generation, it was a highly significant initiative for Malaybalay Mayor Jay Warren Pabillaran, which is why he made it his first administrative order—his first step toward achieving transparency and accountability in his administration.
The numbers already showcase the seeds of good governance sowed by Pabillaran bearing fruit: In 2025, P241 million saved through procurement in one year, according to Councilor Jason Chad Ayala, which the city was able to redirect toward a savings fund for the expansion of other programs: antivenom serum, available 24/7; mobile health clinics; housing for families in disaster zones; scholarships for over 400 students annually; and professional firefighters year-round instead of seasonal hires.
These initiatives align under the mayor’s SAKATA framework: Sports, Adventure, Kultura (Culture), and Agri-Eco Tourism. In fact, that is the city’s slogan—”Saka ta Malaybalay!”—which translates to “Let’s climb, Malaybalay!” It’s both a call for everyone in the city to work together for their progress, and a nod to the beautiful mountains surrounding the city.
Such efforts have not gone unnoticed among constituents. In a Facebook post, a local priest, after hearing Pabillaran speak at the city’s own Trillion Peso March against corruption in government projects on Nov. 30, 2025, said he was “reminded that real change begins with leaders who listen, who care, and who lead with integrity.”
The post went on to say that Pabillaran’s “example reminds us that good governance is possible when a leader chooses honesty over corruption and service over self-gain,” and that he is the best mayor that the city has had.
Pabillaran, a lawyer by profession, admits that public service was not in his initial career plans. Growing up in Malaybalay, he was not an active youth leader. “Not even in school, as class president, nothing,” he says. After earning his law degree and passing the bar, his plan was to go into private practice, and even relocate to Cebu.
New trajectory
The 2007 barangay elections changed his trajectory. Observing the entire process, he had a thought: “We loudly criticize the government, but we are not really engaged with our own society.”
“Do you know who your barangay captain is? Do you know how much your barangay’s budget is?” Pabillaran says.
Without informing his own parents, Pabillaran made the decision to run for barangay kagawad. His strategy was simple: visit every house, ask for their vote. He won that year, and in 2010 and 2013, he was the city’s top councilor. He was elected vice mayor in 2019; he was then elected mayor in both 2022 and 2025.
Along the way, Pabillaran observed how the system worked—and where it didn’t.
As councilor, Pabillaran recalls seeing patterns of corruption across different projects, and sought to start breaking these patterns. It required more than political will; he needed to implement the legal infrastructure, even before it was available. According to Atty. Alfredo Cape, Jr. from the Malaybalay City Legal Office, Pabillaran’s Facebook live requirement for the public bidding process was already in place even before the enactment of Republic Act 12009, or The New Government Procurement Act.
To further guarantee that accountability would be enforced by officials in charge of the procurement process, the city invested in their Legal Office’s professional training and certification under the Government Procurement Policy Board.
Reforms
Another reform implemented by Pabillaran that Cape commends is the staff rotation in the procurement office. “It helps maintain unfamiliarity and the unbiased treatment of suppliers,” Cape says. “There have been pros and cons, but it’s more on the positive side. The suppliers themselves are more transparent and disciplined.”
With funds now correctly appropriated, the city now has better access to critical medical programs and services. Pabillaran’s aim is to hire more doctors to be assigned to all the city’s barangay, aligning with the Department of Health’s goal to have one doctor for every 1,000 people. On top of that, the city is hiring more nurses and other health workers, and is strengthening its healthcare system through the procurement of equipment for mobile clinics and the Annex Health Office in the Pulangui District.
Another notable service is the free antivenom program. Since Malaybalay is a mountainous area, cobra snakes are a common sight. Previously, when they did not have quick access to anti-venom medication, patients had to be transported to Cagayan de Oro City, which was two to three hours away, Ayala explains. The journey often proved fatal.
Malaybalay is the first city in Bukidnon province to maintain this supply. “It was only during Pabillaran’s administration that we were able to implement such a program,” Ayala adds.
Community health services
And then there is the city’s “Hatol Serbisyo sa Barangay” program, which delivers medical, dental, and other community services to all 46 barangays in the city—something crucial to remote areas. Using a mobile clinic purchased by the city, as well as a Department of Health-provided a dental bus, multiple agencies are able to cater to Malaybalay residents’ needs right in their own neighborhoods, says Venus Palalay, community affairs officer. Focusing on the city’s health services, residents are easily able to access dental check-ups, medical consultations, laboratory tests (CBC, urinalysis, stool exams, pregnancy tests, and rapid antigen tests, X-ray exams for suspected tuberculosis cases), with as many as 400 individuals receiving these free services daily. One unique partnership is with the Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao for pediatric surgeries. Children needing operations for cleft lip, cleft palate, clubfoot, and hernias receive free treatment. According to Palalay, Malaybalay covers transportation, housing, and pre-operation assistance.
While healthcare improvements address immediate needs, longer-term security is achieved through stable housing—another area that has been positively impacted by Pabillaran’s reforms. Perfecto Ray Bayo, Jr., division head of the City Urban Development & Housing Division, says the city has completed 80 housing units allotted for indigenous peoples, built in partnership with the National Housing Authority. Malaybalay City is home to three indigenous tribes: the Bukidnon, Higaonon, and Umayamnon.
Families in disaster-prone locations, such as flood zones, landslide areas, and along riverbanks are being relocated. The city is also preparing employee housing and planning larger developments for informal settlers, having purchased land through the Community Development Fund.
Market modernization
Beyond providing homes, Pabillaran’s administration recognized that sustainable improvement requires economic opportunity. That work falls to Romeo Lapeciros, Jr., who heads the City Economic Enterprise Development and Management Office. One major project is the modernization of the public market, which includes digitalizing the tenants’ payment system. “Before it was manual, and they did not have a way to check their payment history. Now they can do that using the system. They are also provided the hard copy if they want to,” Lapeciros explains.
On the other hand, the Palengke QR PH program, launched in December 2024, helps vendors accept digital payments, enabling more residents to adopt the use of new technology. One of the major projects underway, through a financial grant under the Department of Trade and Industry, says Lapeciros, is the development of an app that would help Malaybalay’s IPs promote their culture and gain market access for their products through ecommerce.
To help with revenue diversification, Lapeciros adds, the city is charging rental fees for LED advertisements. The previously idle second floor of the public market is now being converted into a function hall that can be rented for events, and another portion being used as a dialysis center. “Before, it was all empty. Now, it is being maximized,” Lapeciros says.
Environmental management
While economic development attracts attention, environmental management often reveals how seriously a government takes on implementation. Jessie Suson, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office saw this firsthand.
Suson recalls how her department encountered immediate challenges when Pabillaran took office. “There was a lack of garbage compactors; only two to three were functional, so we purchased nine so that waste collection would be done according to schedule,” she says. “We wanted to really instill that discipline among residents to segregate their waste, leave it out for our garbage collectors on the day that they are scheduled to be picked up.”
On their part, Suson says they are likewise diligent in following the garbage pickup schedule in order to push for one of Pabillaran’s major initiatives: To have a clean city, from both a governance and environmental standpoint. In fact, before running for mayor, Pabillaran had alread started weekly volunteer cleanup drives. Once he was in office, he made these mandatory for all barangay, Suson says.
What separates Malaybalay’s barangay cleanup drives from other cities’ is how the administration frequently conducts assessments of all barangay. While most do this every quarter, Malaybalay does it weekly. “Kung contest ng barangay is not only on a quarterly evaluation, but on a weekly evaluation. So grabe talaga ressure ng barangay,” Suson says.
To restore creeks to their formerly pristine nature, households along these waterways are organized for a monthly cleanup. Tree planting shifted from annual token events to regular activities with nongovernment and sociocivic organizations, and the military. Even firefighters, around 50 working for the city fulltime and trained in firefighting procedures adapted from the US, take part in tree-planting during the rainy season, when fires are rare.
Comprehensive agriculture development
The City Agriculture Office has launched an ambitious 2025 program targeting comprehensive agricultural development across Malaybalay City. The initiative’s centerpiece is a P26-million hybrid corn program that has already reached 5,252 farmers across 38 barangays, complemented by P9.45 million in fertilizer support. The vegetable seed distribution program has benefited 24,230 households citywide with assorted seed packs, while a groundbreaking soil conservation program provides sustainable land management technology to 16 farmer-cooperators in hilly areas, and a P1-million Cempedak Fruit Production Project benefits 24 farmers in Barangay Miglamin.
The program also features innovative infrastructure investments, including a P7 million excavator for the Malaybalay Fisherfolk Association to develop fishponds under a new service fee ordinance, construction of a multi-purpose agriculture building, and livelihood skills training for women farmers in areas ranging from soil painting to sericulture production. The comprehensive program demonstrates the administration’s commitment to modernizing agricultural practices, promoting environmental sustainability, and enhancing food security.
Pabillaran’s reforms reveal an administration focused on immediate problems. However, his long-term view is apparent in how Malaybalay invests in its future: through its youth. Whether in athletics or academics, the city’s programs reflect a belief that today’s students and athletes represent tomorrow’s leadership. If governance reforms are to outlast any single administration, they’ll need a generation raised with different expectations of what government should be.
Youth programs
Al Adrian Antipasado, executive assistant under the mayor’s office, runs the city’s sports programs with a specific focus on reaching out to the youth in grassroots communities through the Malaybalay Interschool League. Now on its third season, the league has grown from five to 15 schools, covering basketball, soccer, volleyball, and baseball. The goal is year-round engagement, says Antipasado. “We don’t want some event for a fiesta, and after that there would be no follow-up. We cover the whole year so we can make their skills better.”
At last year’s Batang Pinoy national games, Malaybalay sent over 100 athletes. The policy has become more inclusive. “As long as your parents will finance your travel or food then we let you go,” Antipasado explains.
The city scholarship program, on the other hand, serves 425 students annually: 125 senior high school students, 250 tertiary students, and 50 indigenous peoples, according to Palalay. Every January and February, staff visit schools to announce qualifying exams. Slots are proportioned to test-taker numbers per school.
The program was institutionalized through ordinance in 2022, though it existed informally earlier, Palalay says. By formalizing it, scholars are provided stability and a systematic selection.
Even with all his well-praised programs and initiatives, Pabillaran doesn’t claim to have solved the challenge of sustainability. When asked about his legacy, he acknowledges constituents’ concern: “What will happen when you go?”
His answer points to deeper cultural issues. “The way we cater to politicians is that we always put them on a pedestal, even if they are doing something wrong,” Pabillaran says. “It’s up to the people. If they will learn, then that’s good.”
Good governance movement
Through the Malaybalay Good Governance Movement, Pabillaran hopes to educate more citizens about their rights in order to empower them to vote for better leaders in the future by inviting thought leaders to speak. “I want to explain to them why we have a government, what the role of government is, because I want them to be able to voice out their concerns. We grew up in a culture where it has become disrespectful to question authority,” he says. “We are a democratic country, but we don’t know the process.”
He says he’s starting to see small changes—more citizens asking questions about how the administration runs, more interest in budget allocations and project timelines. It’s not a transformation, but it’s movement.
Malaybalay City, known for its cool weather and agricultural production, is building a different reputation: transparent governance. Whether that reputation outlasts one mayor’s term remains the test. The question is whether Malaybalay’s own citizens will demand that these practices become permanent—not because one leader chose them, but because the people won’t accept anything less. CS
