Mayor Pablo C. Ortega, in his SOCA, reiterated his call for the cooperation and support of city residents and stakeholders for the success of his administration, through his programs such as enhanced environmental consciousness, self-reliance, economic productivity, transparency and peace and order.
In his first State of the City Address he delivered Tuesday during the first regular session of the new City Council for the year, Mayor Ortega layed out his plans for the next three years, particularly an 8-point vision, stressing the achievements of the city government last year.
The Mayor prioritized an enhanced environment consciousness, self-reliance, economic productivity, workability, business-friendly with more employment and entrepreneurial opportunity, sustained efficient and effective delivery of basic services, responsive and transparent government and safe city.
He also stressed that the city government has doubled its effort in convincing beneficiaries of the Fishermen’s Village in Barangay Poro to transfer and claim their housing units; allow and regulate and monitor just equitable business and market opportunities through legislation; advocate for transformation of Poro Point into holistic family and recreational network, where former Mayor Mary Jane Ortega sits as one of the board of directors of the Poro Point Development Corporation; more efficient traffic management system; and taking notice also to the water source future of the city.
The city is now embarking on a Water Conservation Program with the support of United States Assistance for International Development, governmental and non-governmental organizations’ stakeholders, who he said, are the ones who will push through all his programs to success.
The much-vaunted engineered sanitary landfill maybe fully- operational in June this year before the onset of the rainy seasons. A Detailed Action Plan was also put in place to address the problem of its delay as the agreement between the contractors ended last December.
A septage treatment facility program is also now operative to protect the city’s aquifer from coliform contamination. A waste water treatment facility was also inaugurated last Dec. for the benefit of the wet market vendors.
On peace and order and public safety, he reported that crime rate in the city has decreased due to a higher crime-solving efficiency rate of 95.23 percent from 93.87 percent in 2006. He attributed this after concentrating on community policing and concerted effort with the Regional, Provincial Police Office detachments. The city police have increased its personnel to 108. Barangay tanods and volunteers as multiplying sector through its visibility patrols.
On health, particularly on anti-rabies and anti-hemorrhagic fever programs, the Mayor reported that 2, 728 small and 1, 185 big animals have been impounded or inoculated with the support of the Phil Animal Welfare Society. About 367 dogs were also rescued on the way to Baguio City slaughterhouses.
The mayor also vowed to implement greater economic opportunity by responding to the needs of residents for work. “Through responsive, residents will enjoy quality of life,” he said. He is focused on highly-skilled employable work force and downtown revitalization as his administration needs to institute measures to regulate and monitor small and medium scale business and equitable business opportunity. An example of its accomplishment is the just-concluded RIMAT ti Amianan exposition, where it coughed up a total sales amounting to P6.8-million from December 1 to 15, 2007.
He also promised a participatory and transparent government as it launched a Tax Revenue Assessment and Collection System (TRACS) which was acquired \with a partnership with the National College for Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines, funded by the European Union.
In its first year of implementation, properly documented business establishments issued with permits to engage business collected a total of P37,422,268.21, however with a noted decrease of P706,931.66 from last year’s collection of P38,129,199.87. The decrease deemed significant as database has been updated and amendments to business classification according to the Revenue Code, which means charging less for taxes and fees.
Barangays will continue to be strengthened through its programs aligned to the city’s. |
