Saturday, February 23, 2008 Mayor reports to 'generals'
ON CHINESE New Year, General Santos City Mayor Pedro "Jun" Acharon reported various socio-economic development programs his administration had so far implemented, boosting the city's growth and to realize his mission and vision for the city.
In his State of the City Address (Soca), delivered before top government and business leaders and representatives from various sectors at the City Council on February 7, Acharon reported various measures that have been realized in the past year to push his administration's agenda detailed in the City Development Plan, which gives focus on good governance, competitiveness, bankability and livability.
"Ang City Development Plan atong gipatuman pinaagi sa city development strategies kung diin and 23 ka mga local departments gi-grupo ngadto sa good governance, competitiveness, bankability ug livability clusters. Kini aron masigurado nga mapatuman ang nagkalainlaing mga programa nga mutubag sa panhinahanglan sa atong katawhan," the city mayor said.
Excerpts of Mayor Acharon's Soca:
I thank you for the new and overwhelming mandate that you have given me. Ang bag-o ninyong mandato ug pagsalig mao ang naghatag kanako ug bag-ong kusog aron mapadayon ang atong nasugdang maayong mga programa ug lakang alang sa padayong kalambuan sa atong syudad.
Inubanan sa bag-ong Sangguniang inyong gipili, ang General Santos City sulod sa umaabot nga tulo ka tuig, mulayag ngadto sa usa ka direksiyon nga gilatag sa nagkahiusang tingog sa mga Generals.
Good governance
Good governance ensures that an environment of transparency and accountability is practiced in the local government, which will strengthen the competitiveness capability of the city; thus, making it bankable in order for social and health services programs to be implemented making the city livable.
Importante nga tutukan nato ang good governance tungod kay ang mga tarong nga empleyado makahatag ug limpyo ug husto nga serbisyo.
During the year, we continued to train our employees through the strategic training program such that more than 1,000 plantilla personnel had participated in staff development activities.
We strengthened our administrative board to instill integrity, discipline and accountability in public service. Thus, we prosecuted 12 cases wherein ten employees were penalized administratively.
In contrast, we fortified our program for awards and incentives for service excellence or praise. Recently, we paid tribute to 75 employees for their loyalty in serving the local government for 20 years.
I declared 2008 as the year of excellence for service delivery. Therefore the local government will be offering better incentive programs to performing employees.
More significantly, good governance encourages community participation. The weekly city hall sa barangay which we sustained for nine years, has been an effective forum for the government and the barangay to talk on issues which directly affect our people.
My regular radio program "City Mayor's Hour" aired over RMN and Bombo Radyo alternately every Sunday at 10 to 11 a.m. allows the generals to interact with me in real time.
You can directly ask me questions, as I will personally address them.
Our official website, www.gensantos.gov.ph also features my email address, which is cmo@gensantos.gov.ph. This enables any general with Internet access to send me letters for comments, suggestions or complaints.
Competitiveness
Competitiveness as a principle that ensures the economy of the city is alive and growing by developing products and implementing services for different markets and by promoting entrepreneurship.
Hence, we strengthened the city investment promotion center, invested on image building, promoted one-town, one-product (Otop), in partnership with the department of trade and industry, and constructed investment-supportive infrastructure.
As a result, our program for "business permits aksyon agad" facilitated 1343 new business permit applications. More so, seven big business establishments registered under our investment code with one billion-peso investment employing 1,200 workers.
The weeklong e-business and ICT investment promotions program involved 456 delegates who took part in discussions during the seminars on new technologies. The ICT job fair registered 2,000 job vacancies wherein 400 people were considered for possible employment.
The private sector infrastructure is worth P738 million, which contributed to more than P258 million worth of employment for our people. These indicate that investments are coming into the city providing employment and educational opportunities for the Generals.
Total worth of contracts for investment-supportive infrastructure projects by the city government amounted to more than P150 million; while the farm-to-market roads, bridges and irrigation systems facilitated under the counter parting scheme with the department of agriculture amounted to P41.4 million.
People power
Our public employment service continues to maintain Phil-job net, the statistical information system, registering 5,200 skills and posting 5,700 job vacancies.
This referral system successfully placed 2,500 applicants for local employment, and 2,800 people were referred for work abroad. We also sustained the seasonal employment to more than 7oo deserving students during school vacations.
Cooperatives also play a significant role in the city's economic growth.
There are now 110 cooperatives with collective membership of more than 20,000 people under the multi-purpose non-agricultural category, and 38 cooperatives with the strength of more than 2,000 members in the multi-purpose agricultural category that is injecting 165 million and 18 million worth of capitalization, respectively. This is real people power in action.
Along this line, we strengthened the cooperative movement. The second city cooperative summit, which gathered more than 200 cooperative officers and members, passed 11 resolutions that address issues affecting the service, credit, consumer, and agri-fisheries sectors.
I am glad to announce that our city will host the national cooperative summit in October. Around 4,000 cooperative officers and members are expected to attend. This is not only a tourism opportunity, but also an affirmation that the national community notes Gensan's support to the cooperative movement.
We continue to forge strong partnerships with the small and medium enterprise development (Smed) Council, Philexport, area productivity council, the department of trade and industry, and the department of agriculture, which helped in our trade and product development, agri-fishery extension and production and veterinary services.
Tuna capital
General Santos City is rightfully the tuna capital of the Philippines. It's contribution to our local and national economy is highly appreciated and valued. The tuna industry and its allied services generated around 61,000 jobs for our people.
Furthermore, because of the abundance in raw materials and with the ingenuity of the generals the evolution of tuna value added products is another Gensan success story.
From 62 tuna value added processors in 2006 it grew by 37 percent or 85 processors in 2007; 52 of which are licensed with the department of trade and industry. Of these processors, 19 are exporters earning collective sales of P183.3 million from the domestic market and an impressive $35 million in international sales. In fact, five of these producers already applied for trademark at the intellectual property rights office.
Today, there are 19 quality-assured and attractively packaged tuna value added products in big volumes in commercial outlets in and outside Gensan.
The central public market generates livelihood to more than 1,400 households with total business operations worth P800 million. This gives income to at least P5,000 per month for vegetable vendors and P25,000 per month for meat and fish vendors.
I am proud to announce that General Santos City remains to be free from food-and-mouth disease and avian flu mainly because of our very close monitoring of the surroundings and the activities involving our meat food products.
One of the most positive results of being a consistent FMD-free city is the impact on our livestock industry. Final negotiations are now being conducted for the exportation of our frozen pork products to Singapore.
Ang atong mga mangunguma ug mga mangingisda wala nato pasagdi. Ato silang gitabangan aron molambo ang ilang panginabuhian.
We conducted three sessions of four-month farmers' field school program on integrated pest management for mango, corn, and rice. These enabled farmers to learn from practical experiences on crop husbandry, and pest and disease control. We also mass-produced 30 thousand kilograms of trichogamma for the control of corn borers.
Our agriculture support programs saved 1,600 hectares of cropland from pests.
Your City Council passed the brontispa prevention and control ordinance that effectively addressed the problem brought about by the invasive coconut beetle.
This will save our coconut industry as a major livelihood source and cash crop.
In line with our tourism development and promotion, our unique tuna festival was among those recognized by the association of tourism officers of the Philippines as "best tourism event of the country."
Moreover, we continually improved our local festivals such as the Kalilangan, Tuna and Pasko sa Gensan to make them world-class and competitive. We intensified our wow image building program thru production of promo collaterals like the "Galing Gensan, Galing Gensan" advertisement.
Incidentally, we will celebrate our 69th foundation anniversary via the 2008 Kalilangan, which will be on February 16 to 27. I invite all of you to take part in the festivities and experience once again the richness of the city's culture.
Yaman Gensan activities done in the last five years steadily increased the money in circulation in Gensan during the business month; from mere P4 million in 2003 to P59 million in 2007.
A total of 49,000 delegates to conventions and exhibitions came to our city which is 12 percent higher than 2006. Our hotels have surely benefited from the ten percent increase in their occupancy as compared to the previous year.
Our local guests increased by 50 percent while our foreign guests increased by 116 percent.
Incoming airline passengers increased by 61 percent or from 93,000 to 150,000 people. Who says then that nobody is coming to our city? Who says that people are scared of our city? These numbers speak for themselves, indeed!
Bankability
All our efforts of improving the processes, fast tracking of delivery of services and enhancing efficiency of frontline offices have surely satisfied our constituents particularly the business sector.
I believe that it makes sense to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens on businesses because it builds confidence and encourages them to register, secure permits and pay taxes.
The local revenues collected from the conduct of businesses, ownership of real properties and all other imposition of regulatory and miscellaneous fees amounted to P247 million in 2007.
By streamlining business permits and licensing procedures, informal businesses were encouraged to register, and new businesses were created resulting to more revenues.
Therefore, our local revenues together with our internal revenue allotment (IRA) provide us with the monetary resource of P819.4 million for 2007 priority programs, projects and activities.
Investments in infrastructure projects of P202 million was used for projects like drainage systems, pavements and sidewalks, road opening, widening and concreting, bridges and approaches, traffic signal systems, street lights and facilities, electrical lines, water systems, transport sheds, improvement of parks, plazas and playgrounds, buildings and other structures such as hospitals and health centers.
Non-infra investments of P49 million were used for machineries and equipment, furniture, and fixtures, among others.
Livability
One of our programs created to address poverty is the family resource allocation management enhancement or frame. We do not look at our poor constituents as mere recipients of aid and dole-out but partners in development. Through weekly value and directional sessions they learn the principles of synergy, fear of god, and the value of savings.
I am convinced that the fight against poverty should be fought where it all starts: in the minds of our people. Our concrete multi-sectoral collaboration is transforming the poor to be bankable. By December 2007 the Frame Federation of 1,715 families savings reached a total of P1.6 million.
The Habitat for Humanities and act for peace program gave a matching grant of P1.9 million for 30 housing units for our indigenous people, which we will inaugurate next week at Fataldao, San Jose. Each concrete house costs P70,000 and our Frame saver's equity is P6,000. The families will pay the habitat program at P600 per month for ten years.
Inspired by the value of savings among our poor, our frame program has been adjudged by the department of interior and local government as one of LGU's best practices and is now part of the local government academy resources.
Along our program for helping the poor become bankable, i am proud to report that our persons with disability who have joined the PWD multi-purpose cooperative, after learning some trade skills, now engage in the business of making schools chairs.
The DepEd Region 12 have entrusted this project to them worth five million pesos. The department of health region 12 has an upcoming hospital linen and gowns production project worth five million pesos which they plan to award to our PWD's.
Reproductive health care is made available to couples through the pre-marriage counseling sessions as the first step towards responsible parenthood. This proactive approach in addressing future family problems empowers couple to decide on their family size based on their beliefs and financial capacities.
My direction for our health sector is to continually reform the city hospital, streamline the lying-in centers operations into birthing homes, and strengthen the field health services. With this direction we will be able to maximize the allocation of our limited resources and make the services of these three complementary departments responsive to the real circumstances of our people. We will also realize more income from our PhilHealth insurance corporation capitation fund by their accreditation of our health facilities within the year.
Our health sector mechanisms like the local health board, the therapeutics committee and the special advisory team for health services are very active in sustaining our policies and reforms in the health sector.
We opened a pathologic nursery in partnership with the local water district. This venture is expected to expand for the reduction of newborn mortality.
To reduce maternal and child mortality, we commissioned more ob-gyne and pediatric doctors. For the continuing reforms and rehabilitation of our city hospital, we allocated a budget of 100 million pesos this year; and provided additional funds managed by the social welfare office for the hospital and medical needs of our indigent patients.
Our free urological surgical outreach program served ten poor patients amounting to P600,000 worth of medical services, if done in private hospitals.
This march, in partnership with the Chuchi Foundation, medical practitioner volunteers, the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the GSC medical society, we will offer free surgeries in the city hospital for our indigent patients.
I believe that, one of the best poverty alleviation tools is a solid and quality education.
The total budget allocation for the special education fund is P61.2 million.
Some P41.5-million allocation used for the salaries and benefits of 218 teachers. The P4.9 million was used for the construction of schools buildings and classrooms.
The P14.7-million budget was for the maintenance and other operation expense, which includes the honoraria paid for 62 asatidz or teachers for the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education or the Alive Program for Muslim children.
We continued our support to our cultural and indigenous people communities, particularly Madrasah, as an aid to non-formal education program to 2,500 students, by providing the monthly honorarium of 135 para-teachers and ustadzes.
I am glad to report that our students' academic proficiency, especially in English, mathematics and science has increased.
In order to meet human power requirements for skilled and ICT enabled graduates both in the local and the global markets, we continued to implement the pang-"edukasyong balangkas aangat ang kabataan scholarship program" in coordination with private educational institutions. Hence, 18 students were given half scholarship on a 4-year computer courses by the AMA computer college, 53 students were given full scholarship on vocational courses by Philippine institute of technology.
Project for the Enhancement and Development of Reading Opportunities or Pedro is an early education intervention tool for grade one entrants with no early childhood education to be able to cope with basic education.
The Advancing Learning Using Electronic Relevant Technologies or Alert, which was launched last September, is a flagship educational innovation of the local government, DepEd, USAid-GEM, and the PTCA of General Santos City High School.
This is a comprehensive ICT investment for high school students wherein ICT skills are included in the curriculum such as desktop publishing and photo editing, web-site development and maintenance and network administration. Total investment for this project is P1.8 million.
It is also our aspiration that Generals live in humane dwellings. Under our LGU-initiated shelter program, 263 families benefited from our investment of P10 million at our GK Promiseland Village phases 1 & 2.
The local government also provided assistance to people-initiated housing programs. There are 122 member-families of Makar port laborers organization who became the beneficiaries of the 2-hectare Magnolia Village in Calumpang which was purchased with a counterpart from Representative Darlene Antonino Custodio costing P1.75 million in addition to the P3.12 million from the National Housing Authority.
Crime volume down
Compared to 2006, our total crime volume has been reduced by 11 percent from 290 incidents to 257. Total index crimes has also reduced from 176 in 2006 to 155 in 2007, or a decrease of 12 percent; while non-index crimes which were 144 in 2006 were reduced to 102 in 2007 or the reduction of 10.5 percent.
Although the total number of crimes solved decreased in number, from 283 in 2006 to 253 in 2007, we maintained the 98 percent crime solution efficiency.
The blast that happened last January 30 in one of our tuna canning establishments, away from the business district should serve as a lesson for all of us; that we must never put our guard down and to never falter in our vigilance. Our police and military are in close pursuit to the perpetrators. And we will not stop until we bring them to justice! Most importantly at this time, we must not show them fear. We will continue to endeavor our daily activities as we continue to create a Magandang Gensan.
For 2007, 466 children in conflict with the law were provided rehabilitation services. Some 682 women and children who were victims of various forms of violence were rescued and assisted in various psycho-social and emotional forms this was made possible thru the close coordination of the juvenile justice network and the vigilance of the barangay council for the protection of children which are very active under the headship of our responsible barangay captains and officials.
We have never stopped with our environmental management and sustainability efforts. Our solid waste reduction and recycling program has created 186 materials recovery facilities that has greatly contributed the reduction of our disposable solid waste from 120 tons to 74 tons a day or a twenty percent reduction rate.
In addition, we have been true to our enforcement of our solid waste management ordinance. We have penalized Barangays Bula, Lagao, San Isidro, Dadiangas North and Fatima for violating the solid waste management law.
To prevent water pollution, we have sustained our industrial wastewater pollution control program.
General Santos City is already a recipient of several awards for outstanding performance in various fields. In May 2007 we added another to our accolades. The Safety Organization of the Philippines, Inc. awarded General Santos City as the most outstanding local government in road safety with P2 million as cash prize.
This prize will be used to construct sidewalk projects to ensure pedestrian safety in public elementary schools within the central business district.
Our total infrastructure investments amounted to P185.5 million. Aside for the farm-to-market roads and bridges, harvest facilities, and building, we also allocated P26.3 million for the construction and maintenance of drainage and flood control, 10.7 million pesos for water systems and P6.5 million for electrification.
Ug dili nato kalimtan ang usa sa pinakasikat nga infrastructure development sa 2007, ang brainchild sa atong First Lady, nga children's playground. Nigasto ang LGU ug P3.9 million pero dili mabayran ang kalipay sa mga bata. Seeing the happiness and contentment of those children playing make all the hard work and expenditures worthwhile. Apan, naa kita'y hugot nga policy nga gipatuman sa paggamit sa children's playground. Mga bata lang ang pwedeng musulod ug mugamit sa playground. Adults maybe allowed to enter if they are accompanied by children.
Bisan sa kalisud sa ekonomiya sa nasud, ang Gensan nagpabilin nga nagkahiusa, tungod niini ang atong syudad nagpabilin usab nga progresibo.
Alang sa tuig 2008, atong paninguhaon nga mas maayong serbisyo ang atong makab-ot.
Within the year, we will also be very aggressive in the promotion of tourism, investments and sme development.
We will undertake tourism-related infrastructure projects for the Gensan Park, queen tuna landmark, development of Santiago Boulevard, GSC welcome arc, and the establishment of the General Santos City museum, among others. Citywide beautification projects will be initiated by the Kagandahan Gensan.
