IGaCos Mayor delivers State-of-the City Address

ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL - City Mayor Aniano P. Antalan delivered his State of the City Address highlighting his administration’s main thematic line on Building the Foundation of Tourism, Development Process towards attaining the City’s Vision of Becoming an Urban Center in a Garden Setting.

He said the vision that fuelled the LGU to provide better services each and every year, focused on the three tenets: Human Development, Environmental Development and Good Governance.

The Human Development emphasis on programs and projects that are intended to uplift the welfare of its constituents/people, personal growth, skills development and capability building, second the Good Governance practices and undertakings of the LGU to be equipped and continuously upgrading the system on the fiscal and Economic management, Tourism development and Agriculture programs, third the Environmental Development which emphasized on the  Development planning, Infrastructure development.

In the  Human Development, he emphasized the Public Employment, Legal Services, Legislations, Civil Registrations, Social Services, Dalit Serbisyo Program, Helath Services and Scholarship.

In the  Public Employment Service Office, the City have hired 215 SPES grantees given P250 per day, have placed 1,037 constituents from 46 participating barangays out of the referred 3,689 applicants from registered applicants in the skills Registry System.  A memorandum of Agreement between the  city government of IGaCoS and OWWA to establish an Overseas Filipino Workers Help Desk.

On the legal services, Mayor Antalan  highlighted the LGU’s  triumphed in the dismissal of cases , one was on the battle for the Environmental Users Fee against the El Paril Resorts, second on the Zoning Violation case filed by the Samal City Resort Owners Association , third on case against Tudlasan, et al for the Housing Demolition made at Barangay Camudmud. The dismissal of cases against the city government proved that the ordinances and development programs were constitutional and legal and always for the betterment of Island Garden City of Samal.

Antalan also emphasized some legislations that served as backbone of the  local government programs  to include City Ordinance 2014-236 on the IGaCoS Investment Code of 2014, City Ordinance 2014-235 on the Tourism Code of the Island Garden City of Samal and the City Ordinance 2014-237, the Comprehensive Safe Motherhood and Maternal Care Ordinance. Amendments were also made on the Fishery Code of IGaCoS and the Revenue Code of IGaCoS.

The Programs in Civil Registrations had made the Kasalan sa Barangay of 12 couples at Barangay Balet, Babak, solemnized 19 couples  at PHRDC, Barangay  Catagman, 11 couples in  Barangay Miranda and have  270 free birth registered  births and had extended 80 Indigenous People availed Civil Registry Services at their tribal house (Tambobong).

Various social services were also extended the Samalenos particularly on services for the Aid to Individual in Crisis Situation, burial assistance, burial for paupers, emergency shelter assistance payments of bills in Southern Philippines Medical  Centers and Davao del Norte Hospital Samal Zone.

Antalan also highlighted the 13 barangays given Dalit Serbisyo Publiko that which brought the basic services like agriculture, health care , dental, legal , civil registry, animal health , building code assistance and free haircut for all.  

Antalan also emphasized his love for cultural  and sports activities like the  Dalit Kalingawan like amateur singing contest, dance competitions and the high school drum and bugle and lyre competitions.  In sports development , Antalan was able to conduct Summer Basketball Camp, tournaments for government employees, open commercial players, collegiate invitational and inter-barangay for midget and high schools and barangay captains.

Antalan also reported the increase of scholarship cash assistance of  P20,000 per year and   incentives for those who will graduate with honors will be given plaque of  recognition, and  cash award of P10,000 for Summa Cum Laude, P7,000 for Magna Cum Laude and P5,000 for Cum Laude.

In the Health Services, Antalan reported the  improved Health Care Services particularly the Maternal and Child Care due to to the upgraded health care facilities in the 3 District Health Offices, Davao del Norte Hospital- Samal Zone and in the different Barangay Health Stations.

Antalan was also proud to report the CROWN Award of the National Nutrition Council of the Department of Health, Gawad Kalasag Award of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, third  place all over the Philippines in the Drives Against Professional  Squatters and Squatting  Syndicate for the housing program.

In Good Governance, Antalan’s administration emphasized practices  and undertakings that geared towards safeguarding and continuously upgrading systems on Fiscal management, Tourism Development, Agriculture Programs, Economic Management and Peace and Order.

Financially, the City was able to collect 72.86 Million of local income, and exceeded the target for 2014. The city government had also started the ATM payroll system for permanent employees, intensified the RPT collection through publication of delinquent real properties to local newspaper.

In tourism, the city was able to launced the Tambo Sanipaan Marine Park in Barangay Tambo, Babak, Tagbaobo Eco-Tourism Endeavor at Barangay Tagbaobo , Kaputian District and the Adecor Taclobo Tours at Barangay Adecor, Kaputian District.

Some government organization supporting the city such as the World Wide Fund for Nature in their Climate Change Adaptation to the Most Beautiful Places Project, the RARE-PRIDE Campaign which helped in establishing Sanctuary Guardhouses, mobilize Bantay Dagat patrolling, pushed through Education-Information Campaign through school activity initiatives. A grant also from the LGSP-LED project entitled Sustainable Tourism Development and Business Enablement for IGaCoS shall help in developing the capacities of local private sector groups and economic officers of the LGU to be more capable in business planning, investment promotion, destination marketing, economic recovery and sustainable project implementation.

The city was also proud in maintaining a generally peaceful and livable city due to its heightened Peace and Order  program on anti-drug abuse, laws on firearms and ammunition, campaign against most wanted persons and extensive networking with other security partners particularly during the  Oplan Semana Santa.

On environmental development; Antalan mentioned Development initiatives in Planning, Infrastructure , Housing ,and Regulatory and enforcements.

For 2015 plans, Antalan especially mentioned the proposed the five (5) hectares Integrated Public Market and Terminal situated at Sitio Maag, Penaplata, Samal District with estimated cost of One Hundred Thirty Thousand Million Pesos (Php130,000,000.00) with parking area, wet and dry section and standard water waste drainage. He believed the public market and terminal will be the city’s show window in economy wherein tourists and investors usually considered it as one of the place to visit, where businesses will flourish and more micro entrepreneurs will benefits.

“I will prioritize the Integrated Public Market and Terminal project because our old public market was already congested, dilapidated, no standard drainage system and it is situated near at the seashore.  This project we will have a viable and consumer-friendly public market and terminal which enhance the visitor’s satisfaction that could contribute to economic growth and it will drive investment.”I want this project as one of my legacy before my term end. ”Mayor Antalan said.

In his administration he said that he will accept the challenges as this year another milestone to take just to get hold of the “City’s vision as an Urban Center in a Garden Setting” as we enter another year. (Samal Info.)