State of the City Address of Dipolog City Mayor Roberto Y. Uy

You be my judge

By Roberto Y. Uy

(The following is the State of the City Address of Dipolog City Mayor Roberto Y. Uy delivered afternoon of last Tuesday, March 13 at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, this city before members of the city council, chiefs of office of the city government, media, guests, well-meaning Dipolognons and others.)

Almost nine years ago today, I took my oath as the new chief executive of our beloved city.  I had many friends and supporters then, yet they were easily outnumbered by critics and sceptics who had expressed doubts on my capability to govern, primarily because of my lack of experience in the field of public administration.  But I was full of dreams, and nurtured a vision for a better, more progressive Dipolog City.  I had moved forward on my task amidst the guarded eyes of the public, continually imploring the guidance of the Almighty, and armed with the sincere resolve to work for the greatest good for the greatest number of our people.

After each of my last eight years in service, I had stood before this august body and the entire community of Dipolognons, to render a report on the accomplishments of my administration and the programs and projects due for implementation. Today, I stand ready to take my bow, ever thankful for the honor you have bestowed upon me.  In deference to the next chief executive of our beloved city, I reserve to his, or her, administration the opportunity to chart its own course.  I wish, however, to make mention of some areas of concern which this representation sincerely believes the next administration may find useful as starting points in its own program of government.

ON AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, LIVELIHOOD & SKILLS TRAINING

It has always been of utmost concern for this administration to enhance our city’s agricultural productivity and ensure a steady supply of food products for our people. It is, likewise, of paramount importance for us to safeguard the welfare of our farmers and fishermen, as well as to maintain, if not improve, consumer access to farm products and produce in order to continuously stir the economic cycle which is vital to the sustainable development of our city.

Productivity enhancement in agriculture has always been a continuing process that required vital scientific and technological inputs in order to educate our farmers on modern farming methods, better usage of fertilizers and farm implements, as well as on other alternative means of livelihood. It is undeniable that the agriculture and fisheries sector comprises the bulk of our constituents. It is also among the most marginalized sections of our society. For generations, the same livelihood is being transmitted from the father to his children, and to his children’s children. With the ever growing population constantly dividing the limited resources that nature provides her children, it had become imperative for this administration to give considerable attention on this area.

Though this administration had not put a stop to the common practice of extending direct assistance to those indigent members of the agricultural and fisheries sector, we have placed greater emphasis on special programs designed to empower the farmers’ whole family by conducting relevant trainings and seminars on practical income-generating ventures not just for the farmer or fisherman, but for his entire household. We have continued to provide our people with ample opportunity to learn new skills and develop their capabilities for economic self-reliance. And as always, this administration could not have done it without the vigorous support of non-governmental organizations in bringing the community-based livelihood programs directly to the disadvantaged sectors.

ON HEALTH, NUTRITION & SOCIAL SERVICES

There may be no other departments of the government that are more often at the forefront in bringing services to the people than the city offices of health and social welfare. In the City Health Office alone, attending to the general health needs of the people had proved to be a never-ending task for our local health personnel. Daily walk-in patients almost reached the 25,000 mark in the past year. The various health programs had been pursued more vigorously and the office had also continued to provide free medical, dental and sanitary health services, extending its reach to far-flung barangays through its several outreach activities.

One milestone that was achieved in our continued efforts to provide vital and affordable health services to the people was the completion of a directory of volunteer blood donors within the city. For only a minimal amount as token for the blood donors, easy and affordable access to such medical necessity has become a reality in our city. One of the basic programs that has always been a consistent source of pride for this administration is our local nutrition program. For years, the city’s nutrition program has garnered outstanding recognitions one after another, the latest of which was the honor of being considered for the National Honor Award (the CROWN Award) in the field of nutrition.

The recent news of our larger community, Zamboanga del Norte, being labelled as the worst food-poor among all the provinces in the country is thus very disturbing, to say the least. My successor in office would then do well to work even harder on this sector in order to erase the stigma of this recent revelation, and if possible, to share with our neighbours what the city had accomplished by far. Likewise, at the forefront in providing special social services to our people is our local office of the City Social Welfare and Development. Given particular attention were the special vulnerable groups such as the pre-school children, the youth, the women, the elderly, the disabled and other individuals in crisis or emergency situations. For the past twelve months, more than 220 cases were handled by the social welfare office involving neglected, abused and/or abandoned street children. Also regularly implemented by the office were the skills trainings, livelihood, and self-employment assistance to more than a thousand beneficiaries in the barangays.

The weather disturbance in the latter part of last year had affected a considerable number of victims especially from barangays Miputak, Central, Galas and Olingan. Under the Disaster Relief Program of the office, more than 3,000 disaster victims were granted relief and other assistance from the city government.

ON EDUCATION

The promotion of the educational sector had always been one of the priority concerns of this administration. The City Government had never declined any reasonable request for assistance from the Department of Education for its various educational and literacy programs which this administration had the capacity to provide. Consistent with its belief that classroom instruction and child learning are greatly enhanced and better nourished under a more conducive learning environment, this administration had gone out of its way to provide much-needed educational support structures and facilities. Last year, several school buildings, outdoor stage and other educational facilities had been constructed in various public school sites with a total budget of more than P17-million taken from various sources like the Special Education Fund, the 20% Economic Development Fund and even the Non-Office.         

While the City Schools Division had maintained its highest literacy rating throughout the region for in-school children, its Alternative Learning System had also been steadily making progress in providing an alternative pathway of learning for the out-of-school youth and adults alike. The newly-reconstituted Alay Lakad Council of Dipolog had also been redefining its policies and guidelines in order to respond to the ever-changing challenges of its mandate and to better serve the needs of around 80 scholars under its wing. In this connection, we again implore the active involvement of all sectors of our community, so that a lot more of our mentally-gifted but impoverished out-of-school youth may be able to avail of this opportunity to complete their education.

ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

This administration had always placed a premier value on the environment. Hence, we had taken the conscientious adherence to DENR regulations and had successfully renewed the people’s awareness on the importance of environmental protection and preservation of the ecological balance.  

From January to December, 2006, the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources had disposed around 10,000 tree seedlings, 950 of which were mahogany species, around 2,600 lumbayao seedlings, 600 seedlings of fruit trees and another 6,000 species of mangium and narra seedlings for its multi-sectoral tree-planting activities. Apart from these, the city government had also implemented the DENR Green Philippine Highway Program where some additional 2,000 mahogany seedlings were planted from Barangay Punta up to Cogon-Polanco boundary, and had continued its vigilant and intensified monitoring and enforcement of the prohibition on the cutting of hardwood and other protected forest trees. 

Initiatives such as the city employees’ voluntary and continuous clean-up drive had decongested its canals and waterways from existing obstructions and the clearing of its coastal areas from garbage and other environmental hazards. With the coordinated efforts of residents, transients, visitors, the City General Services Office and the City Health Office, unsanitary practices had been regulated. And with the continuous strict enforcement of Dipolog City Ordinance No. 123, we are assured that we shall fully attain our objectives. 

ON TOURISM

The year 2006 for Dipolog’s Tourism Industry saw a significant staging of various annual cultural and tourism-related activities. With the establishment of new air and shipping transports such as Cebu Pacific and Negros Navigation, and the opening of a new hotel, it has opened a wider avenue for local and foreign visitors and balikbayans in creating a better ambiance for coming in our city.

In fact, Dipolog continues to be the favoured site for conventions and conferences and even musical concerts of big names in the Philippine Music Industry like Cueshe, Orange and Lemons, MYMP, Bamboo, and just recently, the American dance band, Liquid Blue. Our City had also been included as one of the sites of the DBP Inter-Island Race (Ready Set RORO) participated in by movie stars and the 30th Milo Marathon Provincial Race.

And bringing no longer hundreds but thousands of spectators, is the now slowly getting prominence Pagsalabuk Festival with its studded activities such as the Street Dancing competition, Visual Art Exhibit, Sports Tournaments, Agro-Industrial Trade & Food Fair, Nightly Shows and Concerts. Still, the City Tourism Office, side by side with the City Tourism Council, had beefed up the tourism programs of the city by continuously promoting its other annual activities such as the Katkat Sakripisyo at the 3,003 Steps to Linabo Peak, Dahunog sa Dipolog, the Search for Miss Teen Tourism-Dipolog and the Pasko sa Dipolog.

The attendance of Dipolog City to WOW, I Love Philippines Biyahe Na! Regional Showcase held within our very own province and the annual Philippine Travel Mart had increased promotions of its local products, facilities, services, talents and its tourist spots. Dipolog was even  featured in two television travel shows: the Travel Time with Susan Calo-Medina and Island Hopping of Cebu 28, hence, the coming in of several Lakbay-Aral and educational tours not only among college/university students from Luzon and the Visayas but also some  local government officials coming from the three major islands.

Today, we can fully confirm that Dipolog has gone a long way and is now one of the country’s tourist destinations in Mindanao.

ON PEACE AND ORDER

While Dipolog had not been spared from criminal elements as a fast growing city here in the southern part of the country, it has maintained its reputation as one of the most peaceful cities in Mindanao despite a shortage of its police force.

Undoubtedly, we have all enjoyed the peace and order that our local law enforcers have committed and dedicated, in upholding the law and securing the safety and security of the people.

Based on official records of our local PNP office in Dipolog, the total crimes committed within the city had decreased by approximately 10 percent last year, as compared to the crimes reported during 2005.  Of the total 348 crimes reported last year, 335 cases had been filed in court where about 327 cases were resolved. We would like to take cognizance of the voluntary peace keeping efforts extended by our local crime prevention organizations within the city which had augmented the force of our local peace officers. The creation of the Deployment Against Vices in Dipolog otherwise known as Team DAVID, in particular, had greatly contributed to the solution of a number of crimes committed within the City.

The city government has also continued to extend the financial and logistical support needed by our local police in order to carry out the programs beneficial to its constituents and the government. I believe that as long as we unite all our efforts at maintaining peace and order in our community, we are assured of a good night’s sleep in our own homes. 

ON REVENUE GENERATION

At the risk of sounding repetitive, we once again emphasize the utmost importance of local revenue generation in our desire to make Dipolog City an economically independent and progressive local government unit. Long since considered as the life blood of any organization, the capacity of the city government to generate funds to sustain governmental operations must regularly be re-examined and re-assessed so that it can respond to the changing times and, where appropriate, adopt measures for its improvement.

Tax collection efficiency occupies a very vital role in this process. And while the government may be able to find better ways or new sources of income, it must be complemented with efficiency in collection in order to accomplish its objective. Last year, collections on real property, business licenses and other taxes posted an increase of around 20% compared to the previous year’s collections. Collection receipts from such sources reached almost P35-million. Revenue receipts from the economic enterprise of the city had also been regularly posting increases the past several years, and for the first time in the history of Dipolog City, had breached the P30-Mmillion mark as of last year. Total actual income of the City had also surpassed P300-million last year.

In continuously trying to enhance this very important aspect of governmental operation, this administration had finally started implementation on the computerization or automation of some vital offices of the city government. When completed, it is expected to greatly contribute to increased revenue generating capacity of the city government.

ON INFRASTRUCTURE

While we regard revenue generation as the lifeblood of the government, infrastructure, in the same vein, can be regarded as the backbone of development. As revenues sustain economic activities and governmental operations, infrastructure on the other hand serves as a link between the various components of development, laying down the foundations of a healthy society with a thriving economy.

In pursuit of this objective, this administration had vigorously worked to establish a solid infrastructure base across all sectors of the community. Farm-to-market roads were opened and constructed in support of the agricultural sector. New school buildings were constructed and old ones rehabilitated to serve the education sector. Electrical projects and street lighting facilities were put up to help lessen the incidence of crime and vehicular accidents. Water supply projects were implemented to provide potable water and to minimize the hazards to the health and sanitation of our constituents. To help the local tourism industry, several support infrastructure projects were undertaken at the different tourist spots in the city, like the Eco-Tourism Park in Barangay Cogon, the Sungkilaw Falls in Virginia in Barangay Diwan and the 3,003 Steps to Linabo Peak in Barangay Dicayas.

To afford convenience and positive impression for guests and visitors to our city, other small infrastructure projects were also implemented at the Integrated Bus Terminal and the Dipolog City Airport. Last year, 14 projects had been implemented in the construction of concrete pavement of roads amounting to around P15-million. Nineteen projects for the construction of concrete drainage canals had also been implemented in the amount of P7-milliom. Almost P35-million had also been appropriated by this administration in the implementation of at least another 52 infrastructure projects throughout the city, most of which had already been completed while the few others are nearing completion.

Among these locally-funded projects I have just mentioned, around P10-million had been used for the construction of vital components of the Galas Feeder Port. At our city’s invitation, some shipping or cargo vessels had already made some test dockings at the port, and we are happy to report that our facilities can now sustain basic actual operations of the Galas port. The outpouring of appreciation and approval that this administration had obtained in connection with the implementation of the foreshore development project had served to strengthen our resolve in pushing for an extension or Phase Two of the project. I had made mention of my desire to start the project before I hand over the reins of government to my successor. And with the combined efforts of the distinguished members of this august body, the dedication of the technical working group and the diligence of all our staff, the filling up of materials at the southern end of the present boulevard had begun. We can thus expect a longer and more beautiful stretch of our boulevard in due time.

CONCLUSION

My fellow Dipolognons, there may not be enough way for me to show my gratitude and appreciation for the trust and confidence you have reposed on me for my three consecutive terms in office. I had made a solemn vow to work to the best of my abilities for the greatest good for the greatest number of our people.

In all humility, I believe that much I have done. But what I may have accomplished could not have been possible without the support and participation of all the stakeholders in our community. Allow me then to express my heartfelt appreciation to all:

To the Almighty for the strength and wisdom to guide our work;

To the honourable members of this august body who served as sincere partners of my administration in pursuit of public service;

To the heads of the city government offices and their employees who tirelessly carried out the programs of government;

To the various line agencies that extended support services to our local government;

To the different civic, people’s and other non-governmental organizations which shared meaningful ideas and common goals with the government;

To the members of the media who served to check possible abuses among our ranks; and

To all the people of our beloved city who will always serve as our inspiration.

My dear constituents, as I end my report this afternoon, I hereby submit myself to you for judgment. I feel no need to bring for my defence a catalogue of all the details of what this administration had accomplished for the past nine years. For it had been, and still remains, my conviction, that the thickest record of accomplishments could never amount to much if they had not trickled down to the benefit of the greatest number of our people.

My fate now lies on you, my fellow Dipolognons, and history shall judge whether I had been worthy of the privilege of having served you.

Thank you very much for your time.

May God bless us all!