BALANGA CITY- Regional delegates from the Department of Interior and Local Government lauded the city government here for completing three infrastructure projects using a P3-million grant in just two months.
Jose Mari M. Garcia of the Philippines Information Agency said the delegates from the DILG central office and from Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, VI, Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region visited the component city of Bataan Friday and saw for themselves the different projects.
The grant came from the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) that paved the way of improving three barangays in the city, Garcia of PIA-Bataan said.
In Barangay Munting Batangas, the previous rough farm-to-market road was renovated into a concreted 510-meter road using P2.5 million from the PCF and another P2.5 million from the city government. The project started in November 9 last year and was finished this January 5.
Rehabilitation of drainage canals took only less than a month last November in Barangays Poblacion and Cupang West and were funded by PCF and the city government each with P500,000.
Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III said he is sharing good practices to other towns and provinces as to help in improving other communities’ economic development to serve citizens better.
“We want our programs recognized and as of our projects, they must be shared as our best practices will help lift other communities not only Balanga City,” said Garcia in an interview.
DILG Central Office division chief Suzette Bulawit said the visiting teams aimed to learn from Balanga so they could improve their own crafting of project proposals and also to monitor the projects funded by PCF.
She also lauded the city government for tapping private businesses in improving Balanga in terms of infrastructure development and education.
“On how the private sector was engaged in the city government’s projects, that’s where mayor excelled. They should show more of their good practices to national offices so the programs could be replicated,” said Bulawit.
Balanga City received its first PCF grant last year as it turned eligible in the qualifications of DILG as a performing city, PIA said.
