THE Municipal Development Council (MDC) of Tarragona has endorsed the 20 percent Local Development Fund (LDF) amounting to ₱56.248 million and the municipality’s 2027 Annual Investment Program (AIP), laying the groundwork for projects and services that the local government intends to implement next year.
The MDC, chaired by Tarragona Mayor Art Benjie “Kaka” Bulaong, approved MDC Resolution No. 05, Series of 2026, adopting the 20 percent LDF amounting to ₱56,248,439.20.
It also approved MDC Resolution No. 06, Series of 2026, adopting the 2027 AIP for recommendation to the Sangguniang Bayan for the appropriate legislative action and enactment.
The resolutions were taken up during an MDC meeting on September 24 attended by LGU officials, members of the development council and barangay captains.
The AIP is the local government's annual list of priority programs, projects and activities to be funded and implemented in the coming year. Its endorsement by the MDC, however, does not by itself mean that every project has already been finally appropriated or procured. The proposed appropriations still have to undergo the required legislative and budget processes.
What is LDF
The ₱56.248-million LDF represents the municipality's 20 percent development allocation and is intended to support development-oriented programs and projects.
Among Mayor Bulaong's priorities are education and community-based services.
One of the largest commitments publicly reported by the LGU concerns the Davao Oriental State University (Dorsu) Tarragona External Classes.
In September 2025, Bulaong announced that the LGU would continue its annual subsidy for the Dorsu facility and had allocated ₱200 million for new school facilities. The municipality also committed 10 hectares of agricultural land for academic use, financial assistance for students, and housing assistance for learners from far-flung barangays.
In January 2026, the LGU and Dorsu signed a renewed agreement increasing the university's annual subsidy from ₱2 million to ₱2.5 million. The subsidy covers school amenities and compensation for part-time faculty and job-order personnel assigned to the Tarragona External Classes. Bulaong said the LGU planned to increase the subsidy further to ₱3 million the following year.
The LGU also converted and renovated an abandoned public market building in Barangay Central into a temporary learning facility following the 2025 earthquake damage to the previous Dorsu site.
Bulaong's first-term priorities
Bulaong is serving his first term as Tarragona mayor. He won the 2025 mayoral election with 10,603 votes, according to election results reported after the May 2025 polls.
Since taking office, his administration has launched or supported programs beyond infrastructure.
Among them is the iKAKA Scholarship Program, which provides Tarragona students with free tuition and miscellaneous fees, with assistance also covering dormitory or boarding-house needs, food allowance and medical and life insurance, according to the program's partner school.
The municipality also launched the Alalay sa Krisis Program, providing cash and livelihood assistance to selected beneficiaries. Bulaong defended the program in June 2026 and said beneficiary selection was subject to a validation process.
For the municipality's 60th founding anniversary, his administration organized the first Ka'aNiYogan Festival, including Yogyogan sa Dalan and Palutaw sa Dalan. The mayor later increased the cash prizes for the street-dance competition, with the champion receiving ₱500,000, second place ₱300,000 and third place ₱200,000.
The municipality also confirmed its first participation in Davao City's Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan 2026. In an August interview, Bulaong said no municipal budget had been released for the participation and that expenses were coming from their own pockets.
The ₱56.248 million adopted for the 20 percent LDF, however, is not the municipality's entire 2027 budget, nor the appropriation is already available for spending.
The MDC resolutions are part of the local planning and investment process. The proposed AIP still needs the required action by the Sangguniang Bayan and must subsequently go through the applicable budgeting, procurement and implementation requirements.
With the 2027 AIP now moving through the legislative process, the next significant question is which specific projects will receive portions of the ₱56.248-million development allocation, their individual costs, sources of funds, implementation schedules and expected beneficiaries. CEA
