Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Mayor Yap wants all projects fast-tracked, finished by year-end

GLAN, Sarangani (January 4, 2012) — Mayor Victor James “Tata” Yap, Sr. held his first Management Committee (Mancom) meeting for 2012 on Tuesday (January 3) where he spelled out his main priorities for the next 12 months.

“I want all unfinished projects finished and all pending projects started and fast-tracked as soon as possible,” Mayor Yap told the Mancom.

These include the street-lighting project, the concreting of the road shoulders around the public market, the concreting of the public market’s interior road network, the construction of an P8 million foodcourt, also in the public market, the beautification of the public plaza, and the construction of the baywalk at the water front.

He said the department heads concerned should send in periodic reports so that problems that tend to slow down or block altogether the early and successful implementation of projects could be threshed out immediately.

He expressed confidence that his administration would perform better this year, with the entire officialdom and rank-and-file putting in more quality work and added sacrifices.

"Our people expect no less, and I appreciate the fact that, by and large, our officials and employees have been up to their tasks, but we need to do more this year, and there are lots of things that need to be done and done quickly without sacrificing the quality of work," he said.

The weekly Mancom meeting also took up the renewal of business permits and licenses, building permits, the streamlining of purchase requests, especially for fuel (No P.R., No Fuel), the need for additional personnel, the full implementation of waste segregation by end of January, and the 10 percent discount for prompt payment of the assessment tax. (For the permits and license renewal, which will run from January 3-20, a one-stop documentation center has been set up at the Municipal Hall lobby.)

Mayor Yap directed acting municipal engineer Jerry Baltazar and municipal agriculture officer Virgie Musa to form their respective groups to monitor all new buildings being constructed, on the one hand, and the status of all the livestock and pakura already given out under the cattle dispersal and livelihood assistance program of the office of Congressman Manny Pacquiao and the local government, on the other.

The mayor said the building owners should be made to comply with all the requirements without prejudice to their business or pecuniary interests.

As to the livestock and small fishing boats, the mayor instructed Musa to verify whether the recipients had complied with all the conditions laid down in the Memorandum of Agreement they had entered into with the local government.

"If warranted, we will make the necessary adjustments in order for others to benefit from the program," the mayor said.

He also told municipal treasurer Rani Omega to intensify tax collection but in the most judicious and equitable manner possible.

"It is only to be expected that big businesses should pay more while small businesses should pay less," he said. (In the last elections, then mayoral candidate Yap promised a progressive development program with preferential treatment for the poor.)

It was also learned that Glan would receive from the Department of Interior and Local Government some P2 million worth of projects for having won the Seal of Good Housekeeping awarded to local government units which had religiously complied with full disclosure and transparency in their financial transactions.

"The usual prize is only P1 million for a recipient municipality, but, for one reason or other, Secretary Jesse Robredo decided to up the reward for Glan to P2 million," Zorayda Grafilo-Labus, chief, DILG-Glan, told the mayor.

Meanwhile, some 100 sacks of rice, repacked into 5-kilo bags, will be given out in the so-called "disparity barangays" starting this month, courtesy of Congressman Pacquiao.

For its recently retired employees, the local government will tender a testimonial dinner, also this month. For more news and updates, please visit the Province of Sarangani . (GLAN INFO AND NEWS SERVICE)

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