Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Wednesday, November 12, lauded the country’s career executives as the “backbone of bureaucracy,” saying their professionalism sustains government performance beyond politics.
Speaking before more than a thousand members of the Career Executive Service (CES) community at the 2025 CES Lifelong Learning for Leadership Congress (CESCON) at The Manila Hotel, Domagoso emphasized that career officials serve as the government’s institutional memory and a stabilizing force amid political change.
“We politicians come and go, but CESOs (Career Executive Service Officers) can still run the government,” the Mayor told the audience.
Also present during the event were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin as well as Career Executive Service Board (CESB) chairperson Dr. Urdujah Gaerlan Alvarado, CESO I, executive director Maria Marcy Cosare-Ballesteros, CESO II, and other CESB officials.
Domagoso, who began his political career as City Councilor and rose to become Mayor of the nation’s capital, praised CESOs for embodying integrity and professionalism in public service.
The Mayor said the CES has sustained efficiency and discipline in government for over five decades, making it a model of continuity in an often politicized bureaucracy.
He noted that the same principles guide his administration’s reforms in Manila, which are now focused on restoring public trust through transparent governance and prudent use of city funds.
“In Manila, we share the belief that public service must always be both effective and ethical,” he said. “We pursue reforms that restore fiscal discipline and public trust.”
Domagoso ended his speech by thanking the CES community for holding its 52nd founding anniversary in Manila and inviting them to explore the city’s vibrant districts and economic streets, including Intramuros, Binondo, Malate and Sampaloc.
“Now, mamamasyal kayo, hanggang bukas pa kayo dito. Marami kaming uri ng pasyalan. Tumawid lang kayo sa Intramuros, may makasaysayang Fort Santiago, mga simbahan. If you want our famous and the oldest Chinatown in the world, it is in Binondo,” Domagoso said.
“Now, after that , kung gusto niyo na po na ma-experience sa Tondo ng gabi, you can go to Ugbo. Gusto niyo ng tumbong, lechon kawali, and all other things. Good, clean street food regulated by your city government,” he said.
