Tulabut: Was the Edpam Vote Worth It?

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

WAS I right in pushing for the candidacy of Atty. Edgardo Pamintuan?

In June 2009, I wrote a piece in this paper titled "Run Edpam Run". It was published at a time when the now mayor was in the United States for official functions as member of the Arroyo Cabinet then.

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Modesty aside, copies of the article (presumably lifted from the web version of Sun.Star) was handed out to Fil-Ams while he was there. I was told that the article helped convince our kabalens in the US that then Secretary Edpam was the right man for Angeles City's mayorship as elections were then just 11 months away at that time.

Locally, photocopies of the article were also distributed in churches in Angeles City at a time when disappointments in the past city administration were rising.

In that article, I spoke about regaining the old glories of Angeles City which could be possible under a new administration in Edpam's.

I was bold enough to state in that piece that Edpam could lead Angeles City into four "Rs" -- Restoration, Recovery, Regeneration, Rebirth. I have had second thoughts about writing the article as it may put my head on the board. I feared that then Mayor Francis Nepomuceno and his supporters would definitely not like my endorsement. But fears we ate for breakfast as journalists. In short, I went on to write about having back people's faith in the leaders of Angeles City. I also feared that Edpam may eventually disappoint Angeleños as did his predecessor.

Was my fear quelled?

With his first year as a comeback kid, I am seeing brighter horizons in Angeles City. Some projects that would benefit a greater majority are being put into place.

Foremost here is health care, where the establishment of the Dialysis Center is a feather in Edpam's cap. It is the very first dialysis center ever established by an LGU in the region.

Supported by World Medical Relief Inc. president and fellow Kapampangan George Samson and the Angeles City Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Dialysis Center has 15 machines. What is good about this center is that it caters to the less fortunate Angeleños (and probably also those from nearby Mabalacat, Porac and San Fernando) who cannot afford dialysis sessions in private hospitals.

My mother died of renal failure and I know exactly how it is to be squeezing money from already-drained pockets. How I wish a center like this one had existed during my Mom's illness. She might have lasted the ordeal to this day had there been one for her back then.

In Education, Angeles City might be behind Mabalacat and San Fernando in having a community college, but I am glad that there are already concrete moves to build one in Barangay Pampang. Proof that Edpam prioritizes education is that he has funneled some funds from other projects to improving the status of learning. His recent all-out effort for Cong. Tarzan's Education Summit also tells of his serious bid for the Angeleños to have more classrooms.

Although, I believe that the no-show of CDC President Felipe Remollo to that event is not a big deal for the mayor, as the man had a very valid excuse (demise of a relative) that even Apung Tarzan - the main man behind the project - had no qualms about it.

Part of the improvements in education is a training program that will serve skills-to-job matching activities, especially in light of the growing number of investors in Clark. This will help solve under/unemployment problems, too.

Under Edpam's administration, some P4 million has been allocated for scholarship programs. Deo Sambilay, his hardworking info officer, said this has benefitted 66 students in complete scholarships.

In jobs generation, Angeles City's Public Employment Services Office (Peso) processed about 10,000 job applicants in the past 12 months.

From this figure, a total of 3,236 job seekers were gainfully employed by various firms here and abroad. That's a good 30 percent plus batting average. Not bad for a twice-awarded PESO in a highly urbanized city.

Add to this are the summer jobs offering in the city where 407 where given a crack in short-term jobs.

On peace and order, just how safe is the city now?

Mayor Edpam states that crime rate is "on gradual decrease." Of course there were "isolated cases" of sensational crimes but I tend to admire the speedy resolution of cases. Local police were able to solve the cases in days, not months or years. This can be attributed to the support of the Angeleños to combat criminal activities in the city.

"Curbing criminality in the city is a daunting task. During the early weeks of my administration, some high profile crimes that happened in the city prompted us to declare an all-out war against crimes and criminal elements," the mayor states.

To intensify the fight against criminality, this administration has turned -over 20 high-powered motorcycles and 10 multicabs to the city police force.

What about the other issues?

Traffic and waste management may seem too trivial to a lot of people but these are huge headaches for any LGU chief. Simple and yet so complex, to put it in another way.

While still trying to understand why some major thoroughfares were made one-way roads (such as the Mountain View stretch where trikes seemed exempted and the road encroachments remain unabated), the conduct of a city-wide traffic summit participated by all transport groups, commuters and other stakeholders seems to have dividends.

Sidewalks along the busy streets of Angeles were cleared from illegal vendors and the once clogged sidewalks were given back to the commuting public allowing good flow of traffic. And instead of cruel dispersal of the street vendors, the city also opened an organized night market similar to those seen in Hong Kong and other Asian countries.

When Mayor Edpam took over, not only hills of wastes have remained uncollected (especially those dumped near ONA and Pampang Public Market) but he also inherited a mountain of debt on garbage collection and disposal. A total of P64-million arrears were on his desk on his very first day at the city hall.

Unsavory as it was, Edpam still licked this problem as he managed to get practical rates at Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill where the tipping fee was reduced by 50 percent. He also managed to get the support of the private and religious sectors in environment protection issues, such as the participation of the revered Bishop Ambo David in waste management programs.

The mayor's program for culture and the arts might as well add the fifth "R" - for Renaissance. Holding events in the way they are intended to inculcate knowledge and awareness on the triumphs (and even failures) of the past is in itself a revival (of arts and literature).

To retell them to today's teens who only know of iPod and Android apps but would not know what pyroclastic flows really mean is a good way to preserve the city's rich heritage.

The commemoration of the 20th year of the Pinatubo's eruption and the famous Tigtigan Terakan King Dalan are fitting ways to manifest gratefulness for the recovery but are also keys to the past for kids who abbreviate their learning literally with mp3s, PS3s, Xbox, Wii and more.

Add to this are the traditional events like the Twin Fiestas (Kuliat and Apu), Serenata, Polosa, Art in the Park, Lubenas Ning Pasku, Flores De Mayo, Illumination of Holy Rosary Parish Church. The upkeep for Museo Ning Angeles and the Pamintuan Mansion is also important in remembering the city's ancestry and gallantry.

Revenues? Ahh, the most important part to keep the city afloat. It is also the cherry on the sundae.

The city, for the first time, made record-breaking collections on business and real property taxes. This, despite the fact that it did not impose tax increases in view of the rising social services needs.

It was a matter of implementation of proper and efficient tax collection schemes which, I believe, was partly due to the handiwork of City Administrator Dennis Pamintuan. The young lawyer tightened the noose on negligent businessmen and it turned out to be effective.

The Pamintuan Administration was able to collect a total of P108.2 million on real property tax payments alone covering January, February and March of 2011 compared to year-ago figure of P81 million. This effectively increased the collection to 25 percent or P26.8 million more for the city coffers.

Also, based on last month's tax receipts, the city collected P150,863,628.64 on business taxes which is 21 percent higher than last year's figures for the same period. Total collection during the first quarter last year which amounted to only P118,564,090.74.

With more money coming in, the city has enough funds for various projects. Among the priorities is the socialized housing program where an initial P30 million is being earmarked. This will help solve problems for about 5,000 families more under Edpam's program for the so-called urban poor. City officials are already in talks with about 50 landowners where there are informal settlers. Some 15,000 families have already received their individual titles as a result.

So was the Edpam vote really worth it? He is giving true value on it.