As Mayor of Olongapo City, he brought order not only to the streets of his city but also to the lives of his people. Mayor Dick Gordon stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Olongapo, shoveling the ashfall, and recovering what was left of their lives. With him at the helm, they rebuilt their city and their lives, later becoming a model city for peace and order, health care, education, livelihood, and good governance.After the US Military Base closed in November 1992, he inspired and empowered the local population and a fleet of young professionals from here and abroad, and turned Subic Bay into the countrys showcase for economic progress, bringing in billions in investments and creating almost 100000 jobs. World leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Dr. Mahatir Mohammad, and US President Bill Clinton came to Subic to see the miracle that was the great transformation and they came away impressed. So with the 18 APEC head of economies during the 4th Leaders Summit held thereat.While he was the author of the success that is the Subic Bay Freeport, a twist of events took him away, but in time brought him towards a call to serve more people, this time as Secretary of Tourism. He knew that tourism was the countrys ticket to development the fastest way to progress. Through his Wow Philippines campaign, the country became well-known abroad, and tourists started coming. Despite the challenges of the times, with the removal from office of the sitting president, the SARS outbreak …
