CLARK FREEPORT – City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin “Edsa” D. Santiago said it is important to use government money promptly, properly and wisely as he outlined the difficulties and intricacies in using government funds.
Proper use of funds
“Ing budget pu kasi iyang pulmeru ng lalon ning Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). Lalon de itang local source mu na dapat eka mag dependi keng IRA (The budget is the first one that the SGLG will check. They will check your local source if you are not dependent on IRA),” Santiago said.
“Lalabung la o daragul ya? Kadwa, keng pondu o keng resources mu atin bang disiplina keng pamangastos (Is your money growing or increasing? Secondly, with your funds or resources, is there discipline in your expenditures)?” he asked.
“Manaliwa pu ing pamangobyerno. Kanita kailangan atin ka savings ngeni nung atin kang savings emo ginastus e masanting (Governance is now diff erent. Back then you should have savings. But now if you have savings and you did not spend it, it’s not good),” he noted.
“Anti mo pu ing Capitolyu, e mipasar. Metung mu pu… kagaling ng Nanay ing pusu na atsu keng serbisyu… ganing-aldo pamu mag opisina ne (Just like the Capitol, it did not pass. There is only one reason… Nanay [Gov. Lilia Pineda] is outstanding her heart is into public service… she is already working at the break of dawn),” he said.
Metung mu pu eno pu ginastus deng pera (There is only one [reason] she did not spend the money),” he added.
“Buri ng sabyan, uling ing gubyernu atin ya Build Build… ngeni mu maliswa ya ing public works e istung emo ginamit deng pera misubli la nasyonal. Cash basis kasi ngeni (It only means, because the government now has a Build program… even now the public works department is impatient because if you did not use the funds, they will be reverted back to the national coffers. It’s cash basis now),” he noted.
“Dati kasi appropriation mu. Istung inappropriate me andyang atlung banwa ela megastus deng pera lulub la keng trust fund ngeni istung emo ginastus deng pera magbalik la at enanaka dinan suporta ning gubyerno atin kang pera obat dinan daka (Whereas before it’s only appropriation. If you make an appropriation even in three years if you did not use the money it will only go into the trust fund but now if you did not spend it will be reverted back and the government will no longer give you support because you have the funds and did not spend it),” Santiago explained.
But if you spend it, you should use it well, he said. ”Anya ana kasakit, kailangan sabyan mo pa reng planu mu, ing annual investment plan (That’s why it’s difficult, you first need to lay down your plans, your annual investment plan),” he said.
“If it’s a project, it should be included in the comprehensive development plan in the 10 years adaptation and mitigation plan,” the mayor said.
That is why it is very difficult to spend the money, he noted. There are only two things that can happen, either you can’t do anything, or the money will be wasted.
“It is also important to know that you should spend at least 70 percent of your funds until October,” he added.
Influx of investors
There is now an influx of foreign investments in San Fernando, according to Santiago.
“Anti mo kanyan meg invest Hong Kong nationals pati Mexico miyabe. Live, work and play potang kayi lifestyle township projects la. So atsu na ngan karin Calulut, Panipuan, Mexico (Now, Hong Kong nationals poured investments and even Mexico was included. Live, work and play these are township projects where everything is there in Calulut, Panipuan, Mexico),” he said.
China visit
The mayor said when he went to China with 24 mayors recently, it was the City of San Fernando that was the only one chosen as an ideal investment site because of the excellent presentation of Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
So, now there is an ongoing P250-billion investment in the city, the mayor said. “Let’s say, Makati and BGC (Bonifacio Global City) will be transferred in San Fernando,” he said.
Now these Chinese and Hong Kong investors when they visit San Fernando, they come via chartered flights, he said.
Among them are Northpine Land, Inc. of Hong Kong, SMC, Banco De Oro (BDO) and Metrobank among others who invested in Barangay Calulut, he said.
“Everything will be implemented, everything is working but some of the investors are still in the confidentiality stage,” he added.
Nonetheless, Metro San Fernando will surely rise, Santiago assured.
At the moment, the mayor said, he is resolving some of the problems for the right of way (ROW) acquisition of the public works department amounting to P1.5 billion because a parallel road from Barangay Del Rosario to the SCTEx will be built.
A coastal road is also in the planning board, he said, as per his meeting with SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
Santiago said SMC is planning to build a private port in Mariveles, Bataan to complement its planned airport in Bulacan that is why the conglomerate is buying coastal properties.
He said the coastal road will be connected to the SCTEx on the western side of Bacolor, and San Fernando will have a circumferential road.
Santiago said he planned all these because he was worried that the capital city will be bypassed in the future.
“So, we integrated Metro San Fernando to the Megalopolis plan so it will ultimately be interconnected,” he explained.
Securing the Metropolis
Santiago said, in terms of security, all the cities will share information and the command centers will be interconnected with Clark at the center.
“So kailang metung tamumu, atlung siyudad mika mass transport system kareng atlung siyudad para keta circumferential road (So we must be united as one, all the three cities, with a mass transport system for the circumferential road),” he explained.
Pampanga to be Number 1
Pampanga is ranked number 18 by the National Competitive Council (NCC), he said. “Adwa lang mipasar keng Pampanga king NCC, ing Mabalacat and San Fernando kareng key cities.
“Kailangan mipasar ke keng seal of good housekeeping now it is called Seal of Good Local Governance … not all municipalities or cities are recognized with that,” he said.
“Kareng probinsya Bulacan and Bataan keni region (There are only two cities included in the NCC in Pampanga – Mabalacat and San Fernando. In the region, only the provinces of Bulacan and Bataan).”
“Keng ranking kasi, number 18 ya ing Pampanga. Dati yang 34 but because of the Megalopolis, number 18 ne (In the rankings, Pampanga is number 18. But before it was 34, because of the Megalopolis its now number 18),” the mayor said.
In terms of competitiveness and in terms of economic development, Pampanga will surely become the number one province in the Philippines 25 years from now, he declared.
“However, five years from now, our work force will be run my millennials that is why we have to involve them now,” Santiago said.
“Kailangan den dinan munala masanting a planu banta higitan da ing gagawan tamu (We need to give them a good plan now so that they will surpass what we are doing).”
But we should fix our culture first so that the new graduates won’t go abroad for work, he added.
Santiago said one thing good about San Fernando is its inclusivity because San Fernando will become the place for everybody in the future.
