Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Mayor, Lapu-Lapu City
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS 2014
August 27, 2014 – 9:00AM
Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu City
Former Congressman Arturo O. Radaza
Congresswoman Aileen C. Radaza
Vice-Mayor Marcial A. Ycong and the City Councilors
Barangay Captains and Barangay Officials
Department Heads and Fellow Government Workers
Teachers
Students
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning!
Lapu-Lapu: The Historic Resort City is no doubt one of the fastest growing places in Cebu.
Investments are not just coming in, they are knocking on our door daily.
Investor confidence and economic growth did not just happen overnight.
When I assumed office, I endeavoured to reach out to the business community.
I extended my hands in partnership.
I did not just tell them that I will work hard to create a favorable investment climate.
I did not just assure them that my administration will espouse good governance and accountability.
I did not just promise them that I will serve the Oponganons well.
I did the best thing that I knew I could do. I walked the talk.
It is to my view that we must go back to the basics and that is to serve the people.
There is no other clear mandate that you, the Oponganons, have given me except to be a servant-leader.
This is the legacy that I want to leave behind as I enter the last part of my second term.
I want to instill a culture where investor confidence is paramount.
I want to create a favorable condition of inclusive growth for the Oponganons.
I want to institutionalize good governance and accountability in City Hall.
Today, allow me to give you the state of the city.
I will lay down the work we have done together and will continue to do until 2016.
These are the initiatives that we have started and the progress and development that our city is experiencing under the principles of servant-leadership.
There is no progress and development, no matter how big or small, if it is not done in the right manner, if it is not done through good governance and accountability.
As my administration journeys into the last part of my second term I will continue to zealously follow the process, observe the rule of law and keep in mind the needs of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the state of the City
ECONOMIC GROWTH
We will soon have a resort-like airport.
Megawide-GMRC is pouring in 17.5 billion pesos to construct the country’s iconic airport.
Big companies like Ayala, SM and many of our country’s taipans have set foot on our soil.
Megaworld’s initial investment in Mactan Newtown was 20 billion pesos but the favorable business climate we have created prompted them to increase it to 10 billion more making their investment reach 30 billion pesos.
When I first became mayor in 2010, four years ago, I included in my personal list of priorities to provide this city a favorable investment climate.
I want investors, big and small, to trust my administration and to pour in their investments here so that jobs will be created and my fellow Oponganons will benefit from a favorable economic climate.
I am happy to tell you that last year, we have seen our economy grow even more.
There are now over 11,000 businesses in the city this year an increase by 60 percent from last year.
The inflow of investments are akin to a stamp of approval, not just, by big investors but by small and medium enterprises or SMEs – on how this city is run.
White Sands Resort and Spa, a locally-owned property has added 35 more rooms.
A day ago, they announced a 50 million peso major face lift.
Last year, a third Gaisano Mall was opened and hired over 300 Lapu-Lapu City residents.
In barangay Basak, rose the first Outlet Mall in the Visayas-Mindanao region developed by Aboitizland.
In my previous State of the City Address, I challenged the City Treasurer’s Office to raise the target collection to a level never tried before.
Indeed, they heeded my call.
They have, for the first time, raised their target to 36 percent compared to their previous and usual 10 percent target year-on-year.
They were able to achieve it and even exceeded their target by five percent.
To the City Treasurer’s Office thank you for believing that we can do it.
That we can get out of our comfort zone and serve our people better.
In the early days of my first term, I announced that the city must have an annual budget of one billion pesos.
And to achieve it, I focused on these important things.
Increase investor confidence by embracing good governance and accountability, practice servant-leadership and instill transparency.
My strategy has paid off, not only SMEs and big investors are coming in droves, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority or MCIAA have started to pay what is due to the city.
To date MCIAA has paid almost 200 million pesos in taxes.
To be exact 191 million, 845 thousand, 556 pesos and 27 centavos.
Of the entire amount 74 million will go the city, 32 million will go to the barangays that are hosting the airport, 76 million to Special Education Fund and 8 million to the city’s trust fund.
Thank you MCIAA for paying your taxes. Rest assured, I will make sure your taxes will be well spent.
EDUCATION
In my second term inaugural speech I said we have reduced the classroom shortage by 30 percent in my first term in office.
I made a challenged that we bring it down to 50 percent by 2016.
As of 2013, the backlog hit a high of 468.
On the same year in 2013, we constructed 131 classrooms, reducing the shortage to 337.
We could have actually solved the backlog if not for the increased in enrolment and the institutionalization of kindergarten classes.
The shortage would have just been 9 classrooms in 2014 since we planned to construct 88 more.
While we are making great efforts in building more classrooms, I am proud to inform you that our teachers and students have been doing their share in improving our school division’s academic performance.
Records show our National Achievement Test Rate and division rate is increasing at five percent per annum starting from school year 2011 to 2013.
One of the basic necessities of our students that need to be addressed is the presence of functional Comfort Rooms.
The standard ratio for a CR to student is 1 is to 50 for girls and 1 is to 100 for boys.
It is worthy to note that all our public schools here in the city has an above average CR to student ratio.
I am also happy to tell you that in our public schools, the number of teachers per student is well within standard.
In fact we have more than enough teachers in our public school system.
We have even increased the Additional Compensatory Allowance (ACA) of teachers, school administrator and education program supervisor by 100 percent.
CITY COLLEGE
Since the establishment of our Lapu-Lapu City College, we have achieved numerous accomplishments.
We have seen a steady increase in our enrollees. We now have over a thousand college students.
We have completed the new City College Building in Timpolok, Gun-ob.
It now houses the College of Education occupying 15 classrooms serving 655 education students.
On March of this year, we produced our first 177 Baccalaureate Degree Holders.
88 from the College of Education, 62 from Industrial Technology, and 27 from Hospitality Management.
On June of this year, our City College was granted authority by the CHED to offer BSED major in English, Filipino, and MAPEH and BEED with specialization in Early Childhood Education and General Education.
I am aware that many are wary of the quality of education we are producing in the city college.
Fellow Oponganons, there is no need for you to worry.
All our hired teachers are qualified and board passers.
We even hired part time District Supervisors to handle major subjects.
At the start of the first semester of 2014-2015, close to 75% of the faculty members have doctoral or masteral degree.
Our professors have substantial experience in the academe.
To ensure a high quality of education we are also planning to purchase additional computers and IT equipment for the Computer Laboratory
ROADS, DRAINAGE AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURES
To keep pace with progress and development, I mentioned in my second inaugural address that we have to undertake roadworks in key arteries of the city because the city aims to attract more tourists and investors.
We must give importance to the basic infrastructure like roads.
Being a highly urbanized city with a fast increasing number of new business establishments, I have seen to it that our city roads are well maintained.
Since 2012 until today, we have repaired and concreted a total of almost 26 kilometers of various city roads here.
To give you an idea of the length of the city roads that we have concreted, if joined together, the 26 kilometers of road traverses one loop from Hoopsdome to Pusok to the circumferential road and back to Hoopsdome and ends further at Mepz 1.
To date, 70 percent of our city roads have been repaired and concreted.
The road concreting in Basak has been receiving various complaints from our people due to traffic congestion but let me tell you that this national road works is in preparation for the APEC Summit next year where we are among the host cities.
According to the DPWH, the project is more than halfway from being completed.
If the weather permits, the contractor will be able to complete the road concreting by next month or early October, way ahead of schedule.
I call on all of my fellow Oponganons to please bear with the inconvenience that this national project has brought us.
Today, I am proud to show you on screen the roads that have been concreted. (show powerpoint here)
There are other ONGOING ROAD CONCRETING PROJECTS too: (show photos here)
- Concreting of Buaya-Bankal Road & Concreting of Bankal-Pajac Road
- Concreting of Timpolok Road
- Concreting of Fuentes-Pajac road
- Completion of Concreting of Mahayahay-Bankal Road
- Concreting of Pajac-Maribago Road (Phase II)
- Concreting of Basak-Agus Road (Phase II)
- Concreting of Buaya access road leading to MCR
The ongoing concreting, a total of 3.9 kilometers is approximately half the stretch from Poblacion to Marigondon.
For this year alone, in addition to the ongoing road construction, we will be repairing and concreting 11 more roads.
These are the following:
- Concreting of Buaya-Pajac Aviation Road (Phase III)
- Concreting of Talima Road (Phase II)
- Concreting of Casanta Mactan Road
- Asphalt Overlay of Jorge Tampus, Basak Road
- Asphalt Overlay of City Hall Road Network (Phase I)
- Asphalt Overlay of Plaridel Street
- Concreting of Cadagsao Road, Talima
- Concreting of Looc-Locatha Road (Phase II)
- Concreting of Mustang Road (Phase III)
- Concreting of Malinao Road, Agus
- Concreting of Agus Road going to Agus Elementary School
The following 11 roads will total 6.7 kilometers which is approximately the entire stretch from Poblacion to barangay Marigondon.
We will be completing the construction of four covered courts here in the city namely:
- Tingo Covered Court (Phase II)
- Buaya Covered Court (Phase II)
- Pusok Covered Court (Phase II), and
- Talima Covered Court
TRAFFIC PLAN
Once we have completed the ongoing road projects, we will push through with the appointment of a Traffic Czar who will study our traffic situation and come up with strategic solutions to finally address the problem of traffic congestion in our city.
I made this promise in my Inaugural Address last year. And I vow to keep it.
DRAINAGE FACILITY
We have identified barangay Basak to be the lowest point where flooding is prone during heavy rains.
We have completed the 1.2 kilometer-parallel drainage facility that we installed in George Tampus Street.
One of the main causes of flooding in the area is the clogged drainage system because of improper disposal of garbage from the residential houses along the area.
That is why the city has conducted an annual drainage cleanup to declog our drainage system.
Since then, we haven’t experienced heavy flooding in Basak.
The clean-up effort and the cooperation of the people in Basak have proven to be an effective way to fight flood.
We have also installed a drainage system along Bankal and Pajac road.
Just recently, the city completed the installation of drainage line along S. Osmeña Street.
Soon, we will install another drainage facility in the Aviation Road near TPI Homes subdivision.
I know this has been a major concern for our people who pass by the area due to the constant stagnant water.
Soon, we will also be implementing in Basak the Expansion of Sewerage Treatment Plant.
We will be constructing two Sewerage Treatment Plants in barangays Buaya and Poblacion.
These facilities will ensure that all our waste water will be safe for disposal and without contaminants.
SOCIAL WELFARE
While we give emphasis on the importance of education to our children, my administration has also prioritized their well-being.
Our City Social Welfare and Development has been very active in upholding basic human rights.
74 percent of our day care centers here in the City were able to pass the accreditation conducted by the Regional Accreditation in compliance with the minimum standard set by the DSWD.
The city wants to make sure that our children are provided the needed support during their development years.
Through our annual Alay-Lakad, we have supported 138 out of school youth and through the Alay-Lakad scholarship they have earned their course in Electronics, Mechanical Technology, and Information Technology.
Since 2002, the city has partnered with NORFIL Foundation, Inc., a non-government organization taking care of abandoned and abused children, for the implementation of the Foster Care Program in which the city provided 500,000 pesos for financial assistance annually.
Just recently, during the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the NORFIL FOundation, our city was given an award in Quezon City in recognition for our continuous support for the abandoned and neglected children through the Foster Care Program.
We have inaugurated the Stimulation and Therapeutic Activity Center (STAC) last May and now operations is in full blast.
The STAC offers Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Special Education, and Psychosocial Rehabilitation to 0-14 year old children with disabilities (CWDs) here in the city.
To date, the facility has already served 454 CWDs.
Our STAC facility has complied with the accessibility law and was in fact praised by a team from the DILG Region 7.
We have employed 31 persons with disabilities in the city government and helped four others land a job in the private sector.
Our PWDs here are definitely productive individuals.
Last year, the city government extended cash gifts worth 1,000 pesos to all our registered PWDs.
We have continuously given cash gifts to Senior Citizen increasing it from 1,000 pesos to 1,500 last year.
URBAN POOR
For our informal settlers who are still trying to acquire a permanent place they can call home, the city has allocated the amount of 11.1 million pesos for lot acquisitions.
SPORTS
No doubt, we have already created a mark and established our city in the sports tourism map.
The city’s three consecutive years of hosting the biggest triathlon event in the country, Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines is more than enough to prove it.
To push it further, the Ironman organizers expressed their desire have Lapu-Lapu City host this international sporting event for another three more years.
Our hosting last year was ranked as the 2nd best among all the Ironman events in the world with a score of 97.60.
This year, we even made it grander, considering the increased inn the number of participating triathletes.
Instead of the 25,000 well-wishers that we deployed along the race route last year, we increased it to 29,000 this year.
We used the four-color pattern of our newly launched City Brand “Lapu-Lapu: The Historic Resort City” in the 240 colorful vintas that sailed near the swim course.
We are not only making head way in hosting international sporting events.
We are also dominating in some sporting event.
If you remember, during our 52nd Charter Day, we awarded an Oponganon youth in the name of John Rex “Dandoy” Tongco for winning an international longboarding competition.
Just recently, his life story was featured in the longest running drama anthology, Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) on ABS-CBN.
This young man has inspired our city to construct a Skate Park at the side of this Hoops Dome.
My administration is providing them a safe venue to push their wheels to success, pursue their passion and veer them away from illegal drugs and vices.
70 percent of the skate park is already completed.
This facility will further boost our sports tourism.
Just this month, Dandoy with two other group members dominated the long boarding competition in Indonesia garnering 3 spots among the 4 championship ranks.
For the first time, our city sent a delegation in the Philippine National games held last May 16-20, 2014 at the Philippines Sports Commission, Metro Manila.
In our first participation, we proudly brought home a total of 10 medals in both the Arnis and Athletics events.
For Arnis we won 1 gold, 4 silvers and 3 bronze medals while for Athletics we won 1 silver and 1 bronze.
Among the 19 divisions that competed in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA), Lapu-Lapu City Division ranked 5th.
This is a welcome development in our journey as a sports tourism hub and in our effort to develop our grassroots sports program.
In support of sports and in support of our grassroots sports program, let me here and now declare Hoops Dome as the center for indoor games in the city.
The vacant spaces in this facility will soon house nine indoor games complete with sporting equipment.
PEACE AND ORDER
The presence of crime is sometimes said to be determinant on how progressive a city is.
But such should not be made an excuse to have problematic peace and order.
During the installation of our new Lapu-Lapu City Police Director, Police Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, I have given orders to focus on the rampant cases of illegal drugs here in the city.
And so far he and the rest of the police force have not failed me and the city.
In the first half of this year, they were able to arrest 147 persons involved in illegal drugs.
This is due to their continuous efforts to conduct buy-bust operations and raids in the interior areas.
Out of the 147 arrests, 145 have already been filed in court.
This serves as a warning to those who are engaged in illegal drugs to pack their things and leave before our police will put you behind bars.
Another win in our effort to maintain peace and order is the issuance of an en banc resolution by the Supreme Court dated July 8, 2014 to implement Republic Act No. 10578 or the Creation of Two Additional Branches of Municipal Trial Courts here in Lapu-Lapu.
The creation of these courts will help fast track cases filed here.
Due to the increasing number of local and foreign tourists, we have increased our tourist police this year by 30 percent from 69 personnel in 2012 to 90 tourist police personnel.
My administration has given all the support needed for our Police Office to function effectively.
Our Police Community Relations conducted seminars on Gangsterism in all public schools June of this year and cyberpornography to all our Pantawid Program beneficiaries.
The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office is one of the few police offices being visited by two PNP directors in 2013.
Both commended our Police headquarters.
According to them, we are the number one police office in the entire country in terms of administrative aspect.
STREET LIGHTING
A dark city street breeds criminality and I want to eradicate it.
I want our city to be well lighted at night so you will feel safe and our tourists will feel secure.
My administration is embarking on a street lighting program that will light up Lapu-Lapu City.
There is a budget of 5 million pesos and it is up for public bidding.
We will install 139 sets of environment-friendly LED lights along M.L. Quezon Highway starting from the old bridge down to Gate 1 of MEPZ.
It will also include the vicinity of City Hall.
If you noticed, we now have bright lights in the areas that I have mentioned. We will have it transferred to the other parts of the city that need it.
Let there be light so that we will have a safe and secure environment.
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting our environment has been one of the programs that I consider important in my administration.
On that unfortunate night on August 16, 2013 when MV St. Thomas Aquinas and MV Sulpicio Express Siete collided near Talisay City resulting in the loss of lives, it also created a massive oil spill that affected our marine biodiversity and the livelihood of many of our people in the coastal areas.
Our City Environment and Natural Resources Office and NERVE center immediately created an improvised spill boom we called “chorizo”.
We installed it along the coast line to protect our shores and our people’s livelihood. We also placed it in the resorts to prevent a tourism disaster.
The collective effort of over 10,000 volunteers during the clean up drive due to the oil spill greatly helped in preventing serious damage in our seas and in our tourism sector.
While we are doing our share to protect our environment, some dared abused it.
Early this year, we were shocked one day to see a picture of our coral reef vandalised. It made it to the front page of a local newspaper.
The picture was taken in one of our famous dive spots, the Kontiki wall.
Right away, the city gathered the tourism stakeholders, dive shops operators, and divers for a covenant signing to protect our underwater treasures.
The hashtag “I commit” campaign was created and launched on social media to educate tourists and our fellow Oponganons the importance of preserving our marine assets.
Since we rely on our seas for tourism and livelihood, we must protect it at all cost.
HEALTH
Looking after the overall health of our people is a crucial task for us in government.
That is why, I made sure we provide our fellow Oponganons all the needed health care.
For so many years, our city has been consistent in having the lowest malnutrition rate.
This is due to our continuous hunger mitigation program of distributing rice and milk supplementation to all our malnourished children.
We are the only city in the whole Central Visayas that consistently has the lowest malnutrition rate since 2006-2014 at a rate of 1.28%.
This is due to the following:
- Distribution of one kilogram of rice per day for 120 days to all malnourished children.
- Distribution of milk to all identified malnourished children.
- Vitamin A, Ferrous Sulfate supplementation to all children, six to 72 months.
- Supplemental feeding to all preschoolers.
- Micronutrient supplementation to all pregnant and lactating mothers.
In the whole Central Visayas, our city has the highest immunization penetration rate for ages 0 to 12 month-old.
In the first half of 2013, our city recorded 278 cases of dengue.
This year, it is down by 37 percent with no death reported.
We have been a recipient of a 10 million pesos for health facility enhancement program by DOH allowing us to upgrade our hospital in Barangay Sta. Rosa to a Level 1 Hospital.
We received a 500,000 pesos grant form DOH-CHD for our STI/HIV-AIDS program.
We were given an “Unsung Heroes” Award by DOH Manila last July due to our response to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban and Ormoc.
To provide our fellow Oponganons with easy access to good health, the city has allocated eight million pesos for the Health Insurance of our Indigent Families.
CITY HOSPITAL
We have purchased a new x-ray machine in our City Hospital and it has already served over 3,000 people.
Our city has a complete set of equipment to perform CBC, Urinalysis, Stool Analysis, and Blood Chem.
We have already performed around 40,000 laboratory examinations.
To enhanced our medical services further we purchased a new Laboratory Microscope.
We have refurbished our Pediatric, Obstetrics and Gynecology Wards with the aim of maintaining a rank of level 1 for our city hospital.
This year alone, we have served 22 thousand in-patient.
For our OUT-PATIENT SERVICES we have conducted around 60 thousand medical consultation, 11 thousand dental consultations.
We have also performed a total of 36 thousand laboratory examinations.
Our city has allocated funds to further improved the Health Facilities in Sta. Rosa Hospital and its health centers.
LIVELIHOOD
To date, our kababayen-an now has more than 14 thousand members with combined asset of almost 10 million pesos.
Thirteen thousand individuals were given skills training by our City Cooperative and Livelihood Resource Center.
My fellow Oponganon’s, today I stand proud for what I have accomplished…with what we have accomplished as a people.
WE ARE ALMOST THERE….
I said this when the idea of branding the city was just being conceptualised.
Now I can proudly say after over a year of hard work, WE HAVE DONE IT.
We’ve launched our city brand “LAPU-LAPU: THE HISTORIC RESORT CITY”.
We are the only city in Cebu and maybe in the rest of the Visayas that have branded itself.
The city brand will tell the world who we are, what this city will become and how we would like this city to be in the future.
We aim to lure more tourists and investors with our new brand. We aim to invite more creative minds to live in our place. We aim to instill the culture of tourism where world class service and amenities will be the norm.
In the next few months the city brand will become even clearer to all of you and to the rest of the world.
The branding of our city will be our guiding post to create a Lapu-Lapu that is a cut above the rest, a city that we will all be proud of.
To my fellow Oponganons, let me tell you this, TOGETHER WE WILL GET THERE!
Let us all join hands as we journey on to June 30, 2016.
On that day, I will proudly look all of you straight in the eye and say, I have given you a legacy of investors’ confidence, inclusive growth, good governance, and accountability.
Thank you.
Ka Bino Guerrero 