State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) 2009
Delivered by Hon. Mayor Carlos M. Egay, Sr.
At noon of June 30, 2007, I stood on this same platform to deliver my inaugural address as Municipal Mayor of this municipality. During that occasion, I echoed the theme of my electoral campaign in the election of 2007 which was ‘BUHION AN GIGAQUIT”.
From the very first day in office, therefore, as municipal mayor I focused my attention on that theme. What is “Buhion an Gigaquit”? Why did I choose this theme? The reason is plain and simple. Our town whose establishment dates back according to our unwritten history several hundred years ago, has not moved forward enough. On the contrary, we had retrogressed in terms of developing the natural resources that once were in abundance in our municipality. Our marine resources had been fully depleted, our vast mountain ranges had become bald and deforested of their cover. And our rice fields in the lowland have not produced enough to make our economy vibrant and progressive.
On this note, therefore, we have resolved to anchor the course of our municipal administration towards making our communities productive again. Our marine resources, agricultural fields and mountain areas would become live aspects of production.
The rationale for all our governmental actions, activities, programs and projects during the past one-half years, therefore, had been directed towards goal of bringing life back to our national resources.
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
In the agricultural sector, we distributed certified palay seeds to 423 farmers with a value of P482, 400.80. We also distributed assorted vegetable seeds to 591 farmers. Our municipal nursery which was constructed on an area which we bought from its private owners had produced 498 pieces of grafted mango, 124 pcs. of gemelina, 156 pcs. Majogany and 45 pcs. mangium seedlings which were distributed to several farmers for free, except in the case of grafted mango seedlings which we sold for a total sale of P9,960.00. We also distributed foliar fertilizers to 976 farmers and bacterial inoculant to 80 farmers which were utilized in their palay production. We also distributed 1,500 pcs. of banana plantlets in Villafranca, Lahi, Poniente, and Mahanub.
In fisheries, we distributed carp fingerlings at barangays Lahi, Villaflor, Poniente, San Antonio and Sico-sico and bangus and tilapia fingerlings to small fishpond owners of barangays Anibongan, Ipil, San Antonio, Villafranca and Alambique. We were able to establish fish shelter at barangays Ipil, Alambique and Anibongan for a cost of P67, 910.00. We also conducted seaborne patrol to protect our municipal waters from illegal fishing resulting in several apprehensions of fishing gears of liba-liba operators where we were able to collect a fine of P95, 000.00. The apprehensions were made mainly with the assistance of the Alambique Fisherfolks Association.
For livestock, we dispersed and redispersed several heads of cattle at barangay Villafranca, Lahi, Villaflor and Mahanub, swine at barangay San Isidro, San Antonio, Mahanub, Ipil and Alambique and caber chickens. We also conducted health management activities consisting of deworming of 121 heads of large cattles and 182 heads of small animals benefiting 227 farmers. We treated 312 heads of swine for common diseases and 401 heads for nutritional deficiency. We castrated 320 heads of swine and vaccinated for anti-rabies 46 heads of dogs. On research and development we conducted a mudcrab culture research at barangay Villaflor valued at P306, 000.00. Technology demonstrations were conducted on water melon at barangay Villaflor valued at P98, 125.00, on corn at barangay Villaflor valued at P19, 200.00, and on rice at barangays Villafranca and San Isidro valued at P39, 700.00. We sent on a visit and observation tour on the vermi culture project at Moncayo, Compostela Valley so that we may have our own vermin culture project. We have actually started this vermin culture project at the municipal nursery. On trainings and seminar, we conducted the fishery law enforcement training with 45 fisherfolks in attendance, a marine protected area and participatory coastal resources assessment training for 45 participants and a natural resources management training and validation for 25 participants. Organic farming seminars were given at Villaflor, Villafranca, Mahanub and San Antonio to 96 farmers.
We also gave support by way of infrastructure projects for our farmers by constructing a multi-purpose dryer pavement at barangay Villaflor valued at P107, 000.00. We have on-going projects on the construction of a flatbed mechanical dryer at barangay Villaflor for an estimated cost of P500, 000.00 with a 40% accomplishment already and a solar dryer and mini ware house project at barangay Mahanub for an estimated cost of P500, 000.00 with a 65% accomplishment report already. This is under the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) with funding from MRDP of P2M and counterpart given by our municipality of P500, 000.00. Other projects lined up under this MRDP will be implemented this year.
In order to invigorate corn production, we put up under CPAR project a corn mill at barangay Villaflor and a rice and corn mill at barangay Sico-sico. Both projects are still on-going with initial testing already done for the operation of the corn mill at barangay Villaflor.
INFRASTRUCTURE
On infrastructure, we have accomplished such projects as would benefit the various sectors which we are mandated to serve, in support of the programs of said sectors.
We have finished the construction of the Anibongan farm-to-market road with a cost of P2M and a counterpart fund of P500, 000.00 coming from the municipality. We have improved the canal concrete cover of our CLAGIBA irrigation system in the areas of Camboayon, San Isidro and San Antonio. In Camboayon we concreted 150 lineal meters of canal valued at P300, 000.00, at Poniente 1,600 lineal meters valued at P600,000.00, at Villaflor 1,700 lineal meters of irrigation canal valued at P700,000.00, at San Isidro 1 km. of irrigation canal valued at P999,000.00. We were able to pave with concrete Egay St. with a length of 157 lineal meters for a cost of P681, 000.00, Decillos St. with 146.9 lineal meters for a cost of 642,000.00, and Señoren St. with a length of 150 lineal meters for a cost of P610, 000.00. We also constructed box culverts and canal linings along Egay St., Eliot St., Zamora St. and Navallo St. We were able to improve the municipal park and plaza costing P150,000.00, repair and improve the Sangguniang Bayan session hall costing P50,000.00, improve and rehabilitate the multi-purpose building and tennis court costing P70,000.00, improve and rehabilitate the basketball court and stage costing P40,000.00. We completed the improvement of the Senior Citizen’s building costing P30, 000.00 and constructed two (2) units of waiting shed at P75, 000.00. We also repaired and rehabilitated the Doot foot bridge costing P105, 000.00, repaired and rehabilitated the Doot beach cottages and function hall costing P50, 000.00 and constructed three (3) units floating cottages costing P10, 854.00. We also constructed for the benefit of the residents of barangay San Isidro the public clothes washing structure locally known as “Labhanan” costing P54, 000.00.
FINANCE
In the field of finance we were able to collect business taxes and licenses for Calendar Year 2007 in the amount of P238, 724.63 and for Calendar Year 2008 the amount of P575, 850.04. On fees and charges we were able to collect for Calendar Year 2007 the sum of P237, 902.69 and Calendar Year 2008 the sum of P565, 417.65. On economic enterprises, we were able to collect P141, 988.27 in Calendar Year 2007 and the following year the sum of 234.019.95. On real property taxes, we collected for Calendar Year 2007 the sum of P1, 114,971.21 and in Calendar Year 2008, the sum of P1, 229,837.43. We intensified collection of taxes because of the requirement that our municipality should be able to increase its collection of local revenues and not to depend solely on Internal Revenue Allotment from the national government in order for us to avail of percentage discounts in the equity requirements for some of the projects that were nationally funded and projects that we were able to get from non-government funding agencies.
On the assessment of real properties, we completed the Logofind tax mapping project in April of 2008 as a result of which we were able to assess more lands, buildings and machineries for taxation purposes. We were able also to revise at the same time the value of such properties in the general revision of tax declarations in the year 2008, thus the possibility of increasing our real property taxes by this year and succeeding years.
BUDGET
We budgeted wisely the funds that came to us from our share of the Internal Revenue Allotment and those that were collected from local revenue sources in accordance with the guidelines promulgated by the Department of Budget and Management on local budgeting. We came out with the executive budget on time, which was approved on time by the Sangguniang Bayan and reviewed on time by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of this province. In fact our Municipal Budget Office had received recognition for such early accomplishment. We balanced our budget and spent funds that hewed closely to the budget so that we did not incur any deficit after the end of the calendar year.
As to the shares of the barangays on the collected real property taxes and the community tax certificates we distributed them to the corresponding barangays in the year 2007 and in the year 2008. We increased the budget for barangay assistance mandated in the local government from P1,000.00 to P5,000.00 and released the same to the corresponding barangays in 2008. We also placed in our budget our assistance for honorarium of barangay tanods.
SOCIAL SERVICES
Along the activity of social work, the Office of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development continued with its usual program for children 0-18 years old consisting of day care services, supplemental feeding, child abuse referrals and children in conflict with the law and supervised neighborhood play. For THE youth of 18 years up to 30 years the MSWD continued with its program on “Unlad sa Kabataan” and referral for job. For the needy adult 30 years old to 60 years old the MSWD continue with its services for solo parents, assistance to individuals in crisis situation, food for work and referrals to the Rural Health Unit and violence against women and children. For older persons 60 years old and above, the MSWD continued with its neighborhood support services and issuance of Senior Citizen’s ID and referrals for hospitalization. For persons with disabilities the MSWD gave provision of assistive devices as well as referrals for hospitalization. For families, the MSWD gave parent effectiveness service, marriage counseling service, pre-marriage counseling, violence against women and children and referrals for hospitalization. These activities were continued in the year 2008 by the MSWD Office of this municipality.
We fixed our eyes on the implementation of our nutrition program by coming out with an executive order on nutrition which would give emphasis or the production by the community of vegetable plants and trees that have high nutrition value. One of the principal aspects of the nutrition program of the municipality is the program known as “Kalamunggay” in “Every-Home” in order to emphasize not only the high nutritional value of this plant, but of the proper habit of eating Kalamunggay..
On the population program, the Municipal Population Office continued with its implementation of regular population programs such as the municipal responsible parenting program, the family planning program and the programs on the status of women. We participated in the Pop quiz at the provincial nd municipal levels and organized PopDev clubs at the high school level at the GNSHI.
LOCAL GOVERNANCE
On local governance, we presented the state of local governance report for this municipality to guide us in the manner of local governance during our term of office. We conducted the barangay development planning workshop and the executive and legislative agenda formulation workshop. We completed the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the Executive and Legislative Agenda commonly known as the ELA and the Municipal Annual Investment Plan all of which are required for proper planning and programming. We also participated in the formulation and the institutionalization of the Hinatuan Passage Development Alliance (HIPADA) with the mayor of Surigao City and Municipal Mayors of Malimono, San Francisco, Tagana-an,Placer, Bacuag and Claver in order to develop the areas along the Hinatuan passage.
We reorganized all the local special bodies created pursuant to the Local Government Code, namely, the Local School Board, the Local Health Board, the Municipal Development Council and the Peace and Order Council.
We also started the implementation of a municipal data base through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) and enrolled in the SCALOG program for capability-building sponsored by the Spanish government.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
Our barangay counterparts and their subsidiary units, namely, the puroks, did not miss our attention. The barangay assistance fund mandated to be given to the barangays by the Local Government Code which we increased from P1, 000.00 for P5, 000.00 per barangay per year, is only a miniscule part of the total assistance that we gave to each of the thirteen barangays. Our barangay officials in attendance with us this afternoon can attest to this fact. Our assistance to barangays reached P _537,797.57_______.
We also gave assistance to the various schools of our municipality not only from funds of the Special Education Fund (SEF) but also from the general fund and the 20% development fund of the municipality, for their various school activities.
Our indigents are the beneficiaries of a large portion of our assistance given through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. To whom we doled out to the sick and the infirm the victims of accidents calamities and violence and the families of the diseased, close to P300, 000.00. We also enrolled in the Philhealth program __100___ residents of our municipality from LGU funds, along with about 1,200 residents who are beneficiaries of the Philhealth program of Cong. Guillermo A. Romarate, Jr.
We loaned to farmers the sum of P 255,000.00 last 2007-2008 with repayment accomplishment of 78% of the amount loaned.
PEACE AND ORDER
For the year 2003 our police station registered a total crime random of twelve (12) while in 2008 the crime volume was 21, representing a 47% increase of crime incidents last year.
The crime volume for 2007 showed that 25% of the commissions were for index crime, meaning the more serious and sender crimes, while 75% were for non-index crime. The 2008 record for the crime volume indicated a serious situation, wherein 15 out of 21 crime incidents were for index crime.
HEALTH
Our children are our principal concern when it comes to our health program. Thus, we placed great emphasis on the determination of their nutritional status under the operation timbang activity of the municipal health office and of the municipal nutrition office. We have focused our attention on 105 severely malnourished children in our municipality.
We achieved a 91% accomplishment on our targetted beneficiaries on our expanded program on immunization (EPI) as well as an average of 95% accomplishment on our targetted children under the Garantisadong Pambata program.
In the last quarter of last year, we opened our birthing space in the municipal health station to our pregnant women where they may give birth safely thereby avoiding the hazard of birthing through trained “hilots”.
The second killer disease in Gigaquit after incidence of deaths from heart diseases is tuberculosis. Thus, we appropriated last year the sum of P 300,000.00 for the special TB-DOTS program which focused on case findings for TB-related illness and on medication of TB patients.
Our Municipal Health Office focused its attention on the national filariasis control program by conducting mass treatment to some 15,000 residents and on the schistosomiasis control program where, out of 836 stools examined, 63 were found positive who are now undergoing treatment.
SPECIAL CONCERNS / PROJECTS
Potable water supply had been lacking always in Gigaquit. We who are living in the poblacion had been dependent on shallow water wells for our drinking water supply. Thus, late in 2007 and the first semester of 2008, we were able to come out with a project feasibility study with the assistance of New Zealand Aid and the National Economic Development Authority, as well as a program of work, for a waterwork system that would provide Level III water supply for our people. We marketed our project proposal to possible fund donors and two government banks, the Land Bank and DBP who were interested to give loan for a high interest rate of 13% which we considered untenable considering our financial resources.
Fortunately, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) gave us the g0-signal to come out with a definite proposal for the project. We then re-organized the Gigaquit Water District which was organized way back in 2003 by former Mayor Elvira A. Egay, but which had become moribund after her term of office ended the following year. We are now on the verge of actually starting the project.
We have tourism potentials in our locality. We had Cuyapnit Cave assed by an experienced cover who discovered along the way in going Cuyapnit cave the grandeur of the lagoon and its enclosing limestone and rock formation. We also requested for the assessment of Nagubat Island for deep sea diving. Assessments had been found positive for possible tourism destinations which, upon initial look by the Department of Tourism people, provision was made for initiating activities leading to the establishment of these areas as tourism destinations.
Out town does not have big manufacturing industries and commercial establishment, such that we have to provide, livelihood projects whenever and wherever possible. We were able to get funding from the Community Fund Assistance for Development (CFAD) component of the Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP) in the amount of P 2m. Several livelihood and small infrastructure projects for agriculture have been lined up for implementation, some of which are on-going. The rest are waiting for the release of P1.5m for the project funding from MRDP.
OTHER ASSISTED PROJECTS
Most of the town’s other assisted projects came from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Congressman Guillermo A. Romarate, Jr. He also assisted us in causing the release of funds for projects that did not come from his PDAF.
The biggest amount received from Congressman Romarate’s PDAF is the P1M equity stand by resource fund for our waterworks project. He also gave a total of P1.2M to finish the Mahanub covered court. A SARO in the amount of P500, 000.00 has been released by DBM for the completion of the covered court of Villaflor, P300, 000.00 for the completion of the barangay office of Poniente and P 250,000.00 for the completion of the barangay office of Villafranca. The sum of P270, 000.00 for the school stage of the Gigaquit Elementary School is now with the 1st Engineering District of Surigao del Norte and the sum of P55, 000.00 for the Alambique Barangay Offices now released for implementation.
Assistance was given by the good congressman for the release of P2M for the Anibongan farm-to-market road which was complete in the last quarter of last year, and that of the San Isidro-Lahi FTMR in the sum of P1M. Also about the end of Last year, Congressman Romarate caused the release of P 3M from DPWH for the Mahanub-Program FTMR.
We were able to procure from the PDAF of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. the sum of P4.5M for the construction of the Alambique-Anibongan bridge at the mouth of the Alambique river. The release of the sum was made with the assistance of Congressman Francisco T. Matugas of the 1
st
Congressional district whose concern is still for us Gigaquitnons.
Of course, Cong. Romarate provided us with an ambulance, Cong. Matugas also assisted us in the release of the patrol jeep for our PNP station.
OUR MISSION FOR 2009
WATER SUPPLY
We hope to be able to start implementing our waterworks system this year. Only last week, I was able to talk with LWUA Board of Trustees Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. in the company of Cong. Francisco Matugas, in the LWUA office of Chairman Pichay. He pledge not only to approve the proposed project with an initial funding of P13.6m, but also to give a grant portion of the amount that will be allocated for this project, while the rest would constitute as our loan from LWUA. If given a grant, the proposed water rates for our water consumption would go down by at least fifty percent.
This waterworks project will get its supply from pump water located at sitio Kalubihan in Barangay San Isidro. Given the fact that Chairman Bucth Pichay has made arrangements with the National Electrification Administration to treat the electricity consumption of water districts that supply proposed water to their waterworks system as residential, then definitely the operational cost for electricity consumption of our waterworks system, will be lesser.
TOURISM
The DOT regional office has become very interested in helping develop our Cuyapnit cave, Baoy dam and Nagubat and Cagban islets for tourism. Initially, the Regional Director has pledged three pumpboats for these areas.
We will be requesting funding for some infrastructure requirements for the Cuyapnit Cave. We are preparing for our Gigaquit rum wine festival and the already started Jinawa festival as our tourism come-on for this year.
LIVELIHOOD
Even as we continue the implementation of our proposed livelihood projects in the CFAD component of MRDP, this year we are looking forward to being involved in the next round of CFAD projects for 2009. We have set aside in our 2009 budget the amount of P500, 000.00 as our counter part fund for this program.
We hope to able to avail of other funding sources for livelihood projects not only from the Government but also from non-government sectors.
ONE-TOWN-ONE-PRODUCT
Our Gigaquit rum is our identified one-town-one-product in the OTOP program of the Department of Trade and Industry. We will continue with solving our packaging problem for our Gigaquit rum with the P200, 000.00 assistance we have received from the Philippines Australian Community Assistance Program (PACAP), which is now being implemented through the Surigao Economic Development Foundation (SEDF).
We will look into other sources of funds for the packaging aspect of our product to make it viable and at the same time competitive with other wine products now in the market. As already stated, we will go into massive promotion of this product as soon as our packaging will have been solved.
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Consonant with our cry in “Buhion An Gigaquit” to give life back to our natural resources, we will be implementing our Natural Resource Management (NRM) program as our MRDP component. We have assessed initially the areas for undertaking NRM activities covering barangay Alambique, Ipil, Villaflor, San Isidro, Mahanub and the LASICAM area.
Next week on February 11 World Bank assessment team will be in our town to orient our LGU and certain people’s organization regarding this NRM program, and to look over our identified areas for implementation of agro-forestry and coastal resources projects in the identified barangays.
We will put up definitely a material recovery facility (MRF) leading to the establishement of an organic fertilizer plant.
INFRASTRUCTURE
For this year, we will be constructing the Alambique-Anibongan bridge with P4.5M the San Isidro-Lahi FTMR with P1M, the Villaflor-Poyo-Poyo FTMR, with P2M and Mahanub-Program FTMR with P3M.
Depending on the approval by Cong. Romarate of our proposals for funding from his PDAF, we will be constructing a multi-purpose covered court for barangay Lahi and barangay Camam-onan to the tune of P1M each.
We have to rehabilitate our damaged beach and we will initiate it with funding from our unprogramed increase in our IRA this year, to construct water breakers which would facilitate the stay of the sand that will be brought back to the shore by the action of the sea waves.
Only two municipal streets in the poblacion are not concreted. We hope to be able to pave these last two streets by the end of the first semester this year.
We will be constructing a mechanical flat-bed dryer in San Antonio and more multi-purpose dryer pavements (MPDP) in as many areas in our barangays who are ready to put up their sites.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I wish to state that it is our desire and hope and wish that this year will bring us more improvements vis-a-vis our felt-need minimum basic needs.
I would be remiss in ending my report if I do not acknowledge the help and assistance so easily given by the Honorable Vice Mayor Felixberto R. Jala and the members of the Sangguniang Bayan the Honorable Juanita Pepino, Rose Tejada, Lita Parba, Randy Coleto, Anacorito Manongas, Mamerto Sebial, Domingo Cubelo, Chandru Bonite, Loreto Laurena and Vanessa Jane Go. I also thank profusely the department heads for their wonderful cooperation to us.
I wish to express finally my acknowledgement of gratitude to our Congressman Guillermo A. Romarate, Jr. and Congressman Francisco T. Matugas for their invaluable support to all our endeavors.
Thank you.
