LET ME cap off my column with a quote from a 1972 chart-topping hit by pop singer Johnny Nash: “I can see clearly now the rain has gone. I can see all obstacles in our way. Gone are the dark clouds that had us blind. It’s gonna be a bright sunshiny day.”
During his second State of the City Address (SOCA) speech, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” G. Lazatin Jr. touched on a wide range of topics. Indeed gone are the dark clouds when Mayor Lazatin emphasized gratitude and optimism.
He repeated many talking points delivered recently anchored to his administration’s core six-point agenda – access to public health, drug-cleared city, solid waste management, education, youth and sports development, and infrastructure support— and thanking various sectors of the community for pitching in to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which I must say the most significant global public health emergency to affect human society in the last 100 years.
We are forever changed. Absolutely, it will be the biggest test of local leadership and resiliency we will see in our lifetime since Mt. Pinatubo’s major eruption in 1991.
Lazatin specifically mentioned the unwavering support of Congressman Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II, the Angeles City Council led by Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting and members — Atty. Arvin “Pogs” Suller, Alfie Bonifacio, Jesus “Jay” Sangil, JC Parker-Aguas, PG Ponce, Marino “Niknok” Banola, Dan Lacson, Raco Del Rosario, Jeremias Alejandrino, and Arnoah Mandani, department heads, city government employees, local police, health workers, medical personnel, disaster response and rescue teams, local fashion designers, business leaders, executive departments, and GOCCs for their efforts over the past year.
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP ON ADDRESSING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Lazatin also recapped steps taken by the city government in stemming COVID-19 viral transmission and ensuring the safety of Angelenos. There are presently two vaccination centers, the City College of Angeles and the Angeles City National High School in order to inoculate 6,000 residents per day. With the current capacity of 6,000 vaccinees a day, it will just take a maximum of five months to attain herd immunity in the city. Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.
Lazatin stressed that, “Our primary aim today is to safeguard everyone from the virus. The current situation of COVID-19 cases in the city is still inconsistent -– this is why we have to protect our families and loved ones from the dangers of COVID-19. I am encouraging you all to get vaccinated. Be part of the solution – let us fight the virus by advocating a “Herd Immunity” – it is only when everyone has been vaccinated, can we be truly safe from the virus.”
The Department of Health (DoH) LGU Health Scorecard Scoring System has given Angeles City a “Green Status” which is equivalent to an excellent performance in the inoculation system, meaning the performance has reached the national targets.
In an effort to fully-vaccinate all members of the Senior Citizen community, a mobile bus—which will be operational in six to eight weeks— will be deployed to vaccinate bedridden senior citizens at the comfort of their homes.
As early as January 2021, a budget of P203 million has been set aside to purchase COVID-19 vaccines that will be provided for free to all Angeleños. The initial plan of securing a loan for the purchase of vaccines did not push through, since the city has enough revenue allocated in the city’s Supplemental Budget Number 1.
The city government is prioritizing health workers, medical personnel, front liners, the elderly, and those who have comorbidities or existing health conditions in administering the vaccines.This hierarchy of priority groups in administering COVID-19 vaccines was based on the issued guidelines by the DoH.
To date, a total of 43,921 Angelenos have been vaccinated or 11 percent of the total city population. “We will continue to ramp up our efforts until we achieve the 70 percent herd immunity target of the national government by November,” Lazatin said.
As of June 29, 2021, a total of 6,571 Angeleños had been infected by COVID-19. Of this number, some 5,917 have recovered while 296 have died. Of these Angeleños inflicted with the virus, 2,189 families were handed out food packages by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the city, quarantine facilities were also expanded by tapping the Hotel and Restaurants Association in Pampanga (HARP). Some 306 rooms were provided for free to COVID-19 asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms.
While taking the necessary steps in fighting the pandemic, the welfare and benefits of frontliners such as the city’s nurses has been prioritized by providing them a salary increment of P12,000—from P20,000 the nurses are now receiving P32,000— which took effect last January. Effective January next year, nurses who are in salary grade 15 will be upgraded to salary 16, which will give them an additional P3,000 salary.
QUALITY OF PLACE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ON INFRASTRUCTURE, a total of P474 million was allotted for the new eight-storey hospital building of the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center and another P100 million for the purchase of hospital equipment for the new hospital.
A budget of P210 million has been allocated for the construction of additional classrooms and buildings at the City College of Angeles and part of the P50 million donation of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) was allotted for the construction of additional building in City College of Angeles.
These two are among our promised infrastructure support to health and education, Lazatin said.
Bike pathways in the city’s major thoroughfare will be installed as well. Recently, the City Engineer’s Office has conducted an ocular inspection and identified portions of the roadway to be designated as bike lanes by striping, signage, and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists. Bike Lanes may be distinguished using color, lane markings, signage, and intersection treatments.
Also among recent infrastructure and development programs is the road widening and construction of the Pulung Cacutud Bridge, primary goal of which is to decongest traffic, particularly along the Angeles-Magalang road and other areas in Barangays Cutud, Sapalibutad, Pulung Cacutud, Pulung Maragul, and Pandan.
The construction of the P150-million EPZA Diversion Road that will link Angeles City to Barangays Cacutud, Pulung Maragul, and Sapalibutad via a bridge along the NLEX is still ongoing. The EPZA Diversion Road is expected to solve the perennial traffic along the Pandan Road. Representative Jon Lazatin II, has lobbied for P138 million for the ongoing construction of Abacan road dikes and bypass roads from Barangay Pandan to Friendship Bridge and for the construction of the Malabanias Bridge with a P30 million budget and the 4-lane Cutcut Flyover, amounting to P500 million with the help of Senator Lito Lapid, and still lobbying for the construction of Sto. Cristo Flyover worth P500 million.
ON BUSINESS AND FINANCE, no increase of taxes was imposed in Angeles City to implement sound fiscal management but collection of Business and Real Property Taxes and other taxes were intensified amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lazatin said, “We will remain business-friendly to one of the hardest-hit sectors due to the pandemic. As a way of showing our gratitude to hotels, motels, and dormitories who offered free temporary housing to our health workers during this trying time, we have urged the City Council to pass an ordinance that would grant them a tax relief in the form of a tax credit worth P100,000.”
In order to aid local businesses with their finances, the city has also extended the deadline for the business tax payment for the permit renewal of existing business establishments without penalties, from January to February 28, 2021.
The city government has also given consideration to local businesses whose operations are gravely hit by the pandemic, by only requiring them to pay for their actual operations’ gross income as part of their business tax.
ON PEACE AND ORDER, part of Lazatin administration’s agenda is the eradication of illegal drugs. With the relentless work between the Angeles City Police Office (ACPO) and Angeles City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ACADAC), 652 anti-illegal drug operations were busted, where some 999 persons were arrested and 5,133 grams of shabu and 186,921 grams of marijuana were confiscated, amounting to P57 million. The intensified anti-criminality efforts resulted in the confiscation of 42 loose firearms and the arrest of 21 Most Wanted Persons and 282 Wanted Persons. The crime during the lockdown period was also lessened compared to 2019, according to the ACPO – from 8.57% to 5.32%, down to 3.25%.
Meanwhile, according to ACADAC data, 175 plea bargainers have graduated and 38 drug dependents housed at the Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center in Magalang town and Bulacan Drug Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. are being treated, with financial subsidy shouldered by the city government. The ACADAC also provides support groups, seminars, and other activities such as counseling, lectures, outreach programs, tree-planting, family intervention, among others.
The 33 Barangay Drug Anti-Drug Abuse Councils were functional and activated through the realization of the community-based reformation center that will provide training and livelihood for drug law offenders – such as basket weaving training and aircon maintenance training.
Roughly 50 multi-sectoral leaders gathered at Angeles City Council Legislative Building to hear Lazatin, while the general audience was largely remote with only a select few were allowed to attend the SOCA in-person due to COVID guidelines. Last year, the speech was video-streamed from the Mayor’s Office amid the surge of the pandemic.