State of Municipality Address (SOMA)-2007

State of Municipality Address (SOMA)

by Mayor Art Chan, March 16, 2007

 

GREETINGS!

 

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step; ore step at a time. deliberate, forward­ looking and with one definite purpose – to reach our destination and achieve our goal.”

 

“We believe that the measure of performance of the local administration cannot be gauged by a single year; we believe that for a certain great goal to be achieved. it takes considerable amount of time to plan for it. invest in it, and implement the same. Still. a reasonable amount of time will have taken its course for the people to feel its effects and benefit from its results.”

 

Allow me. therefore. to refresh everyone of these small steps we had undertaken way back when we first assumed office in 1998 up to the present

 

When we were given the mandate by the people to serve our municipality in 1998, we were confronted with the reality that the municipal cof­fer barely operates with a minimal budget sup­posedly. Its beginning balance in 1998 in all funds was P5.3 million. but around 5.8 million was miss­ing due to unliquidated cash advances and cash shortages. Only our Courts with the help of the Commission on Audit can decide whether we can recover this substantial amount back to our mu­nicipal coffer.

 

In addition, the DSWD. DOH/Rural Health Unit and the Department of Agriculture were de­volved to the local government unit. This process of devolution as mandated by R.A, 7160 entails man­datory acceptance of all personnel from national agencies including their salaries and all kinds of benefits which were higher than what local em­ployees were receiving.

 

The process of devolution further complicated the delicate balance of appropriations of the LGU for maintenance and social services.

Indeed. we faced the tremendous challenge to fulfill our obligations not only with our employ­ees but also more importantly of delivering the basic services our constituents need amidst  our very limited resources at hand.

 

Fortune was not on our side at that time. Our public market was razed down by fire on the evening of August 14. 1999. With barely a year of public service and with the attendant period of adjustment to our position in. government. the fire dealt an additional blow to the administration in need of more substantial income to maintain its operation. :More so, as the public market was the second largest source of our revenues, second only to real property tax which was a provincial impo­sition.

 

There had been many speculations then as to the source of the tire despite of the findings by the Bureau of Fire Department and the PNP that it originated from faulty electrical wirings. Con­sider these facts;

 

I)      That the public market existed since the late 1940’s and there had been many renovations done both form the structural and electrical points of view;

 

2)     That the public market structure is old and brittle and hence a tire-prone building with no insur­ance to boot;

 

3)     That the extension stalls were haphazardly constructed by the stallholders themselves and some were utilized for residence and bodegas;

 

4)     That some of these stalls were subdivided. resold or rented to other occupants without the knowl­edge of the local government unit.

 

In short, zoning within the public market was in disarray and many violations of existing market ordi­nances and the National Building Code were com­mitted but were tolerated, notwithstanding the fact that all market stall contracts had already expired.

 

This undocumented and concealed occupancy, haphazard electrical connections of the spaghetti-type and illegal constructions within the public market took their toll and wrought havoc to all of us – economi­cally and emotionally. We were a municipality de­pleted of its revenue source. We all suffered from this unfortunate incident.

 

However. despite of what happened, we perse­vered to move on. We had to move forward. We had seen the other side of the coin. Instead of de­spair and hopelessness, we saw an opportunity. We needed to act and turn around the unfortunate state of events.

 

“Hindi natin pwedeng pabayaan ang Pozorrubio. Mahalnatin ang ating bayan ..• People looked to the local administration to solve the prob­lem head on.

 

As expected of us and our Sangguniang Bayan, resolutions asking for financial assistance were ap­proved and sent to Senators and Congressmen to help us rebuild the public market. Our Congressman Mark Cojuangco and former Congressman Amadito Perez responded to the call, same with Senators Tessie Aquino Oreta and Juan Ponce Enrile. However. their assistance was not enough to finish the construction of the public market. And time was of essence as our people were already restive. The urgency to re­store normalcy of business operations within the pub­lic market was of utmost imperative.

 

By Divine Providence. Phase I of our public market was spared damage. Its timely completion was according to plan. Public Market Phase I be­came one of the more viable, self-supporting enter­prises of the administration, capable of paying off by itself our amortization from the World Bank. It was the benchmark from which we moved on.

 

Consequently, noting the performance of Phase I to the feasibility of expanding our public market. a second loan agreement from the World Bank was approved by the Sangguniang Bayan. Public Market Phase]] was completed.

 

And the rest is history.

 

Despite the protest and delays encountered by the Sanggllniang Bayan and this administration. all the way up to the Sanggllniang Panlalawigan. the necessary ordinances were passed. And the protest was denied with finality.

 

We had to act fast! Otherwise, by our INAC­TION. neighboring municipalities would take what­ever business advantage we initially possessed. They too had availed of loans to construct their public mar­kets. And although terms and conditions of our loans were better than theirs, they had erected and occu­pied their public markets faster that us! Fellow Pozorrubians, I take pride in the tenacity and patience of our market stall holders during the various stages of relocations and market construction. J-laramil1g salamat po sa inyong pagtitiis at natapos nu/in ng maliwasay ang aling pamilihang hayan. Dahil sa inyo, muling sumigla ang ekonomiya ng ating bayan aT naibalik natil1 ang daTing sigla ng ating kalakalan at l1egosvo. l’vlabuhay po kayol1g lahat!

 

From thereon. we started to move forward. slowly but surely. Our economy, grew throughout the years. Based on the audited Comparative Report of Revenue and Receipts from 1998 to 2006, our total income grew from P25, 940,440.83 in 1998 to P77,252,695.08 in 2006. Due to this positive transformation, Pozorrubio was adjudged No. 3 in 2003 in terms of Net Income in the Province of Pangasinan. and was elevated to No. 2 Province wide in 2005, and No, 13 Region-1Nide. Further­more, because of its consistent positive fiscal man­agement for the last five years, Pozormbio is now classified as a second-class municipality.

 

With the awards and recognition received by this town through the relentless efforts of its mu­nicipal treasury and assessors office, our resolve was strengthened to pursue our coveted  VISION ­for· our beloved town of Pozorrubio to attain the status of a first-class municipality.

 

The credit for this marvelous transformation lies with you, our people. With the continuing trust and confidences you gave to this administration. I see no reason why we could not achieve that VI­SION.

 

Now. more than ever, the challenge is pre­sented before the local administration to return the abundance of its resources to our people. It is my privilege to inform you, my kabaleyan. where our taxes were spent;

 

EDUCA TION SECTOR

 

In 1999. the Local School Board budget was recorded at P759. 642.00. In 2000, it rose to PI, 057.360.81. to PI, 569, 682.89 il12004 and finally to Pl. 385, 860.00 in 2006. Aside from the many repair and maintenance projects undertaken by the administration during the past years, the Local School Board was able to redirect its resources starting in 2005 towards the completion 01′22 class­rooms. Also. from 1998 to the present, the Local School Board hired the services of 198 extension teachers. some of whom later became regular teachers in the DepEd family.

 

In addition. Congressman Mark Cojuangco. the Fil-Chinese Chamber. Provincial Board Member Danny Uy and Engr. :V[anny Saplan funded the construction of additional schoolbuildings located at ,A.lipangpang, Maambal, Buneg, Villegas. Nama and Poblacion Dist. 1II and other selected barangays.

 

Rest assured that this administration will give more impetus and support to Non-formal Education to benefit our out-of-school youths. parents and the elderly through the Alternative Learning Sys­tem and the ART & EMMA program in coordina­tion with the DepEd and NGOs.

 

MUNICIPAL NUTRITION PROGRAM and other SOCIAL SERVICES

 

Apart from our Non-Formal Education Pro­gram which earned nationwide recognition, the Municipal Nutrition Program managed by the Municipal Nutrition Committee was recipient of the Green Balmer Awards and the Crown Award. Our town was awarded 1st Place in the Provincial and Regional search for Most Child Friendly Munici­pality. This has been made possible through the ef­forts of our social welfare employees and volun­teers in all of the barangays of Pozormbio.

 

Recently. our Rural Health Unit headed by Dr. Lucy Bautista completed the Living Standard Sur­vey to cover the 34 barangays of the municipality. This survey detailed the health status of our con­stituents and the income brackets of our households. These are necessary indicators or determinants to give focus to families that really belong to the poor­est strata of our society.

 

Incidentally, our Rural Health Unit was accred­ited as Sel1tl’Ong Sigla and as DOTS compliant center – a distinction granted to only a few rural health units that render a holistic approach to health service including the performance of Directly Ob­served Treatment Short course (DOTS) on anti­TB not only to marginalized families but to every­one who needs its services.

 

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Many of our constituents are engaged in live­stock and agricultural production. Agriculture is the lifeblood the municipality. Sustainability of agricultural produce therefore is once of the priorities of the local administration in order to meet the increas­ing demand of a ),’following population.

 

To continue the successful project of Certified Seed production and propagation program. the Ag­riculture Department was directed to Saturate our farmlands with the use of Hybrid seeds subsidized by the local government. Consistency on the use of this rice variety shows an upward trend of accep­tance as more and more farmers shift to its use ­originally from 47 farmers in 2003 to 112 farmers in 2006. Yield per harvest for this variety reached an average of 6 metric tons per hectare or 120 to 150 ca vans per hectare. On the other band. the usual vaccination of large and small animals, extension :services. capability building of fanners I cooperatives. consultations and other services for this sector were continuously implemented to take care of our live- stock production.

 

As a regular obligation the necessary irrigation facilities such as provision of water pumps to barangays. Installation of shallow wells and construc­tion of irrigation canals were also extended to our farmers.

 

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

 

A. Road Construction

 

Most of our interior Barangay roads are too narrow for (two medium-sized vehicles to pass through. It is problematic should two large-sized vehicles happen to meet in one place at the same time. How much more if convoys of vehicles ap­proach a particular curve from both directions all at the same time’) One can imagine the inconvenience – patience pushed to the limit especially if appoint­ments have to be met not to mention invaluable time and gasoline or diesel wasted just to manipu­late around the traffic.

 

Pozorrubio has the best type of road accessi­bility. It has a Radial type of road configuration wherein the arterial roads converge enroute to a particular development node through our provincial and national roads and then finally to the main busi­ness center which is the Poblacion proper. How­ever. our existing roads have since outdone its use­fulness in terms of its applicability to accommodate a greater volume of trafic. Hence, there is a need to restructure the road right-of-way allocation, prepa­ration and construction.

 

Without hesitation. this administration and Congo Mark Cojuangco began the restructuring of access roads with the construction of the standard 6-meter to 8-meter road projects. Around 6.133 linear meters of these wider roads were constructed during our tenure. More roads are in the pipeline for construc­tion to be funded out of local funds and Congres­sional fund. Though. in order to implement effectively the 6 to 8 meter road-right-of-way requirement. we need the cooperation of our Barangay officials to explain to our constituents the advantage of construct­ing a wider road for all our future road projects.

 

B. Building Constructions

 

The master plan of the municipality envisioned the construction of three separate buildings to house the three pillars of government – namely the Execu­tive, Legislative and the Judiciary. I am pleased to inform you that we are now midway through our vi­sion of realizing this goal. We delivered the comple­tion of the Sanggllniang Building and the Pozorrubio Municipal Hall. We could have proceeded and deliv­ered our remaining targets had it not been for the many abelTations in terms of project approval and acceptance. and ironically, the election ban. There are still a lot of work 10 be done. One. the construc­tion of our Rural Health Unit building which renders primary health care to our people. Another is the building intended to our Municipal Trial Court. PNP. BFP, COMELEC and other national agencies.

 

Nevertheless. before we end our term and leave the government service. I am leaving behind a sub­stantial budget to the next administration 10 fulfil his or her priorities. We will leave behind around P47.55 million in all funds maintained by the LGU. P36.3 million of which is in the General Fund. This is more than enough to pay our obligations. continuing projects, and other priorities the next administration may pur­sue.

More importantly. I shall be leaving behind a new Municipal Hall for the next administration free of any loan and free from any other obligation.

 

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

 

What better way of rewarding our local employ­ees for a job well done than to give them the neces­sary compensation and benefits due them?

 

In the past 9 years that we served our munici­pality, Salary Step Increments were provided accord­ingly and consistently to all deserving employees. Salary increases were given 4 times – in 1998. 2000. 200 I and 2005. Anniversary Bonus was given 3 timcs – in 1998. 2000 and 2005. Longevity Pay (Loyalty Cash Award) was given in years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Productivity Incentive Bonus was consis­tently given since 2000 to 2006. Extra cash gifts were given in years 2004. 2005 and 2006.

 

Career advancement of employees through various capacity building trainings. seminars and the implementation of Personnel Evaluation System remain as the top agenda of our Chief Administra­tive Officer. It is through these measures that we can be assured of competent and properly equipped work force appropriate to their designated job.

 

PARTICIPATIVE GOVERIANCE

 

1n the nine solid years of our administration, we tried our very best to realize our vision for our beloved town and to fast track the delivery of basic services. programs and projects in agreement with National thrusts and development. This was made possible through judicious fiscal management. trans­parency and participative approach to 10cal gover­nance.

 

We earnestly enjoin everyone to let us con­tinue this kind of relationship with our people. a re­lationship that we had nurtured and valued through­out the years. It is with abiding hope that I make this call for genuine and sincere service to our people. and that this kind of service be continued by lead­ers and officials of our town who will take over after my term. for the betterment of our beloved town. Pozorrubio.

 

CONCLUDING STATEMENTS

 

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank our Congressman. Honorable Mark Cojuangco, and our Balikbayans from abroad. for helping me realize part of our vision. It was though their intercession, together with our people. that all of these infrastructure development. Plaza Park beautification, medical missions. and many other projects were accom­plished. And. of course. with the help of my better halt: my inspiration-first lady Emma Chan.

To our Sangguniang Bayan, headed by Vice Mayor Reynaldo Reyes, my kumpare … my heart­felt thanks for all related ordinances and resolu­tions contacted under your leadership that eventually guided this administration to reach its pre-destined goals.

 

Finally, before we conclude our SOMA. allow me to end my message with the inspirational words relayed to us by Most Reverend Bishop Jacinto Jose during the inauguration of our Municipal Hall. Bishop Jose defined the word “benedicere” – bene ­well and dicere – to speak. Meaning – to speak well. Let us speak well of others so that others will speak well of us!

 

With all humility. I say – I have done my part.

 

I thank you all for your cooperation and trust.

 

Mabuhay ang Pozorrubio! Mabuhay tayong lahat!