Introduction
Nowadays, our government belongs to the poorest country in the world. Most Filipinos are blaming the government because they believe that it owes the benefits or privileges that our nation has. This is why Filipinos will often hear people say, “It is the government fault why there are poor people in the Philippines”. People do not believe in hard work of our present leaders to the betterment of our society, without knowing that the success and progress of our nation depends on the qualities of its leaders and followers. A leader is a very important figure in a nation, community or organization. A leader requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It means you put yourself in the service of others. Therefore, a good leader must have the ability to lead people to undertake activities for the benefit of all through initiative and being responsible.
The first priority of a good leader is to give the needs of the people. They should commit themselves in providing good services to our fellowman. Same with the leader, a follower must also know their standing to whom to follow, when to follow and where to follow. A follower is the one who accepts the leadership of another, the one who helps the leader to achieve one’s goal. A good leader is a good follower.
In Valenzuela City, According to Caiña (2011), as a testament of eternal pursuit for innovation in providing everyone access to knowledge and information in the era of Cyberspace, Digital and New Media revolution, the City Government launched its new official website. It boasts of an elegant modern new look with simplified but more accessible design and layout to be able to provide access to more useful information. It has new links and useful features, such as, the “Voice of the Mayor,” where readers can be up-close and personal with the Mayor through his thoughts; “Ulat sa Bayan,”where one can learn about the programs and projects of the City; downloadable issues of the City Newsletter “Valenzuela Ngayon;” the “Bulletin Board,” where one can be updated with the important announcements; and the “Hotline” of the important emergency numbers, among others.
In her speech, Guest Speaker Philippine Information Agency (PIA) NCR Regional Director Riza J. Baldoria commended Mayor WIN for the foresight to see through the development in technology, and how people in the government and the private sector can benefit from the interaction brought about by the cyberspace. “As Valenzuela City launches its new official website, it again create value for its constituencies – by communicating developmental information – leading to knowledge that enables the people to participate and to be included in governance,” she further said. One of the new main features of the website is the branding tagline “Valenzuelako,” which City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian said summarizes the Valenzuelanos identity and pride, and celebrates the City’s history and cultural heritage, its people’s strength and character, and of the City’s contributions to the country’s progress. “www.valenzuela.gov.ph” shall become a portal that links all Valenzuelanos wherever they are and connects them with the rest of the world,” Mayor WIN concluded. It prides itself not only for being a thriving center of enterprise, but also for having a local government that puts premium on good governance and quality public service. The city government’s specialized departments and offices all work to ensure that tasks and transactions are performed efficiently under the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability. The city officials—from the mayor to Barangay officials—are all committed to fully carry out their official duties and to positively respond to the needs of their constituents. In the Government section, you will find relevant information on the workings of the city government, including an overview and complete directory of all public offices, contact information of department heads and public officials, as well as compiled and up-to-date Executive Orders, and City Resolutions and Ordinances. (www.valenzuela.gov.ph) In giving such good governance to people, every LGU’s explore things to respond in all requirements of the times and Social Media now is one of the tools to engage the public in good governance. Social media includes websites and mobile-based technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organizations, communities, and individuals. Social Media are social software which mediates human communication and it has become one of the most powerful sources for news updates through platforms like Twitter and Facebook. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media)
Twitter and facebook has been used by the City of Valenzuela to deliver good governance to its fellowmen. Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian, He, himself has a twitter account that informs his every follower about projects that has been accomplished, about every suspension of classes, and so on. Same with twitter, in facebook, the City of Valenzuela creates a page that will inform the public in every transactions, projects, program and decision of the City.