Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago presides over LDC meeting with Vice Mayor Jimmy T. Lazatin and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. Contributed photo
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A whopping 70 percent of the proposed P8,080,855,290 investment plan for 2021 will be allocated to the economic and social services sectors.
As proposed by the Local Development Council proposal in a meeting on Tuesday, the allocation is “to efficiently respond to the requirements of the ‘new normal’ and socio-economic recovery” through funding programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) that would generate employment and job opportunities for Fernandinos.
Of the P8.08-billion, 35.41 percent or P2,861,998,000 will be used for the economic services sector which includes the rehabilitation of the city market plaza, the Smart City Program (Phase II, expanding/upgrading C3 facilities), construction of permanent isolation facilities, as well as the construction of multi-purpose building (logistics and support services) at the City Civic Center.
The social services sector is gets an allocation of P2,818,250,690 or 34.88 percent.
This shall cover the construction of a new building for the City College of San Fernando, the purchase of lot for the offices for logistics and support services, the purchase of lots and construction and repair of school buildings, and provision of airtime for FerNanDino Kids TV.
The general public service sector will have 29.71 percent or P2,400,606,600 of the funding source.
Some projects under this are the establishment of resilient local markets, the purchase of road right of way (access road), the Giant Lantern Festival, and the Peace and Order and Public Safety (POPS) Plan PPAs.
Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago who chairs the LDC expressed confidence that these PPAs will reinforce the development thrust of the city towards becoming “safer, more resilient, vibrant, technologically driven, and more responsive and inclusive.”
“May pandemya man o wala, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang mga proyekto. At the height of the pandemic, tuloy ang construction natin ng mga economic zones because we want to generate jobs and employment opportunities para sa mga Fernandino para di na nila kailangang umalis ng bansa. Tuloy ang serbisyo publiko ng siyudad,” the mayor declared.
The third LDC meeting at Tiburcio Hall, Heroes Hall was also attended by Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, Vice Mayor Jimmy T. Lazatin, city council committee on appropriations, budget and finance chair Benedict Jasper Simon Lagman, department heads, barangay officials, and representatives from the private sector through face-to-face and Webex conference.
