San Carlos mayor delivers 1st Soca
SAN Carlos City Mayor Renato Y. Gustilo delivered his first State of the City Address (Soca) after one year as chief executive during the city’s Celebration of its 60th Charter Day anniversary on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
Mayor Gustilo’s Soca cited the developments of the many programs and projects left to him by the past administration that he managed to continue while pointing out his progress as city mayor including the wage increase for job order employees, the increase in the amount for the indigents’ hospitalization program from P5,000 to P10,000 and the P1,000 birthday gift to every Senior citizen in the city.
He enumerated numerous completed and ongoing projects including the finished new infinity and lap pools at the people’s park, the ongoing construction of the satellite office of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management and commercial building at Dapdap port, both in Sipaway Island as well as other renovation and construction projects including farm-to-market roads in Barangays Punao and Codcod and the purchase of more equipment for the City Engineering Department, CDRRMO and City Hospital among other major projects that he wants to get implemented soon.
The Soca also highlighted the city’s effort in mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic wherein Gustilo said that the city is now working on a temporary quarantine facility at the City Sports Complex, which is expected to be finished within this month. He stressed that together with Congressman Gerardo P. Valmayor, Jr., the city is embarking on the construction of a Covid19 Isolation Building and Testing Laboratory within the vicinity of the new city hospital.
Gustilo said that although there are already six positive cases of Covid-19 in the city, the people are still assured of their safety because the city government is doing its best to address the issue especially amidst the influx of locally stranded individuals (LSIs).
Gustilo said that in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the relief good operations, the city enabled to source out budget from the local funds especially from the 30 percent Quick Respond Funds and Special Trust Fund amounting to P38.9M aside from the P77M Bayanihan Grant to Provinces (BGP) of the national government.
Mayor Gustilo also thanked the many donors for their contributions to the city amidst the present calamity and who were given plaques of recognition after the Soca. He also made special mention of the frontliners from medical staff to the men and women in uniform, including barangay health workers.
The city’s emblem for its 60th Charter Anniversary and the Asean lantern were also lighted near the end of his speech citing San Carlos City as resilient amidst any catastrophe and that its next-generation will truly survive and thrive in the coming years and beyond.
Present during the event were Congressman Gerardo P. Valmayor Jr., Board Member Rommel T. Debulgado, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Pocholo Yuvienco and local officials, department heads, a few representatives from the private sectors, donors and frontliners.
The said Soca, which started at 5 p.m., lasted for an hour and was held at the city hall grounds instead of the usual venue at the SP Session Hall in observance of social distancing due to the Covid-19 threat. (PR)