Mayor Danny Toreja: The Man With Herculean Task

Mayor Danny Toreja keenly going over papers and
documents for his assessment and approval.

We all dream of a better community; a community that we can be proud of, and a place where we can sleep at nigh without worrying about the next day’s story for our family. With every pillow that we lay our head with, we map our future with the hope that our community be free of corruption, be led by dignified public officers, and a government guided by the principle of fairness and transparency. And just as before we close our eyes, the municipal mayor tops the list of all the people we can think of.

The question then pops in our mind. “Will he be able to make a difference for Ibaan?”


Mayor Danny Toreja, the newly elected Mayor of Municipality of Ibaan, just like any other Ibaenos, also dream of the same things people dream of. He’s now faced with, together with the new set of municipal councilmen and employees, the burden of carrying on his shoulders every hopeful’s and well wishers’ expectations to turn the fate of Ibaan. He has accepted this when he decided to run for mayor. But as the saying goes, “no man is an island”. And any city/municipality’s mayor can never be a “one-man-army” for all.

Mayor Toreja inspecting harvested corn
in Brgy. Bungahan, September 2010.

He knows he’ll be mounting a Herculean task before him. Even gods and goddesses of Olympus solicit help from mortals every time Ares wages a war. For Mayor Toreja, his war for Ibaan just began. And in that war, he could be the General who could go up against an army of hundreds and thousands on his own; the same way he’ll be confronting the considered problems of Ibaan solo. However, we all know it’s going to be a long shot. A mayor needs every cooperation he can get, not only from the Sangguniang Bayan or municipal employees, but also from the people themselves.

Winning the mayoralty race can’t always be the reason for jubilation, especially when you’re starting over again from the scratch. There are so many clamors to answer for. But as a father of the community, he’s not to back down even if it would mean back-tracking his credibility. Being a mayor, he has not only put his name on the line but also of his family. All eyes are on him. In the midst of this, he’ll keep focused on his work until things flow for Ibaenos.

Mayor Danny Toreja being sworn into office
during his  inauguration, June 30, 2010

During the inauguration and turn over ceremony, July 30, he uttered remarkable words when he received the national flag and Ibaan’s symbolic key from outgoing Mayor Reming Hernandez. Mayor Toreja said, “Ang posisyong ito ay hiram lamang. Ang pag-upo dito ay hindi nangangahulugan ng kapangyarihan. Sapagkat ang taong bayan pa rin ang nagmamay-ari nito at ang tunay na makapangyarihan.”

He also added, “Hangad lamang namin na maging instrumento para sa mabuting kapakanan ng Ibaan. Kaya naman hinihiling ko ang kooperasyon at pakikipagtulungan ng ating mamamayan”.

Short they may seem, but they will echo across the four corners of Ibaan and to those who stood witness to his aspirations for the community. Work loads await ahead. We all know things don’t change in a snap of a finger or over night. What will happen next depends on what is left for Ibaan as he assumes office. Until then, let’s keep the faith for the goodness of Ibaan.