By Charles R. Pepito | Correspondent
Photos courtesy of SP Secretary Garry Cabotaje and Engr. Pedrito Laurente Jr.
“Let us go forward together and keep our city vital and strong, and ensure the City of Naga remains a place where everyone can call home…with that steadfast commitment for a quality of life for all.”
This was how City of Naga, Cebu, Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong concluded her State of Naga Address in time of the city’s 10th charter anniversary on September 5.
“In conclusion, I enjoin everyone to celebrate that the state of our city is strong,” Chiong said.
Chiong, a neophyte politician, succeeded her father, former mayor Valdemar Chiong, who completed his three terms last year.
“It has been my joy and honor to have served our beloved Naga in the past year. On our 10th charter anniversary, we celebrate Naga’s accomplishments and journey as a city in the past 10 years. This celebration also serves as a timely renewal of our commitment to work for more improved basic services, for a better life for all Nagahanons,” she said.
This year the city has an approved budget of P720 million. As of July 2017, the city has collected P503.2 million from all income sources and is expected to generate more than the P720-million target, showing a more efficient tax collection from the City Treasury.
Next year Chiong said they have a proposed budget of P785 million, with an estimated internal-revenue allotment of P452.7 million, higher by P31.2 million compared to the P421.4 million this year.
“In the past year we focused on capacitation of our human resource by establishing well-defined systems and processes in city hall with the goal of providing an efficient, simplified, customer-focused, output-oriented and accountable government service. Quality of life for Nagahanons can only be realized if, first, we at the city government improve the quality of our services. It should start from us,” Chiong added.
The city is assisting its barangays to become responsive and functional frontline institutions able to manage concerns on solid-waste management; health, nutrition and sanitation; peace and order; and illegal drug-related issues, among other expected mandates.
In promoting participatory governance, the city implemented the purok system through the barangays to strengthen the sense of belongingness.
“As I have consistently emphasized, whatever Naga has accomplished today, it is because of our unity as a people,” she said.
As part of institutionalizing the city government’s structures, systems and processes, with the cooperation of the technical working groups composed of city officials, department heads and sectoral representatives, the city has updated its 10-Year Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the Forest Land Use Plan.
The city also formulated its Comprehensive Development Plan as the City Government’s guide in comprehensive urban development for the next six years. It is the basis for the city’s Annual Development Plan, Local Development Investment Program and the Annual Investment Program.
“I am confident that these plans capture the collective aspiration, needs and priorities of the city,” Chiong said.
The passage of significant ordinances in the past year has fully supported the executive department, namely the Solid-Waste Management Ordinance, Cebu Investment and Incentive Code, Public-Private Partnership for the People Code, Rules and Procedure for the Conduct of Auction Sale and the City of Naga, Cebu Standard Identification System.
“These ordinances show that a productive and supportive council brings about faster implementation of projects and programs that are beneficial to the people,” she added.
On the education aspect, the city concentrated on the construction of classrooms, covered courts, perimeter fence, provision of water and electrical supply, basically with the goal to equip and enhance the learning environment of the students.
“The local school board has come up with a consolidated report on the needs of the 26 elementary and 21 secondary schools and we have a target for each year until all schools are equipped,” the mayor said.
The City of Naga College Scholarship Program, since it started in 2011, has produced a total of 161 college graduates. As of the present, it continues to assist 215 college students enrolled in different universities in Cebu. Each year, P18 million is allotted for this program.
The city allocated P8 million for the PhilHealth enrollment of indigents prioritizing the vulnerable sectors, such as pregnant women, persons with disability, children with special medical conditions and solo parents, including the job-order personnel.
Before the year ends, the Dialysis Center shall operate and the Maternity Lounge will be open to the public to ensure zero delivery in houses, and an infirmary will be operational next year.
Chiong thanks the five companies in the city that pooled their resources and raised P4 million to sustain the operations of the Vicente Mendiola Center for Health and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III for giving P10 million for the equipment and other needs for the infirmary.
Next year the city will also establish a medical assistance program where all Nagahanons admitted at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center shall be given a subsidy of P5,000 for their billing.
A robust and well-planned infrastructure is the backbone of city development.
The city will invest next year on infrastructure initiatives, such as the construction and rehabilitation of a potable water-supply system in the barangays and formulation of the master plan of the city road network and drainage that will serve as the city’s blueprint for future road-development projects. This will include road widening that will provide alternate routes and decongest traffic and acquisition of road right-of-ways, among others, and road concreting, construction of drainage and slope-protection structures;
Pursue the 130-hectare coastal-development and -reclamation project to acquire additional land area for the city, enable the city to replan its land use conforming with the requirements of urban planning, provide alternative road networks within the city to decongest the national highway, provide job opportunities and spur economic development;
Street lighting, coastal management (strengthening of Bantay Dagat Operations) and Greening Program (Run to Plant on Arbor Day and Mangrove Planting) and acquisition of the Balili property.
On social services, Assistance for Indigents in Crisis for food and transportation assistance, medical and hospitalization assistance at P500 per day for a maximum of five days and burial assistance;
Standardization of the Early Childhood Care and Development Program in the city of Naga to better prepare day-care children for formal education. Standardization means, construction of suitable centers with playground, toilet and provision of water and electrical supply, learning materials for both teachers and children, continuous trainings of child development teachers (38 licensed teachers whose salary of 10,000 per month are being paid by the city government) and workers in all 38 Child Development Centers; and construction of additional child-development centers in the remote puroks.
“We have started our assessment of our existing 38 day-care centers in the city and will target that by the time my term ends in 2019, all of the Child Development Centers in the City of Naga are equipped, standardized and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Chiong said.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) also continues its effort to make the city disaster-resistant and disaster-resilient. It started constructing the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Facility where to house the Central Command Center, the 24/7 Emergency Response Unit and the Capacity and Capability Building.
“The CDRRMO continuously conducts trainings, orientation and drills to enable everyone including the puroks to properly respond once calamities and disasters strike,” Chiong said.
The city government puts emphasis on the development and management of the city’s heritage resources to uphold every Nagahanon’s sense of belongingness and pride and love of Naga.
Nagahanons now boast of potential tourism destinations, such as the baywalk, city boardwalk, children’s park, sports facilities and environmental assets, such as Mount Naupa, among others. The Dagitab Festival, which happens every December 23, has started to draw both local and external tourists. The PNOC Renewables Corp. will soon commence the construction and installation of the 100-kilowatt Solar PV (Photovoltaic System) Rooftop Project that will be used by the City Hall at no cost to the city government. This will entail savings on electric utilities and cost on the part of the city government and the support to the use of environment-friendly energy resources in line with the aspiration for sustainable development.
To preserve its aquifer, the city established the Septage Treatment Facility in Naalad, which made the City of Naga the first local government unit in Cebu to have a government-funded septic-treatment facility. This will put an end to the indiscriminate dumping of untreated sludge on land or waterways in the city, as it will completely manage the handling, treatment and proper disposal of septage. The facility, now on a commissioning phase, targets to fully operationalize in 2018.
The passage of Solid Waste Management Ordinance is significant, as it lays down the direction for a more effective solid-waste management.
“I am happy to report that, as of this time, we are the only LGU in the Province of Cebu with an approved updated Solid Waste Management Plan and a Manual of Operations,” Chiong said.
The city also established a Material Recovery Facility to operate in the barangays next year with the goal to reduce the waste the city generates daily.
On peace and order and safety, P29 million is allocated for security services, peace and order and anti-illegal drug-related programs and activities and the usual over-all continuous support for police operations.
The city government has completed the formulation of its Traffic Management Code and awaits the approval and adoption of the Code by the Sangguniang Panlungsod. Toward the end of this year, the traffic code is going to serve as the main source and reference of the city government when it comes to the full implementation of all traffic-related policies.
Beginning this year the city government has installed measures to improve the one-stop shop business-licensing system to promote economic dynamism and vibrancy. It also provides tax incentives to qualified businesses and support civil-society organizations, such as the Naga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the objective of engaging a business-friendly environment.
With a revenue of P503.2 million as of July 2017, the city government has embarked on a journey toward achieving competitiveness.
“With the goal to promote the inflows and direction of foreign and local investment capital within the city, the newly passed City of Naga, Cebu Investment and Incentives Code will be put in practice starting January 2018. This is to advance and sustain economic and social development and generate job opportunities,” Chiong said.
“We all have unique and invaluable contributions, even how small, to carry our city forward and to make it the greatest city we all know it can be. The city government has its place, but it will always value your participation in solving every problem,” Chiong added.
Image credits: Photos courtesy of SP Secretary Garry Cabotaje and Engr. Pedrito Laurente Jr.