CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago delivered his final state of the city address (SOCA) at the Heroes Hall here on Monday.
The event was attended by Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, city councilors Tina Lagman, Reden Halili, Nelson Lingat, and Harvey Quiwa, city department heads, barangay officials, and private sector partners.
During his SOCA, Santiago presented his 10-point agenda – a comprehensive report that has set his 9-year governance to lead the city in which Santiago has served as the chief executive since 2013.
In his SOCA, the city government revealed that its internal revenue allotment grew between 52 to 59 percent from P555 million to P988 million from 2012 to 2020 including P640 million IRA in 2021.
“Sa mga lumipas na taon, nakita natin ang pagbabago sa ating siyudad sa iba’t ibang aspeto. Today marks the celebration of victory here in the local government unit of San Fernando. Sa loob ng siyam na taon, hindi naging madali pero nananatiling matatag ang ating lokal na gobyerno,” said the mayor.
Santiago’s 10-point agenda includes education, employment, environment, health, peace and order, family, infrastructure, investment promotion, tourism and culture, and government efficiency which was delivered in a video presentation noting that more programs and projects have helped expand his platform of governance over the years.
Education became Santiago’s top priority. In his report, the City College of San Fernando continuously provided a globally competitive quality education to its students, and public child development centers were also established. Santiago aimed at helping students graduate through scholarship programs and supported various educational projects such as construction and rehabilitation of school buildings in the city through its special education fund.
Amid the pandemic, the city government continued to develop and adapt its learning modalities which was also recognized for the city’s efforts under the new normal.
Various employment programs from job fairs to job starts, and special programs for employment of students were also relayed. Environment protection and preservation through its annual tree planting activities, clean up drives, and systematic implementation of zero plastic ordinance and ecological waste management have also been one his top agenda.
Under his administration, the city also constructed an 11.3 hectares civic center in barangay San Isidro which houses various facilities such as education and youth development and command and control center to provide convenient access to different government services and inclusive development for an economic growth. A recreational town center in barangay Calulut was also constructed while an Eco-park in barangay Lara is also being built as well as the reconstruction of the old public market.
As part of its traffic decongestion program, a total of 241 roads and five bridges have also been completed including flood control projects from lined canals, slope protection, and desilting from 2013 up to 2020.
Being the home of the giant lantern festival, the city government also continued to strengthen its tourism and cultural sector even amid the pandemic. It also continuously supported local products, business services, and trade fairs for the MSMEs with an established food security through sustainable agriculture programs for the farmers from land preparation to harvest period.
The mayor also acknowledged that the pandemic was one of his challenges during his administration and thanked the government unit heads and employees, frontliners, and healthcare workers in providing service to Fernandinos amid the fight to mitigate Covid-19.
“Nakita natin ang mga naging programa at proyekto ng lokal na pamahalaan simula 2013, at masasabi natin na tunay ngang malayo na ang narating ng Siyudad San Fernando,” said Santiago.
Sa loob ng siyam na taon, naging komprehensibo ang ating pamamlano at pagsasagawa ng mga istratehiya sa pangongobyerno kung saan naging basehan natin ang pangmatagalan na epekto sa bawat sektor. Unti-unti na natin nakakamit ang smart, green, sustainable, at livable city. Nakikilala na ang Siyudad San Fernando hindi lamang sa loob ng probinsya maging sa buong Pilipinas,” he added.
Santiago hopes for continuous progress to be a countryside developed city and reminded the next administration of collaborative efforts and social engagement for a successful community.
