ULAT SA BAYAN NI HON. CITY MAYOR JAPAL J. GUIANI, JR,

 ULAT SA BAYAN

Honorable City Mayor Japal J. Guiani, Jr.

1st Quarter of 2011

30 March 2011

·        Honorable members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod

·        Fellow workers in government

·        Fellow Cotabateños

·        Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning!

You have just seen the numerous hidden talents of Cotabateños. We know that they be great if given the break for their talents to be discovered. Who knows? They could be someday be joining the “Pilipinas Got Talent” and eventually shine as singing stars.

Let us just hope and pray that someday these singers will help bring the name of Cotabato City to the world headlines through their talents.

Thank you very much to our talented and beautiful singers!

Let us now proceed with the business of the day.

It has been nine months since you gave me the task of being your City Mayor.

I still remember the day when assumed office. It was very difficult because I also inherited and assumed the gargantuan task of finding ways and means on how to pay the enormous debts and payables of the City Government.

The outstanding payables of the City Government was P28,180,206.96 as of June 30, 2010.

Some 9.6 million pesos pertains to expenses that were obligated but were not paid. Most of these expenses fall under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses which have accumulated since January 2010.

The City Government also owed the Bureau of Internal Revenue some 2.9 million pesos. It represents the withholding tax deducted from the employees’ salaries, value added taxes withheld from city government transactions with private entities.

On the other hand, the City Government also had a non-remitted amount of 7.3 million pesos to the Government Service Insurance System or GSIS representing the premiums and loan amortization of the employees.

With the Pag-IBIG Funds, the City Government had an un-remitted amount of 3.1 million pesos and more than 600 thousand pesos to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth.

The 30 percent Barangay Share on Community Tax and Real Property Tax amounting to more than 327 thousand pesos were not distributed to the city’s 37 barangays.

We were also surprised to learn that the city’s General Fund Statement of Cash Flow incurred a negative balance as of June 30, 2010.

The Account 969 of the Office of the City Mayor had an approved annual appropriation of 8 million pesos. However, as of June 30, 2010, the actual disbursements made reached P8,763,181.77 or an over expenditure of P4,763,181.77 as against the allotted amount of 4 million pesos for the period. The expenditure also exceeded the total annual appropriation by P763,181.77.

On this account, we had to request the Sangguniang Panlungsod for an augmentation in order to sustain the operation of the Office of the City Mayor for the remaining two quarters of 2010.

Likewise, Account 783 of the Office of the City Mayor which had an appropriation of P2,750,000.00 for the first six months of 2010 incurred a disbursement of P3,864,381.00 or an excess expenditure of P1,114,381.00.

The appropriation for donations under Account 878 also incurred an over expenditure of P478,759.05.

Moreover, then Intelligence Fund under Account 881 also had an over expenditure of P1,970,000.00.

Fortunately, we were able to pay a large portion of the debts. Thanks to the efforts of the employees of the City Government to increase our revenues so that we could pay these debts.

During my first week in office, I issued Executive Order No. 1 creating the Financial Management Team for the city’s Economic Enterprises. This was headed by the City Treasurer.

We do recognize the operation of these Public Economic Enterprises such as our two public markets, the slaughterhouse and other heavy equipment owned by the City Government as vital components in generating revenues and provide quality services and facilities for the welfare of our people and help spur economic development.

As a result, the Mega Market and the City Central Arcade showed a lot of improvements in terms of revenue collection, sanitation and management.

The revenue collection from stall fees, cash tickets and Business License from the Mega Market reached 8.5 million pesos as compared to the 2009 income of 7.3 million pesos or an increase of 16.27 percent.

This is something significant considering that the City Government had been subsidizing the operation of the Mega Market during the past years.

For the first two months of 2011, the Mega Market has already posted an income of more than 3.8 million pesos or already 44.53 percent as against its 2010 annual income.

As for the City Central Arcade, despite the fire that destroyed some of the peripheral stalls, it was able to overcome its financial problems. As of February 2011, we have fully paid our loan amortization with the Land Bank of the Philippines which was used in the construction of the City Central Arcade.

In fact, during the first two months of 2011, the City Central Arcade already posted an income of more than one million pesos. This is already 27.85 percent as compared to its 2010 income.

We are optimistic that we can surpass its 2010 income the moment the reconstruction of the burnt peripheral stalls is completed. The reconstruction work has already started and we expect it to be completed before the end of the second quarter.

On the market upkeep and sanitation, we cleared the Mega Market and the City Central Arcade of illegal stalls and shanties.

We have made it a policy of sustaining the clearing operation and clean-up activities on a regular basis. Likewise, we were able to implement the proper sectioning of the stalls, particularly at the ground floor of the Mega Market.

Moreover, we have reactivated the Consumer Welfare Desk. In fact, we have just purchased three units of electronic digital weighing scales for the Timbangan ng Bayan. This aims to help protect the welfare of the consumer against the possible use of defective and substandard weighing scales by some unscrupulous market vendors. Along this line, we would like to remind these unscrupulous market vendors that the City Government will never anymore tolerate them and we are ready to slap the stiffest penalty on them.

As for the Operation of the Slaughterhouse, the year 2010 was a good year after it posted a 10 percent increase in collection, as the negative 10 percent in 2009.

Pursuant to our desire to make our city slaughterhouse comply with the standards set by the National Meat Inspection Service and the need to have a Halal-certified slaughterhouse, I issued Executive Order No. 28 creating a Study Group for the Establishment of a Halal Slaughterhouse and the Rehabilitation of the Existing Cotabato City Slaughterhouse and the Viability of Transferring it to a New Location.

In another positive development, the City Government posted a very big increase last year in the collection of Business Taxes and Licenses. We had a total collection of more than 47 million pesos last year. This is 21.95 percent higher compared to the 2009 collection of merely 39 million pesos. [flash Business Taxes & Licenses slide]

During the first two months of 2011, we already have posted a collection from Business Taxes and Licenses amounting to more than 29 million pesos. This is already 38.89 percent compared to the total annual collection last year. We are optimistic that we will surpass our previous year’s collection record before the end of the third quarter this year.

If we include all the other fees collected by the Permits and License Division of the Office of the City Mayor, the city earned more than 62 million pesos last year, up by 16.99 percent as compared to the 2009 collection of merely 53 million pesos.

This early, I can say that we can also post a further increase in our revenue collections this year. It is because during the first two months of this year, the License Division has already posted a combined collection of 37.5 million pesos.

Another source of revenue for the City Government is the collection of Transfer Fees and Administrative Fines by the City Assessor’s Office.

In 2010, the City Assessor’s Office collected P1,749,382.90 in Transfer Fees. This is 149 percent over its target of P700,000.00. On the other hand, a total of P173,635.00 was collected from Administrative Fines. This is 73 percent over its target of P100,000.00.

On the aspect of Real Property Tax collection, it was very noticeable that the collection efficiency ratio was very low in contrast to the estimated amount of taxes to be collected. In view thereof, we introduced major changes in our approach to increase our Real Property Tax collection.

Last year, we posted an 8.7 percent increase in Real Property Tax collection or 11.1 million pesos as compared to the 10.9 million pesos collected in 2009.

However, this collection record is way below our expectation. Though we posted a collection efficiency of 36.89 percent, the accumulated amount of delinquent Real Property Taxes is still high.

As of December 31, 2010, the cumulative uncollected taxes for the General Fund and the Special Education Fund amounted to P92,622,448.60. [flash P92,622,448.60 slide]

In order to negate the increasing amount of delinquent real property tax, the Local Finance Committee has started formulating strategies to enhance the collection of real property taxes. Soon we will submit their recommendations to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for the appropriate legislative action.

However, despite this meager collection, we were ranked second by the Bureau of Local Government Finance among local government units in Region 12 in terms of Real Property Tax collection for 2010. We were only second to General Santos City.

Because of this, the City Government of Cotabato was awarded a Plaque of Recognition by the BLGF during the annual general assembly of the Regional Association of Treasurers and Assessors of Region 12 held last March 24 in Davao City.

As I have said during the awarding ceremony, we will strive hard this year to be the number one in Region 12 in terms of Real Property Tax collection.

I know that we can do it.

If we can do it, surely we will be reclassified from being a third class city to become a first class city again after how many years.

Meanwhile, to complement our Real Property Tax collection efforts, we organized the Task Force on Agricultural Real Properties. Among the functions of the Task Force are:

Identify all agricultural lands in the city and determine their actual use;

Submit recommendations on legal actions to be taken against owners of agricultural real properties which were converted to other purposes without the approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board;

Identify fishpond operators granted with Fishpond Lease

Agreements (FLA) by the national government.

On the field of food production, the City Government has embarked on a number of projects aimed at increasing the productivity of our agriculture and fishery sector. This is in the face of the reality that our city is not self-sufficient in food. We source our daily food supplies from outside the city.

Since July 2010, we have a continuing program to extend technical assistance to our fishpond operators and fishermen mostly at the Kalanganan area. Technical assistance are continually being extended to our rice farmers.

Among our major accomplishments in our thrust to increase our agricultural and fishery productions are:

Dispersal of crablets to 87 fishpond operators;

Bangus Fingerlings Dispersal to 332 beneficiaries;

Hybrid Tilapia Fingerlings Dispersal to 123 beneficiaries

Aside from these, the City Government also gave out assorted vegetable seeds to 16 agricultural barangays, three non-agricultural barangays and three community-based associations.

To spur economic development, the City Government, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry, formally opened the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center or NERBAC last September 15, 2010.

NERBAC, composed of various national line agencies, is a one-stop investment research and assistance center designed to help new investors.

Meanwhile, to turn the tons of water hyacinths clogging our rivers into profit, the City Government together with the Department of Trade and Industry started last September the training of 22 housewives on how to make handicraft materials out of these plants.

Talks are underway with a group of handicraft exporters in Manila and Laguna to help us export our water hyacinth-based products.

On the Health Sector, we are proud to report that an estimated 94.6 percent of our total household population now has access to safe water supply. Only the barangays of Tamontaka 3, 4, 5 and Kalanganan 1 and 2 remains to have no access to potable water.

Based on arbitrary estimates, about 70 percent of the total number of households in the city has access to sanitary toilets and 75 percent have satisfactory facilities for the disposal of solid wastes. Actual survey of these facilities will be conducted this year to come up with a realistic statistics.

Meanwhile, diarrhea and other food and water-borne diseases like typhoid and para-typhoid diseases prevailed among the leading causes of morbidity in 2010. These were followed by respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and asthma. [flash Morbidity slide]

Lifestyle diseases also ranked among the leading causes of morbidity. Hypertension was in fact the second leading cause of hospitalization.

The emerging concern is kidney diseases. It showed an increasing trend from only 137 cases in 2009 to 287 incidence in 2010.

On the other hand, TB cases dropped from 206 in 2009 to only 113 in 2010.

While the rest of the country reported high incidence of dengue fever, Cotabato City registered only 209 cases in 2010, slightly lower than the 215 cases reported in 2009. Unfortunately, it claimed two lives of school-going children last year.

For 2011, our major thrusts on the Health sector are:

·        Operationalization of the 3 pilot BEmONCs to provide quality maternal care, neo-natal services and birthing facilities to prospective mothers, post-partum mothers and new born infants.

·        PhilHealth accreditation of our City Health facilities. This will include upgrading of the Office on Health Services as a Main Health Center or its possible relocation to a better site and other existing centers such as the prospective BEmONCs and the provision of adequate medical, dental and administrative equipment.

·        Advocacy for 100 percent PhilHealth insurance coverage of the city constituents.

·        Strengthening of the City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit for constant vigilance to emerging infectious diseases and control or prevent outbreaks and epidemics.

·        Improved Environmental Sanitation services to include the needed baseline survey of the people’s access to basic sanitation facilities such as safe water, sanitary toilets and satisfactory garbage facilities.

·        Continuing and intensified Health personnel capability building through trainings.

 

Aside from these, we have included in our 2011 Annual Development Plan the allocation of one million pesos as seed money to cover the hospitalization expenses of indigent residents at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center. The Memorandum of Agreement for this is now being drafted and we will submit it to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for approval.

In other developments, our personnel from the Office on Social Welfare and Development Services were very busy last year.

The Social Development Center (SDC) of the OSWDS accommodated and housed a total of 72 clients last year. They were provided with basic needs while staying at the Center. House parents were employed to take care of housekeeping and cleaning of the Center. Because of tracing and coordination efforts, 21 children were already returned to their families.

By the way, we would like to thank the Rotary Club of Cotabato for their untiring support to our Social Development Center. Last

December, they donated assorted foodstuffs to augment the clients’ welfare requirement of the Center.

Other major accomplishments of the Office on Social Welfare included:

·        44 community-based street children who returned to school were given school supplies like notebooks and school bags.

·        20 indigent in-school children were provided educational assistance of P1,500 per child for their school needs.

·        933 community-based street children were given interventions like supplemental feeding, value formation and medical assistance.

·        Three rugby users were referred to the Marcellin Foundation in General Santos City for rehabilitation in preparation for their reintegration into the normal social mainstream. The City Government provided each child P3,000 monthly subsidy while undergoing rehabilitation.

·        37 street educators were provided a monthly allowance of P1,000.

By the last quarter of 2010, we launched the UNICEF-assisted project on Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) Program for street children. The amount of P928,176.00 was initially downloaded for the implementation of the program. This is a one year program which includes hiring of eight duly-licensed social workers who will be working on street children, capability-building training, transportation and cellphone load allowance of the workers as well as emergency support for direct beneficiaries.

Early this month, the City Social Welfare and Development Office received vital kits to be distributed and used by the qualified street children and their families who are residents of the city.

The Educational Kit consisting of 75 sets of learning materials are geared towards helping the studying children cope up with their school needs. Elementary school children kits cost P1,216.00 while high school kits cost P1,625.00.

The Family Kit consisting of 75 kitchen packages and other equipment are intended to help their respective families in forging new life ahead upon reunification and ultimately avoid separation. The kit costs P7,331.00 and will be distributed based on the assessment and recommendation of the FTR Social Worker.

On the other hand, sports and recreation kits were purchased and made available to the barangays or communities with ample recreational spaces. The sporting goods and equipment cost P15,632.00, while the recreational materials and equipment consisting of books, musical instruments, board games and similar items cost P31,423.00.

In the furtherance of the Early Childhood Care and Development Program, the City Government operates 60 Day Care Centers. Last year, we renovated or repaired 33 of these Day Care Centers. Six other Day Care Centers are under construction.

As part of the continuing intervention to the persons with disability sector, the City Government extended loan assistance to 30 PWDS at P5,000 each. They are now engaged in micro-enterprise business activities to augment their family earnings. Some of the projects pursued are sari-sari stores, cell phone loading, fruit vending and food vending.

To support the indigent persons with disability in their school needs, a total of 50 PWD students received P2,000 each as educational assistance.

To attend to the welfare of our senior citizens, the City Government has appropriated this year the amount of P240,000.00 for the repair and renovation of the Senior Citizens Model Center.

Moreover, the amount of P48,000.00 was allocated for purposes of loan assistance to 16 beneficiaries at P3,000 each. This will be used by the senior citizens in their income-generating or livelihood projects.

On the other hand, the City Government has appropriated P100,000.00 as support to the Bahay Maria Foundation to augment the basic needs of its residents.

Under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, Cotabato has been identified as target area by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Barangay Kalanganan Mother and Barangay Poblacion Mother are the target area by the program. A total of 1,421 families were identified. Each indigent family with three pre-school children will receive a maximum monthly allowance of P1,400.00.

Also last year, the Office on Social Welfare was very busy for the Pamaskong Handog program of the City Government. After about a decade, we revived the year-end tradition of giving gifts to our indigent constituents.

A total of 11,000 indigent families were given gifts which consisted of assorted grocery items.

From now on, this year-end gift giving activity will be a regular undertaking of the City Government.

In the field of Infrastructure Development, the City Engineering Office will soon be completing the following projects:

·        Concreting of the road connecting Sinsuat Avenue and Notre Dame Village thru Virgo Subdivision;

·        Concreting of Moon Street at Zenaida Subdivision;

·        Improvement of Tulingan Street leading towards Usman Subdivision;

·        Construction of the Flood Control and Drainage System along Rabago Street;

·        Declogging of Manday River and Lugay-Lugay River;

·        Renovation of the two Day Care Centers at Barangay Rosary Heights 10.

For 2011, we will improve the roads leading to our garbage dump site at Camasi, including the Camasi Bridge. [flash 2011 Infra Projects slide]

To mitigate flooding in low-lying areas of the city, we will continue with the de-clogging of our waterways.

To beautify the city, we will be embarking on a major beautification and landscaping of our People’s Palace, the City Plaza and the Tantawan Park. This is also aimed at attracting tourist to our city.

Relative thereto, we have formally recognized the newly-organized Cotabato City Tourism Promotion Board headed by Architect Marlo Basco.

The Tourism Promotion Board will be primarily charged with the responsibility to encourage, promote and develop tourism in the city.

The Board is composed almost entirely of representatives from the private sector. The City Government will only have two representatives to the Board which can vote but cannot be voted.

The annual Mutya ng Kutabato pageant will now be handled by the Tourism Promotion Board. We know that the private sector is more capable and efficient to handle said activity.

To address our growing garbage problem and in line with our program of environmental protection, the Task Force on Solid Waste Management was created.

The Task Force is the lead team in the enforcement of solid waste management related laws and the strengthening of information, education and communication campaign of the City Government on solid waste management.

The Task Force had been very busy conducting orientations to our barangay officials about solid waste management.

By the way, effective April 1, the City Government will begin strict implementation of the “No Segregation, No Collection” Policy. This means that our garbage collectors will not pick up your garbage unless they are segregated among biodegradable and non-biodegradable, and placed in separate containers or plastic bags.

The barangays will be at the forefront in the implementation of this policy. Those who refuse to comply will be dealt with accordingly.

If we want to protect our environment and maintain the cleanliness of our city, every one of us has a responsibility. We will not only be making our city a better place to live in, more so we will be helping reduce the spread of diseases caused by improper garbage disposal.

We will intensify our “War Against Waste.”

In other developments, to guide us in the formulation of our development plans and programs from 2011 to 2013, we have finalized the Executive-Legislative Agenda. The recommendations contained therein have been forwarded to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for their appropriate action.

To help us in our desire to realize our socialized housing project, the Ayala Land Corporation, through its sister company AMAIA Land Corporation, has extended a financial assistance of P990,000.00 for the initial development of 330 lots at the Housing Village for City Government Employees at Malagapas. The amount is intended for the survey and titling of the lots.

This is a landmark achievement considering that a follow-through assistance is in the offing as there is a standing commitment from Ayala Lands to extend additional financial assistance for the initial development of the Malagapas Resettlement Site Phase 2 and for the on-site development of the proposed resettlement site at the former Doruelo Estate at Barangay Kalanganan Mother. Among other things, it will include the preparation of a subdivision scheme.

Relative to the realization of the City Employees Village, this representation sought for the modification of the qualifications of recipients in order to give due credence to the judicious manner of awarding the lots to qualified employees. One major modification is that only rank and file employees are qualified or those with salary below Salary Grade 25. Elected officials are not qualified.

Talking of the welfare of our employees, effective last January we increased the salaries of our contractual nurses. Not only the nurses. Even our Traffic Aides now have higher salaries than ever before.

As for the regular and plantilla personnel, the second tranche of our salary increase will be retroactive January. We hope to put it in effect and release your differentials the moment the Sangguniang Panlungsod approves our annual budget and it will be confirmed by the Department of Budget and Management.

Last December we had our annual Family Day and Year-End Thanksgiving Party. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  It means that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring.

With regards to the management of the assets of the City Government, I have signed Executive Order No. 40 directing for the inventory and titling of lots and other legally acquired real properties of the City Government. This Real Property Task Force is also tasked to resolve the transfer of existing unperfected donations or sale of lots and facilitate the titling in the name of the City Government.

This Task Force will be closing working with the Task Force on road Right-of-Way which we created earlier.

The Task Force on Road Right-of-Way is now busy clearing our roads of illegal encroachments. We want to instill law and order in our city and we do not want that any portions of our public roads are being used by unscrupulous individuals for their own person benefit.

For 2011, the City Government has a number of plans and programs to be undertaken designed to alleviate the condition of our people, improve our peace and order condition, and accelerate economic development.

We now have in our Annual Development Plan a Soft Loan Assistance Program for small economic enterprises. An initial amount of one million pesos has been earmarked for this.

For peace and order, the proposed installation of CCTV surveillance camera system is expected to be in place in the next 45 days. The Pre-Bid Conference for the project is set on April 1 and the Awarding of Bid will be on April 15. These CCTV cameras will be installed in high crime-prone areas of the city. This is just the first phase of our vision to install CCTV cameras in every corner of our city.

We are optimistic that with the installation of these CCTV cameras, we will be able to dramatically reduce the crime incidence in the city.

Also in a few days, we will be reactivating the Police 166 Hotline. The police had their 166 hotline before, but it was disconnected due to limited budget from the Philippine National Police.

From now on, the City Government will be shouldering the cost of maintaining the Police 166 Hotline.

We will also further support and improve the crime-capabilities of our other law enforcement agencies in the city.

With the deployment of the Philippine Marines, we have seen improvements in our peace and order condition, this is despite the still unresolved abduction of Adin Yu.

Along this line, let us all continue to pray for the safe return of Adin Yu.

As I have promised during my first 100 days report that I will wage war against all forms of criminalities, including these notorious kidnap-for-ransom gangs, we now have in our city a detachment of elite elements of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response Team or PACER.

The end is near for these criminal elements.

To further improve the crime fighting capability of our law enforcers, the City Government has provided them with handheld radio communication equipment.

Even the Bureau of Fire Protection also received assistance by the City Government. By the way, we would like to thank the Bureau of Fire Protection for their continued support to our weekly cleaning activity at the Mega Market.

Likewise, we also will not forget our barangays. On April 1, the pre-bid conference for the purchase of 25 units of multi-cabs for the use of the barangays has been set. We expect that these multi-cabs will be delivered within 45 days. After the delivery of these 25 units, we will immediately source out funds for the purchase of the other 12 units so that we could provide each of our 37 barangays with additional transport equipment.

Also, next week the Barangay Captains will be sitting down with officials of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA in order to identify which of the various TESDA training programs are suited to the needs of their respective barangays.

After this meeting next week with TESDA, the Barangay Captains will also be having a similar meeting with officials of the Department of Science and Technology on the third week of April. The purpose of which is to identify the potentials of their respective barangays which could be developed assisted by the DOST.

We believe that once these projects are realized, our unemployment rate will dramatically drop and the economic status of our people will improve.

Meanwhile, to further entice investors to our city, we will soon be submitting to the Sangguniang Panlungsod proposed amendments to the Investment Code designed to give added incentives to investors, particularly investments that are classified as eco-friendly and tourism-oriented.

We strongly believe that our city has the potentials to attract investments. This has been clearly manifested with the multi-million-peso investment of one of our local businessman. Accordingly, the Al Nor Business and Sports Complex will be opening in time for our celebration of the Araw ng Cotabato on June.

On Friday, another popular fastfood chain will open its doors in the city. The famous Mang Inasal has now a branch along S.K. Pendatun Avenue.

Also this year, another popular fastfood chain will be opening another branch in the city. Likewise, a group of investors have already manifested their intent to put up business here this year. Their line of business is school and office supplies, including a bookstore and sports equipment.

To preserve the richness of our cultural heritage, we will be establishing this year the “School of the Living Arts.”

The purpose of which is the preservation and promotion of our varied cultural heritage. Teaching lessons will be given on how to play the kulintang and other ethnic musical instruments of the different tribal communities in the area. Ethnic dance lessons will also be propagated.

This School of the Living Arts will be under the City Tourism Office, in coordination with the Department of Education and the Tourism Promotion Board.

Also as part of our thrust to promote Cotabato City worldwide, we have reactivated the city’s website and changed its name. http://www.cotabatocity.net.ph

The rationale in the change of domain name is that this will not anymore be the exclusive website of the City Government of Cotabato. All Cotabateños are invited to link with this website.

Along this line, I would like to reiterate our invitation to all business establishments, institutions, civic and non-government organizations to post with this website. Our InfoTech Division will soon post in this website the list of hotels and restaurants in the city, indicating their services, rates and contact details.

Before I close, I hope that I have reported to you all the things you wanted to know about how the City Government is doings its job.

I know that we still have a long way to go in the realization of our vision for a peaceful, progressive and beautiful Cotabato City.

Thank you and wassalam!