ILIGAN City ― In his State of Iligan City Address, Mayor Frederick W. Siao discussed his administration’s 15 development goals.
The SOICA was held at the Mindanao State of Technology-Iligan Institute of Technology gymnasium last Friday, July 21, and began at 1:00 and finished three and a half hours after.
The theme was “KKK” or “Kabag-ohan, Kalamboan, ug Kaugmaon” which translates as modernization, development, and the future of the city.
“There is still much to be done,” he said, in the areas of the city’s progress and development.
On peace and order, he said that patrol cars for the police officers are being given, even as the budget in this aspect is being increased too. As to garbage collection, it is very much improved, with the city taking prime responsibility for it instead of being done solely at the barangay level.
As to the water aspect, he emphasized that the Public Private Partnership is “not privatization” as many are wont to believe. It is only this city that hasn’t a private partner yet, he said as other local government units are having theirs.
Improvements are being made too in the area of agriculture with many farmers here being given seedlings of abaca, coconuts, and other products. He too is a mayor for all, and he will answer all the peoples' concerns, through text messages, radio, or personally as he can always be located in his office at Buhanginan Hills if he is not out on official business.
Progress is being made on e-transactions to promote transparency, he said and to make it easier for the constituents in dealing with government transactions here. Further, he said, the Commission on Audit does not have any bad comments about the transactions being made obviously hinting that in the past administration, COA had so many matters on these transactions that needed to be fixed.
There are documents too that are being readied so that the city would have, among its aspirations receive from the national government, the “Seal of Good Governance.”
Among other things too he lamented that when this administration took over, there were many things that were not aligned with good governance. There was equipment that could not be found, like some furniture and equipment like chairs. tables or computers. As to the latter equipment that was left, they were “not functional” and many data were “deleted.”
He talked about relationships with “the academe” like MSU-IIT and others and non-government organizations to help this LGU tackle the challenges that this has to be faced along with the people and he too articulated things that have to be done, “even if it isn’t popular” with the people.
Regarding infrastructure, much has to be done too especially in the hinterland areas like Rogongon, or Digkilaan whereby people there had to shell out as much as P500 just to get to the heart of the city.
The said address was attended to and or heard by thousands of the residents here both in the private and public sectors.
To note too, his father, Henry Siao died a few days ago at age 86 and many observed that the mayor was still in mourning mode.
