VALENCIA town Mayor Dionisio Neil A. Balite expressed his mind that the Department of Education (DepEd) should help bank roll the Brigada Eskewela every time the school campuses need to be cleaned up readying for kids schooling.
This he told the audience in his State of the Municipal Address (SOMA) during the swearing in of the town’s officials, including reelected Vice-Mayor Aristotle Cometa at the town’s gym last week.
The mayor appeared to be unhappy when Brigada Eskwela is launched and the teachers or parents concerned start to ask for financial help days before the classes start in public schools.
It’s a shame to be always a beggar, the mayor said. The mayor appeared to be wanting to end the practice of asking or to be mendicant.
Meanwhile, the mayor said as a sort of advice to everyone, “Be humble in victory.”
In his first term (3 years), he launched what he described as PEPSI that stands for “Panginabuhian, Education, Panglawas, Social Service and Infrastructure.
In his SOMA, Mayor Balite showed all that his administration had accomplished from social services, including health, agriculture, education and infrastructure.
To complete the “soft drink” mantra, Mayor Balite added the COLA: For Cooperative, Opportunity, Law/Order and Agriculture. With his, he outlined his vision for the next three years under his watch.
Under the infrastructure, the town was able to pour a total of Php480,318,812.18 for various projects in roads, bridges and public market. In 2022, the town allocated Php45,298,355.94; Php61,510,536.59 in 2023; and Php373,509,520.18 in 2024.
Its sources of income are the Badiang Spring Resort and Hotel (BSRH), which earned a total of Php49,264,108.60 in four years of operation, including the first 5 months this year. It is the biggest revenue among other sources.
The town’s water works system earned a total of Php9,651,800.84 and the public market, Php8,196,753.71 of the same period. (Rvo)
