FREE internet connection for students, scholarships, improved road networks and a dialysis center are some of the ongoing projects and accomplishments that Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. reported during his fifth State of the City Address (Soca) on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 at the City of Talisay Sports Complex.
The Soca was presented through an audio-visual presentation that summarized the city’s accomplishments over a year.
In his opening remarks, Gullas said that rather than explaining each of the programs the City offers its constituents, he would let the 27-minute video presentation provide a summary of the local government’s accomplishments.
“The Soca now is more on summarizing what we have done... in the past year after the people of Talisay gave us a second term in office,” Gullas said.
Gullas is not the first mayor to do away with the traditional delivery of speeches in presenting the city’s accomplishments. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama did the same on July 3, 2023.
Gullas said that under the Aksyon Agad Administration, leadership should be about transparency and accountability and government should be about service and not power.
He said Aksyon Agad should not be taken literally because (the government) “could never be in all places at once.”
He said Aksyon Agad is a “brand of service” which brings the government services “faster, closer” to the people.
“It’s about cutting the bureaucratic tape to make services be felt faster by its people. It’s about getting away from traditional politics because it’s a brand of service where you don’t even need to see the city mayor kon mangayo kag tabang sa inyong gobyerno (if you ask for help from the government). It’s about building infrastructure and programs that the poorest of the poor can feel during their times of need,” Gullas said.
Medical services
In the area of medical services, Gullas highlighted the completion of the Social Services Building and the Talisay Dialysis Center, which was set to officially open Thursday, Oct. 12.
He said the Social Services Building is the one-stop location where all the Aksyon Agad programs are provided to every resident of Talisay City.
Meanwhile, the Talisay Dialysis Center (TDC) will give access to Talisay residents who need dialysis treatments, offering hemodialysis treatments to indigent residents suffering from chronic medical conditions.
In a post on his official Facebook page on Thursday, Gullas said the dialysis center has been accredited by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., enabling residents to benefit from PhilHealth picking up the tab for up to 156 sessions per year at P2,600 per session.
He said the City will also offer a weekly subsidy of P1,000 to dialysis patients who are Talisay City residents.
“Dako na kaayo ni nga tabang kay dili na mo kinahanglan mogasto og plete, kaon para mo adto sa Sotto, or sa Carcar District Hospital,” Gullas said.
(This will be a big help because you will no longer need to spend for fare and food to go to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City or the Carcar District Hospital in Carcar City.)
Gullas urged Talisay residents currently undergoing dialysis treatment to visit the dialysis center for details on all the requirements so that they could transfer from their current dialysis provider to TDC.
Education
In education, Gullas presented the completion of e-learning centers in Barangays Bulacao and Tabunok where students can access free internet connections and an e-library.
Gullas also said the city’s flagship scholarship program, “Cream of the Crop,” currently supports 84 scholars. This program offers free college education to underprivileged but deserving students, allowing them to enroll in any premier university in Cebu, with the exception of the University of the Visayas (UV). UV, located in Cebu City, is owned by the Gullas family.
He said deserving scholars benefit from free tuition and a P20,000 allowance per semester.
Last July, 1,349 scholars of the City Government graduated from the Talisay City College, all recipients of free higher education.
Infrastructure
In infrastructure, he showcased several projects, including the completion of the Talisay Liberation Park, the installation of an LED wall, Phase 1 of the Poblacion Boardwalk, the Sports Center, and improvements to the road network.
Some 3.5 kilometers of road were asphalted at six meters wide per road section.
Lastly, for security, he highlighted the installation of 28 new closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and the repair of 32 existing CCTV cameras, with the aim of strengthening traffic management in the city.
Gullas said that in Talisay City, there is no such thing as a perfect government since perfection is unattainable. Instead, what they have is a functional and effective government.
The event was attended by the members of the Talisay City Council, Vice Mayor Richard Francis Aznar, and the mayor’s wife, Cebu First District Rep. Rhea Mae Gullas.