The drive to build a strong local economy continues says local exec

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

Wednesday 11th of July 2012

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, July 11 (PIA) -- The drive for “Better Image, Better Lives” as a priority thrust of the nine-year old “Bag-ong (new) Ozamiznon” to build a strong local economy with basic securities for the people will continue.

This was the central message of Mayor Nova Princess E. Parojinog-Echavez to all the residents of Ozamiz when she laid down her scorecard and delivered the State of the City Address (SCAD) before the Sangguniang Panglungsod in a special session, officials of the city’s 51 barangays and city government employees at the City Gym, here.

“The second SCAD during my term as Chief Executive, I had faced the challenges of managing the coffers of the city government, as the youngest and the first Lady Mayor of Ozamiz, with a sense of duty to widen the delivery of the basic services to our constituents,” she said.

The Mayor said aggressive collection efforts in revenue generation resulted to a significant increase in local taxes and fees.

“From July 2011 to May 2012, total local revenue stands at P140 million. This includes almost P20 million in remittance from the city’s economic enterprises. In 2011, realty property taxes (RPT) reached P43.6 million, a 68 percent jump from P26 million in 2009,” she said.

The increase in RPT that allocates one percent to the Special Education Fund (SEF) has benefitted 17,000 grade school children in the city, with P5 million spent for upgrading the science laboratory equipment in all high schools and P2 million for classrooms.

“Having exercised fiscal prudence of matching income and expense requirements has also won for the city, the Bronze Category of the Seal of Good Housekeeping, an award given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to local government units for their transparency and accountability of public funds,” she said.

The mayor also said that due to a good track record the city was able to get, for road improvements the following funds: P35 million from external sources, P3 million of the performance challenge fund from DILG for the roads of Barangays Pulot, Gala and Montol-Tipan Link, P5 million for farm-to-market roads from the Department of Agriculture through the initiative of Governor Herminia Ramiro for Barangay Dalapang and P10 million from the Department of Public Works and Highways for the Bukagan Hill Road.

The Mayor also said efforts to bring down the rate of malnutrition in the city paid off, and as a result, the city was awarded the “Pabasa sa Nutrition” Hall of Fame Award and the CROWN Maintenance Awards from the National Nutrition Council and the Regional Nutrition Council, respectively, in 2011.

About 27,000 individuals have been benefitted by the Barangay Nova Medical-Dental Outreach Missions for the first half of 2012, of whom 1,500 male children availed of the circumcision services, in coordination with Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro, Sr. Regional Training and Teaching Hospital, Misamis University and the Organization of Registered Nurses of the Philippines. (MHARSRTTH)

The three-storey building at MHARSRTTH worth P30 million from the Department of Health will result in more hospital bed-capacity while its additional P5 million for the improvement of the puericulture center will provide for the safe delivery of children.

Sponsorship for the health insurance services of 10,000 indigents with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. worth P6 million this year has also eased the financial burden of those availing hospital care while easing up the pressure on public hospitals to subsidize these costs, the Mayor added. (PIA-Mis. Occ.)