URDANETA CITY–A second-class city and only on its ninth year of cityhood, Urdaneta bested seven others in the Ilocos region in terms of resource management, according to the 2006 financial report of the Commission on Audit (COA). 

Urdaneta posted the biggest total income at P423.25 million, but placed second to San Carlos City in net income.

The city also topped in terms of total assets and equity.

Urdaneta Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. attributed the city’s accomplishments to his administration’s conscious effort to maximize revenue collections in order to support various development projects.

“With maximized tax collections, there was no need to burden the people with additional taxes,” Perez told The PUNCH.

In terms of net income, Urdaneta recorded P78.76 million, next to San Carlos City’s P99.03 million.

Perez said since he took over the reins of the city government six years ago, he saw to it that every investment that the city embarked on was self-liquidating and earned additional revenues for the city.

The city’s two major economic projects include Building A of the Public Market, built from city funds in addition to the financial assistance extended by Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the city’s cattle and ‘bagsakan’ markets.

The newly completed Building B, said Perez, was funded by a loan obtained by the city from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

He said that all these are now earning money for the city, and have doubled the value of investments made.

Urdaneta registered the highest total assets among Region 1’s eight cities at P1.075 billion and highest total equity at P762.56 million.

Perez also said that the city adopted a policy of transparency in all its expenditures, making his administration accountable for every centavo spent.

Earning its cityhood in March 1998, Urdaneta is set to pole-vault to a first class city in the next reclassification round to be conducted by the Department of Finance.—LM