Feelings
Pozorrubio SOMA:
Of infrastructures and sectoral priorities
By Emmanuelle
It was supposed to be a formal legislative-executive function. In reality, it turned out to be a getting-to-know-you-more party for all – for the town leaders and their people.
The SOMA started exactly at nine in the morning of July 2 Wednesday, as in the invitation. And surprisingly, it ended promptly at ten. But the addendum and the music accompanying it, played on the Yamaha organ by no other than media practitioner Myla, lasted up to noontime. The addendum was the distribution of cash assistance and another round of the endless boxes of relief goods to all the 201 victims of Typhoon Cosme whose houses were totally blown down. After which all participants went home without fuss. Surprisingly, there were no expectations or demand aired for free lunch. The light snack of pancit and chicken sandwiches were heavy enough.
After the first few minutes of cold hands and jitters, Mayor Emma Zosima Chan of Pozorrubio got the hang of it. In her first State of the Municipality Address, she told the elected leaders of the community to remind themselves constantly that they are, primarily, servants of the people.
And, because they are supposed to lead too, she shared with them the global fact that, from the smallest unit of society which is the family to the most highly developed nations of the world, the single most important factor that makes or breaks that unit that spells its success or failure . . . is governance.
She said: “It is WE (the Sangguniang Bayan presided over by the Vice-Mayor, the Barangay leaders, the Office of the Mayor to include all the departments) who had influenced greatly what the PRESENT is for the 63,000 plus Pozorrubians. And it is also WE who will determine, to a most considerable degree, what Pozorrubio can still further become. This fact should clarify for us, once and for all, the criteria for deciding what programs we should pursue, which legislation we should formulate, sponsor or support and how to best implement said programs and legislation.”
Thus, it is in this connection that Mayor Emma reiterates her commitment since the first day of her administration: to continue to work for the progress and development of Pozorrubio began ten years ago by her husband, former Mayor Artemio Chan.
Her SOMA speech, backed-up step-by-step by PowerPoint and other movie-making screen tools, included not only the present state of the municipality after her first year of term, but in connection to the year-round achievement of each of her department, she talked of the Municipal Development Goals that had had been pursued, and the stage of its implementation at this point in time.
In Infrastructure, she cited the kilometers of farm-to market barangay roads, slope protection, canals, repaired and new school buildings, new RHU center, children’s park and other constructions built from local and congressional funds. Then she talks of the link bridges she hopes to construct to connect the overseas barangays to the poblacion, to continue concreting the rest if not most of the barangay roads, to expand the existing public cemetery with the lot just bought beside it, and to build before her term ends the 4th building for the national agencies which, like the Legislative, Executive and RHU before it, will be debt-free.
For education, she cited and showed screen images of the eleven (11) new school buildings built during her first year, the Municipal scholars supported through college, elementary and high school students awarded cash and other incentives for academic and sports excellence. She also promises to continue to support the Alternative Learning system through the ART & EMMA Literacy Program, to allocate more funds for livelihood and scholarships, to reduce the student-classroom ratio with the construction of more school buildings as to increase the literacy rate closer to 100%, and to attempt to provide her young constituents with easier accessibility, not only for elementary and high school education, but also for college and beyond college. This school year, University of Luzon has already opened its first campus outside of Dagupan City in Pozorrubio.
During the early part of her speech, she reported the positive net income of Pozorrubio for Calendar Year 2007 and the accumulated savings surplus of the LGU. She expressed her belief that this is owed, first, to the conscientious tax-paying citizens of Pozorrubio and, secondly, to the efficient and effective collection activities of the local Treasury.
In fact, until the next selection is processed by the Department of Finance, Municipal Treasurer Zoraida Q. Costales is still the No. 1 Most Outstanding in the Province for the past 2 consecutive years, and No. 1 Most Outstanding in Region 1. Municipal Assessor Alfredo R. Reyes is also No. 1 Most Outstanding in the Province.
And that, in return, the LGU of Pozorrubio gave back to the people what the people had trustingly and willingly given to the government in terms of taxes, licenses, permits, rentals and others through the enactment and implementation of the ordinance granting a 10% permanent reduction of the rentals imposed to all public market stall owners beginning April 2008.
She said that this may probably be the first in the history of our town, and even of this province, that a reduction of rental fees was passed instead of the usual imposition of new taxes or fees.
Other way to thank the people is by means of social and health welfare and nutrition programs such as procurement of food assistance for indigents and relief efforts, medicines/medical supplies and equipments; legislation such as the enforcement of the ordinances on child welfare and that which regulates entertainment establishments so mothers and wives can worry less; LGU subsidies on hybrid and certified seeds; infrastructure projects such as the construction of more farm-to-market roads and new school buildings, the new RHU center, and others.
And she concluded it all, by saying that “there is no conclusion, but there is continuation. And it would have to take an event stronger than the strongest typhoon to dissuade this administration from taking the path we had chosen to take from that very first day of July 2007, our baptism of fire.”
She steps down the podium with a smile for her people. There were no dignitaries for guests. “Salamat kada kayu nga amin. Agkita tayu manen no umay nga tawen.”
Next year, she may again have the cold hands and the jitters. But she keeps her promise, you see. Agkita tayu manen no umay nga tawen.
(Readers may reach columnist at jingmil@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/feelings/
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