Mayor Sara highlights investment growth in SOCA

One year after getting a fresh mandate from the Dabawenyos, Mayor Inday Sara Duterte highlighted the growth of investments during the past three years of “Byaheng Do30”.

In her State of the City Address (SOCA) on Monday at the City Council, Mayor Sara reported a three-year accomplishment under the Byaheng Do30 project that capped a healthy economy.

Sara said the growth in investments resulted in higher revenue collections and the opening of more job opportunities in the city.

“Investments have continued to grow the past three years with a total investment portfolio of P230 billion in 2016, P272 billion in 2017 and P279 billion in 2018,” she said.

In effect, Sara said that more local taxes are collected, and the city is on its way to surpass the internal revenue allotment as the main fund source to finance a project.

“The goal is to limit our dependency on the internal revenue allotment or IRA so that we can finance more programs that are not among those restricted for IRA use,” she added.

Job opportunities also increased with the entry of investments in the city.

Aside from the increase in investments, improved revenue collection, the mayor also highlighted the various infrastructure projects in the education and health sectors such as the establishment of the five Botika ng Bayan and more than 100 classrooms for the school children.

“For the past three years, we have been constructing 112 classrooms across all levels and sites, with 77 classrooms under the Special Education Fund (SEF) 2017 and 35 classrooms under SEF 2018. As of September 2019, the infrastructure projects funded under SEF 2017 and 2018 are at 90 percent and 78 percent completion respectively,” she said during her speech.

A new Botika ng Bayan will open in Paquibato District before the year ends, bringing the total of such outlets to six.

Currently, the Botika ng Bayan outlets are in the Lingap Compound, Poblacion District, Calinan, Toril and Bunawan.

Sara attributed the growth and development of the city to all the city government employees, who worked hard to serve the public, the national government agencies, which continually support the city, and the law-abiding Dabawenyos, who follow the regulations of the city in their day to day lives.

“These gains were not achieved by the local government alone, but by all Dabawenyos working together,” stressed.

Sara thanked the national government agencies, the security sector, power and water utility providers, the private sector, and all law-abiding Dabawenyos for doing their part in achieving the city’s goals.

“Government organizations, and in school, in the community, at work, to achieve their dreams and to provide for their families, and to make this city a safer, more livable place for Dabawenyos and for all who come here,” she said. CIO