A BID to slowly alter the economic landscape of the town despite a scrimp in the National Tax Allocation, LGU Catigbian through the Office of the Municipal Engineer still was able to implement 25 locally funded projects and 8 more national government funded projects amounting to a total of P61, 114.032.
During the 74th Foundation Days and 18th Katigbawan Festival last week, Catigbian Mayor Elizabeth Mandin-Pace said they squeezed out the necessary funds from their 20% Local Development Fund, their Gender and Development Fund and the Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction management Funds in 2022 to put up key infrastructure needed to bring government services closer to the people if not their communities.
Speaking her State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) in front of Catigbianons assembled for the Katigbawan events, Mandin-Pace said, some 28,790,279.60 have gone to fund locally identified projects that could speed up the town’s march to progress and change the town’s skyline.
In addition, the town through the Municipal Engineer’s Office also implemented 8 national government funded projects: an assistance fund from the Department of Interior and Local Government in its 2020 Assistance to Municipalities in the SALIN TUBIG 2020, Financial Assistance to LGU in 2021 and Local Government Support Fund’s Support to Barangay Development Programs in 2022 had at the local disposal an additional ₱ 32,323,753.00 worth of infrastructure projects.
Projects funded locally include two critical farm to market roads (FMRs) worth P1M, seven public and multi-purpose buildings and covered courts worth P10.7M, a land slide mitigating structure or slope protection worth P1M and two waterworks projects in expansion and development worth P 5.1M.
She said the on-going and yet nearly completed locally funded projects include two FMRs worth P1.9M, seven public multipurpose Buildings and covered courts worth P7.7M, 4 land slide mitigating structure of slope protections at P 1.3M.
She also reported completed national government funded projects such as a P4M FMR, multi-purpose vehicle and an ambulance at P5M, some waterworks projects and expansion and development project worth P15.3M.
Because of this, the Catigbian Waterworks Office had accommodated 435 additional applicants for water services in addition to last year’s 3,337, that right now, we are catering to 60% of total households, she said.
Even then, the LGU is still on to on-going national government funded projects like a P4M FMR, another P4M classroom building and barangay health station.
In the 2023 calendar year budget, the town has identified 17 projects to be funded locally, funds some of them from 2023 MDRRM Fund 2023 and through the 2023 Appropriation ordinance for lcao implementation.
Set to be implemented through the Office of the Municipal Engineer amounts to ₱ 29.3M.
This year, the town awaits for the delivery of 2 heavy equipment: a backhoe and a dump truck worth P14M, a makeshift school building worth P400K while the local government awaits for the bidding and award of a million worth of municipal roads, the delivery of a P250K Bandong Pumpboat for Abatan River Cruise and a rehabilitation and improvement of a multipurpose hall worth P2.4M, the P400K rehabilitation of a rice wine processing plant, renovation of Mahayag Norte Detachment Kitchen at P70K.
Meanwhile, the town also awaits for the completed detailed engineering design for a P800K land slide mitigating structure and slope protection, delivery of the 12 mobility units in the multicabs for Barangays program worth P4M, construction and rehabilitation as well as improvement of multi-purpose buildings and Barangay Health Stations at P4.1, P600K for the towns waterworks chlorination system and the completion of the access road at P175k, the P75K establishment of the Mahayag Covered Court and a million for the clean and green program. (rahc/PIABohol)
