THE inaugural session of the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod was made special by the attendance of City Mayor Jane Yap. Despite her morning flight to Manila to participate in the dinner for governors and mayors organized by His Excellency Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Mayor Jane Yap took time to grace the inaugural session of the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod.
In her inaugural speech, the lady mayor stressed that both the executive and legislative will be working closely to advance relevant and significant projects, “As the City Mayor, I hope our City Council will provide support policies to our collective desire to pursue “Asenso Pa More Serbisyong Gugma sa Tanan” to ensure (1) good financial administration and sustainability; (2) disaster preparedness; (3) social protection and sensitivity; (4) health compliance and responsiveness; (5) Sustainable Education; (6) Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; (7) Safety, Peace and Order; (8) Environmental Management; (9) Tourism, Heritage Development, Culture and Arts; and (10) Youth Development. These 10 broadly stated goals are also the good governance criteria for the Seal of Good Local Governance or SGLG. There are many specific challenges in the horizon to continue that call for our collective action. The rising costs of fuel that has pushed the prices of essential goods is affecting our Tagbilaranons. The Council can explore legislative measures to protect especially the poor from opportunists while at the same time sustaining the economic gains of the city by cushioning the impact of rising fuel prices. We require policies to strengthen our strategies for revenue generation. We need to open the city for more businesses and investors. Our city council can explore policies to enhance our connectivity within the walls of city hall and outside, especially to the barangays, so they get connected with city hall, especially for online payments of taxes. All these and other policy support will be greatly needed and appreciated, so our city can achieve its dream “to be a resilient, livable and highly urbanized city by 2030,” Mayor Yap said. (Jeanette Busano)
