STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

of

MAYOR SARA Z. DUTERTE

June 11, 2013

Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall Davao City

Ladies and Gentlemen, Maayong Hapon Kaninyong Tanan!

Thank you to the City Council for the opportunity to present my third State of the City

Address and to the visitors for accepting our invitation.

Three years ago, I envisioned an administration that would holistically meet the needs

of our constituents, and a kind of governance that would provide paramount service to

every Dabawenyo. I solicited your support for my BAROG commitment: to empower

Barangays, focus on education (Academics), strengthen Resources, sustain peace and

Order and uphold responsive Governance. This commitment was translated into

programs, activities and projects well-received by the private sector. This is our journey

for the past three years, and by tradition, we start with the not-so-good news.

We recognize that the movement of goods and people is of primordial importance in

commerce and industry, however, we were unable to start a mass transit plan which

would address the future problems of transportation in the city.

We did not construct a tenement housing unit because the computed total cost of Php

64M is too expensive for a socialized housing project. There is a need to come with a

structural design that can be financed under the Socialized Housing Program of the

government.

We cannot put up the waste-to-energy facility for lack of material time. However, we

already started with the 16th City Council approving our initial agreements with two

private corporations. This project will maximize our investment in the sanitary landfill

and extend its period of use.

Literacy, Children and Youth, Education and Health

On the good news, Our city has now evolved to a bustling and vibrant place of

convergence. Davao City was recognized as the Hall of Famer and the Most

Outstanding Local Government Unit under the Highly Urbanized City Category awarded

by the National Literacy Awards Council last 2012. Recently, we were informed that

Davao City will be the Philippines’ entry to the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes.

This Body rewards organizations that promote innovations in the field of literacy

throughout the world.

The City of Davao recently won the Presidential Award for the Most Child-Friendly City

in the country. This recognition is one that every Dabawenyo should be proud of

because this gives priority to the heirs of our city. It was a bittersweet triumph as we

waited 13 years to once again claim this prestigious honor. It was a challenge to

change the perception of how we take care of our minors especially those who are in

conflict with law.

Programs for children are on top of the list from the time that I have started serving as

your Mayor. We have completed the upgrading of the Paginhawaan Drop-in Center for

Street Children and the Quick Response Team for Children’s Concerns. This is to

accommodate more children needing temporary shelter and provide them with a safer

residential facility. We have recently completed the construction of one building, the first

of the several buildings in the design of the Davao City Children’s Village at Barangay

Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District for children at risk and children in conflict with the law.

The village will provide rehabilitation services to help children become better individuals

and prepare for their reintegration back to their families and the community. This will

allow our City Social Services Development Office (CSSDO) to hold the children before

they are released back to their families. This is in consonance with the recently passed

Juvenile Justice Ordinance of Davao City. The national government, through the

Juvenile Justice Welfare Council and the Comprehensive Juvenile Intervention

Program, has recognized the city’s efforts in championing the cause for our children,

and has partnered with the City Government to further improve its programs for juvenile

justice. It was the late Secretary Jessie Robredo who encouraged me to do something

about our children who are involved in criminal activities. With the permission of the

City Council, we would like to name the first building in the village after him.

In SY 2010, the scholars of the city government were numbered at 521. I signed EO 19

or the Expanded STEP Program to accommodate an additional 936 students from

2011-2013, creating an average of 59.88% percent increase per year. The scholarship

was not only limited to students who graduated at the top of their class but also to those

students who have the willingness and perseverance to complete their college

education. An eligibility criteria was designed to accommodate more students, thereby

maximizing The Educational Assistance Fund. We are proud to say that the STEP

program has produced 32 students who graduated with honors for the school year

2012-2013.

The Local School Board managing the Special Education Fund (SEF) had unanimously

agreed to prioritize the construction of classrooms and the hiring of auxiliary teachers in

the utilization of the SEF. The Local School Board approved the construction of 139

classrooms for the period of 2011 to 2013. The teaching force in the public schools

were augmented by hiring 421 auxilliary teachers in the same period.

In addition, the LSB approved the hiring of 471 school guards, assigning at least one

guard each for all 357 public schools in Davao City. This action strengthens the anti-

drugs campaign in schools, prevents criminal activities within the premises and deters

incidents similar to that of Sandy Hook Elementary School in the USA.

The Civil Registrar’s Office initiated “Sa Paaralan Mo Pwede Nang Mag Rehistro”

program. We have accommodated 6,056 birth registration and other related documents

since 2011. This program trains schools to accommodate late birth registrations

granting unregistered children with complete and accurate birth records.

The Magbasa Ta Program has served more than 40,000 children in far-flung

barangays, this is further strengthened by the acquisition of a one air-conditioned

mobile library to cater more clients in the communities. Beyond Access, an international

organization has chosen Davao City as the only model recipient in the Philippines to

develop public libraries, not just as a source of learning, but as a center of information

for economic opportunities.

The City Government of Davao and the Department of Education, in partnership with

Fit for School Inc., constructed hand-washing facilities in all 285 public elementary

schools in Davao City. The project promotes the simple and cost-effective essential

health care program to address high-impact childhood diseases. This consists of daily

group hand-washing with soap, daily group tooth-brushing with toothpaste and bi-

annual de-worming. Promoting basic hygiene practices thru a daily routine will result to

lower prevalence of diseases, lower absenteeism and fewer malnourished children.

The strategy saves the parents thousands of pesos in medical and dental bills and

ultimately savings for the city government medical assistance program. Eighty-two

hand-washing facilities have already been completed and the rest are on-going

construction.

The City Government of Davao partnered with Jollibee Foundation and several private

schools for the Busog, Lusog, Talino program, a five-year supplemental feeding

program to selected public elementary schools in the city by way of monthly rice

subsidy. The BLT program will address the high incidence of absenteeism among

public elementary school children attributed to hunger, sickness and malnutrition. We

are currently serving 66 schools within the city. By the end of the five-year program, the

City Government of Davao is expected to have extended assistance to 142 public

elementary schools around the city.

The City Health Office (CHO) is tasked to schedule medical caravans in every

barangay at least once a year and maximize the use of our new Mobile Hospital. This is

to ensure that CHO regularly remind Dabawenyos of the different health care projects

available to them.

On the accreditation of our health centers, the Tibungco Lying-in Clinic, Paquibato

District Hospital and 16 other rural health units and dispensaries have been accredited

with PhilHealth for Primary Care Benefit Package, making the city’s healthcare

programs more accessible to those who are enrolled in the Philhealth Program. Our

Reproductive Health and Wellness Center was cited as one of the Top 3 Social

Hygiene Clinics for Best Practices in the Philippines in 2011. In order to decongest the

maternity ward at the Southern Philippines Medical Center, we have started the

rehabilitation of the Bunawan and Tomas Claudio Health Centers and allocated budget

for the rehabilitation of the Agdao Health Center, all of which will be of a modern design

equipped with birthing facilities. These birthing facilities will bring the service closer to

the communities and provide safer deliveries for our pregnant mothers at a lesser cost.

We hope to see 100% of our health centers equipped with birthing facilities in the

coming years.

The City’s successful information campaign on HIV testing resulted to more individuals

submitting themselves for testing and given education on HIV. The increasing number

of recorded HIV positive patients shows that our campaign on testing and awareness is

gaining ground. Davao City was awarded the Best Practice Award for LGU HIV

Prevention in October 2011 for its outstanding performance, commitment and

contribution to the activities of the Global Fund Round 6 HIV Project in the field of HIV

Prevention. Our malaria-control programs proved to be effective as evidenced by a

significant decrease in the number of case findings conducted, from 5,540 in 2011 to

934 in 2012. On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of dengue

cases in 2012 as compared with that of 2011, there is need to demand from our

barangay councils the need for our communities to actively take part in cleaning their

surroundings and emphasize the importance of doing the 4 o’clock habit everyday at

the household level.

Davao City also received the Hall of Fame Red Orchid Award last year, lauding our

efforts in the implementation of the Anti-Smoking Ordinance, making Davao City an

advocate for healthy living. This was proven when the Department of Health and the

World Health Organization awarded us the Most Outstanding Healthy Lifestyle

Advocate in 2012. However, we do not stop at the awards received, but continue to

press on our goal of creating a smoke-free Davao City. The City Council recently

approved Ordinance No. 0367-12, also known as the New Comprehensive Anti-

Smoking Ordinance which took effect last May 31, 2013. The issuance of citation

tickets, prohibition of smoking any tobacco product including e-cigarettes and shishas,

and amendments in the designated areas for smoking are a few of the improvements to

further emphasize the ill effects of smoking.

The City Veterinarian’s Office, thru their rabies control program, has vaccinated a total

of 146,310 dogs from 2011 to April of this year. The rabies control program is further

strengthened through the development of the “Davao City Animal Profile Information

System”, a central database that stores the list of basic animal profile, vaccinated

animals and list of bite victims. The system, as developed by the City Information and

Technology Center, will help the city government in the monitoring and surveillance of

rabies-related diseases and in planning strategies for rabies control. The City Vet Office

has also conducted artificial insemination of 268 cattle and carabaos and 1,655 swines

from 2011-2013. Slaughterhouses and markets are regularly inspected to monitor the

quality of meat, fish and poultry sold to the public.

Solid Waste Management, Environment and Natural Resources

We have intensified our mandate to manage solid waste properly. We have

implemented the “No segregation, No collection Policy” last July 1, 2011, resulting to a

decrease of solid waste generation from 500 to 700 tons a day to 379 tons per day of

the same year. There is a need to intensify this drive to further discipline people to

segregate, reduce, reuse and recycle at the household level. In addition, we have

implemented the ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags and polystyrene or

styrofoam as checkout bags and food/ beverage containers beginning June of last year.

Last June 2012, we launched the One-Million Peso Barangay Ecological Solid Waste

Management Challenge to encourage every barangay to comply with the provisions of

RA 9003 and the Davao City Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance. Brgy.

Vicente Hizon was declared winner last April 22, 2013 and the winner should

institutionalize their best practices and share their experience with other barangays.

The IRR on the Anti-Smoke Belching Ordinance and the Septage and Sewerage

Management Ordinance have also been finally approved and are now ready for

implementation.

Our Food for Work project calendar year 2012 implementation has de-clogged 145.5

kilometers of canal, collecting 3,977 cubic meters of garbage. In addition, the program

has collected 409 tons of waste and de-silted 3 cubic meters of soil along the coastlines

of the city last year. The project was supported by almost 55,000 volunteers. We have

expanded this beyond canal clean-ups with the Matina River Watershed Rehabilitation

and Riverbank Stabilization project, planting 8,000 trees covering 4.5 kilometers of

riverbank on both sides from Matina-Balusong Bridge to Matina Pangi.

Our urban greening initiative strategically placed plant boxes instead of bollards along

highways and converted waste spaces to small gardens creating pockets of green all

over the city.

Our Watershed Management Council (WMC) implemented the ground delineation of

conservation areas in Davao City with funding and technical support from the Davao

City Water District, Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI and Interface

Development Interventions. The WMC was able to identify boundary marks between

conservation areas and agricultural areas where buffer zones shall be established.

Buffer zones are important to monitor and ensure that our conservation areas and

watersheds are protected from contamination brought about by chemicals used in the

agriculture industries. As of November of last year, the delineation accomplished 18.5

kilometers, covering 42 barangays within the entire scope of Davao City.

Housing, Traffic Management, Drainage and Road Network

We established a partnership with the National Housing Authority for 200 housing units

and Gawad Kalinga for a row of houses in the Los Amigos Relocation Site. It is worth

mentioning that the GK partnership is the first GK Village project in the entire country

intended for Persons with Disabilities.

Our Traffic Eagle Squad, equipped with five (5) vehicles and five (5) motorcycles, was

created to monitor the implementation of traffic laws and apprehend traffic violators. We

also partnered with the Land Transportation Office to deputize 60 TMC personnel so

that they can issue tickets to traffic violators.

The Taskforce Payong-payong was created to address the growing number of payong-

payong and convert them into close cabs to ensure the safety of the riding public. The

adoption of a prototype yellow tricycle with black stripes was implemented for uniformity

and formed part of the requirement for new applications, adding up to 3,177, and 681

renewals of franchises from 2011 to 2013. Since the implementation of the scheme last

June 2012, the Traffic Management Center has apprehended a total of 1,325 tricycles.

We installed anti-jaywalking fences in the center islands to prevent accidents, and ease

the flow of traffic. This also bolsters our healthy lifestyle campaign with the slogan “walk

right, walk more.”

At the start of my term, I ordered the City Engineer’s Office to identify priority drainage

projects amounting to Php 96 Million to address the incidence of flooding on surface

streets. Of the 15 areas in the priority list, we were able to allocate budget for nine (9)

projects amounting to Php 57,844,927.47, eight (8) of which have already been

completed as of this year. Future budget allocation should be made for the remaining

six (6) areas. And as recommended by our Dutch consultant, we should continue to

review the 1998 Master Drainage Plan and cull out other drainage projects for

implementation. Likewise, there is need to create a plan for river flood protection and

mitigation.

Davao City was cited by the Department of Interior and Local Government with the Seal

of Good Housekeeping in recognition of our drive to advance the principles of

accountability and transparency in local governance. This award paved the way for the

grant of Php 175 Million as Local Government Support Fund for the city’s projects in

flood control and drainage, disaster risk reduction and management and the maternal

health needs of the city. Part of our drainage control measures is the acquisition of a

Php 45 Million dredging machine, which is still being processed for final purchase. The

City Government also allocated budget for the rehabilitation of the city’s irrigation

projects, the Wangan River Bank protection and construction of small farm reservoir in

Tugbok District.

The areas of Paquibato and Calinan have been beset with insurgency problems for

more than a decade now. It is our vision to introduce progress and development in the

area with a road network infrastructure dubbed “Road to Peace.” This project is made

up of thirty-nine (39) roads and has to be implemented in phases. We have funded six

(6) projects with an allocation of P106,070,000.00 under the Annual Development Fund

in the 2013 Annual Budget while two (2) projects were budgeted under the Department

of Public Works and Highways. Seven (7) of the projects have already been submitted

to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process for their consideration.

Safety and Security

Davao City has built its reputation of a strong backbone on safety and security. We

strive to improve our existing facilities to maintain peace and order in the communities.

To scale up the city’s safety and security we have created the Intelligent Operations

Unit in the Public Safety and Security Command Center. The Intelligent Operations Unit

will provide integrated data visualization, real-time situational awareness and deep

analytics that can help city law enforcement and disaster response agencies to prepare

for possible problems and coordinate their operations. This unit is supported by the

installation of 170 high-definition CCTV cameras strategically located all over the city.

We encourage the private sector to schedule a briefing for your respective security

managers so that they will be informed on how to use this service to your advantage.

With this type of technology, there is no limit to how many cameras can be put up in the

city.

We created and implemented the Davao City Police (DCPO) Office Unit Crime

Incentive Program based on the perspective that incentives can change behavior within

organizations and boost personnel morale. All police stations under the DCPO are

entitled to the appropriate monetary compensation of all cases cleared, brought to court

or solved based on actual reports provided by the City Prosecutor’s Office. This

program is based on two primary objectives which are to advocate the decrease of

crime incidence and ensure that stations are able to increase their productivity in terms

of cases cleared or solved.

I released EO No. 38 creating the Davao City Anti-Crime Unit (DC-ACU) which is a

product of collaborative partnerships by and between the City Government of Davao,

Task Force Davao, and Davao City Police Office in order to augment in police visibility

by rendering constant and intermittent patrol along busy, hectic and high risk areas.

The DC-ACU approach is anchored primarily on the initiative of addressing minor

disorders and public safety concerns in order to preempt and prevent the occurrence of

more serious crimes in the near future. Critical to the operations of the DC-ACU is to

provide resolve for common street crimes to include providing security for critical events

(large gatherings, fire, public disturbances) and traffic violations. This support group

entailed the DCPO to direct their attention to other important aspects of policing which

are on investigation and community relations.

For the period of 2010 to 2012, Philippine National Police data reflected that there was

a noticeable and drastic decrease in crime incidence by approximately 52%

representative of the 16,599 crimes which occurred in 2010 to only 7,955 crimes by the

end of 2012. For the same period, there is 59% decrease recorded for index crimes or

crimes against people and property. It is also noteworthy, that in same period the

DCPO has likewise escalated the crimes cleared efficiency by 46% in 2012 as

compared to only 17% in 2011 and 13% in 2010.

We have completed the construction of the Calinan Police Station and we can construct

more modern police stations if the Philippine National Police can provide real properties

for these permanent structures.

We supported the Bureau of Fire Protection-Davao City with handheld radios and a

repeater. This will ensure efficient communication among the BFP personnel especially

during fire emergencies and disasters. We also donated 50 complete firefighting suits

to all the fire stations in the city and 20 1½ diameter and 10 2½ diameter fire hoses. We

have assisted their data recording and documentation by the purchase of three (3)

computers.

The construction of the Multi-purpose Building at the Davao City Jail was recently

completed. We have also appropriated in the 2013 Annual Budget for the construction

of an additional building for inmates and the construction of a prayer room at the Ray of

Hope Village.

I issued EO 7 Series of 2012 creating and constituting the City Disaster Risk Reduction

and Management Council to regularly meet and manage the disaster funds of the city

and identify projects and activities for our disaster risk reduction and management

program.

Central 911 satellite stations have been established in Panacan, Toril and Calinan to

improve response time of emergency calls within these areas. We acquired a “Mass

Casualty Ambulance Bus and Medical Mobile Post” to be used for mass casualty

incidents like multiple vehicle accidents, emergencies involving several patients and

multi-incident disasters. In the event, God forbid, there is a mass casualty incident, the

ambulance bus shall be used but we continue to respond to other emergencies using

our smaller ambulances, thereby ensuring uninterrupted medical emergency service

throughout the city.

We have provided 80 units of multicabs to different areas particularly far-flung

barangays to allow them quick response in their government transactions, emergencies

and disasters.

Tourism, ICT and Agriculture

When I presented my first State of the City Address, I identified tourism, ICT and

agriculture as our priority industry sectors.

Tourism is an important sector because money from other areas spent inside the city

boosts local economy in the blink of an eye. This is the fastest way for everybody to

make money, from the expensive hotels to the sidewalk candy vendor near the hotel.

We selected a target market, launched a campaign, and created supporting variables to

the plan.

We created the Davao City: “Life is Here” campaign, presenting the city to the world as

the destination to witness how a multi-cultural populace live, work and play, all in one

place. We delivered the same campaign to the locals and encouraged Dabawenyos to

be our active partner in taking care of the city because our jobs, families, businesses

and recreation revolve in and around Davao.

We focused the campaign on the meetings, incentive travel, conventions and

exhibitions (MICE) market and this direction provided a rallying point for the city’s

tourism players and paved way for Davao City to host the successful MICECON 2013,

the 2nd Davao Investment Conference, the 1st and 2nd Sineng Pambansa Festivals and

several big conventions in the past two years.

To strengthen tourism infrastructure, we put up the Visitors’ Information Center at the

airport arrival area to assist the tourists and provide our visitors with sufficient

information about the city. The Davao City Pasalubong Center, a one-stop shopping

destination for Davao-made goods and products, is currently home to at least 30

homegrown micro, small and medium enterprises, including products made by various

women’s and indigenous groups within the city. We created more photo opportunity

spots as “go to” tourist attractions to uniquely identify their visit to Davao. These include

the Rizal Park Stage, the four Chinatown arches all generous contributions from the

private sector, and the welcome landmarks situated in the city’s main entry points: the

Waling-waling structure at Barangay Lasang, the 45-feet Philippine Eagle structure at

Barangay Baganihan and the 35-feet Durian structure at Barangay Toril.

We created a year round permanent schedule of events for the MICE market to

consider: the Araw ng Dabaw during the first quarter, Davao Summerfest during the

second quarter, Kadayawan and Pasko Fiesta for the third and fourth quarters,

respectively. We wanted to formalize the IP day in Davao to help our potential tourists

to prepare for their travel calendar and on May 2011, the House of Representatives

approved into law HB 03478 sponsored by Congresswoman Mylene Garcia, declaring

the third friday of August of every year as Indigenous People's Day and a special non-

working holiday in connection with the celebration of our Kadayawan Festival.

We partnered with the Film Development Council of the Philippines to construct the

150-seater Cinematheque beside the Davao Pasalubong Center. We wanted a facility

to showcase the artistic talent of independent local filmmakers and a place to access

foreign films, allowing Dabawenyos a peek into the arts and culture of different

countries.

We saw an unprecedented 29.21% increase in weekly flights to Davao City from

various destinations in the country as compared to that of 2011. We saw the tourism

arrivals data hit the one million mark, from 744,274 in 2011 to 1,075,000 in 2012.

The number of licensed tourism establishments posted growth in the year 2012 or a

total number of 1,284 CTOO-licensed establishments, a 10.12% increase from the

1,166 recorded licensed establishments in 2011.

Davao City remains to be in the list of Next Wave Cities of the country for 2012 as

chosen by the Department of Science and Technology and the Information Technology

and Business Process Association of the Philippines. Davao City continues to be the

area in the country that can accommodate big companies and supply quality workforce

and competent business environment for companies centered on Information

Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). Our city is now home to 90

BPOs.

Agriculture being one of the city’s major industries, the City Government has prioritized

programs that provide resources for the upland farmers and dwellers as a means to

augment their farm income. The Sustainable Agro-Forestry for Rural Upland

Communities (SARUC) program of the City Agriculturist’s Office has already produced

896,583 seedlings at the Malagos Central Nursery and 45 other barangay-based

nurseries. Further, with the help of the Department of Agriculture XI (DA XI), Fiber

Industry Development Authority and Cacao Foundation of the Philippines, 339,332

seedlings have been distributed to 10,994 farmers and upland dwellers covering 418

hectares of land. We strongly supported initiatives in the promotion of organic farming

by producing organic fertilizers and pesticides in the Malagos nursery in order to reduce

the farmers’ production cost and minimize the use of harmful chemicals in the local

agriculture industry. We partnered with DA XI and invested in three (3) units of farm

tractors with 89 rated HP, one (1) unit of farm tractor with 3.5 rated HP and for the

construction of two (2) units palay shed under rice on infrastructure and post harvest

development services. Likewise, in partnership with DA XI, we invested in irrigation &

drainage and soil conservation projects, agri-infrastructures, farm machineries and

postharvest facilities amounting to a total amount of Php 32,947,425.87 and farm-to-

market roads amounting to Php 25,513,819.85 from 2010-2013.

In 2012, we had the honor to host ambassadors from the People’s Republic of China,

Thailand, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Canada and Israel as they showed great interest

in Davao. The City Government of Davao, together with the Department of Tourism,

also conducted a business mission in Singapore last October 11 to 14, 2012

highlighting four investment priority areas: ICT, Tourism, Agribusiness and Property

Development. The mission achieved its goal of promoting Davao as a destination for

tourism and investment, and has also established contacts and linkages between

chambers of commerce and other business organizations.

Investments, Resource Generation, Economy, Labor and Employment

In the field of investment and resource generation, we have surpassed the collections

target of the city. The total number of applications received by the Business Bureau has

increased by 9.25 % from 32,700 in 2010 to 35,726 in 2012. The renewal of business

permits went up from 26,471 to 29,315 in 2012. This is a testament to the intensified

investment promotion initiatives of the City, which brought in new enterprises, resulting

to a staggering increase of 146% full time employment from a mere 6,480 in 2009 to

16,000 at the end of 2012.

The AdHoc Office of the City Building Official posted an increase in the number of

building permits issued from 3,838 in 2010 to 6,624 building permits in 2012. Value of

construction projects has increased considerably in the last 5 years. The biggest surge

was registered in 2012 with P146.6 billion or a 78.7% increase from 2011.

To maintain growth and remain competitive, the Davao City Investment and Incentive

Board submitted amendments to the Davao City Investment Code, which was approved

by the Sangguniang Panlungsod last August 9, 2012. The amended Code defined new

investment areas and provided investment incentives on projects located in preferred

areas such as Calinan, Baguio, Marilog and Paquibato Districts to encourage

development of new communities in the city’s periphery.

Data on labor force from the National Statistics Office show positive improvement.

Employment rate increased from 91.6 in 2010 to 95.4 in 2011 and is sustained within

the 95% level up to 2012. Consequently, unemployment rate was cut by almost half

from 8.4% in 2010 to around 4.6% in the last two years. The improvements in labor

force figures are in sync with the changing economic landscape of the city where malls,

hotels, and other types of property development are emerging, providing new avenues

for job-seeking participants as well as those pursuing self-employment or

entrepreneurship.

Our Public Employment Service Office was able to register a total of 25,659 job-

seekers, with 18,773 individuals placed and monitored in different companies from

2011-2013. Also, PESO has accommodated a total of 11,584 individuals through its

regularly conduct of the Pre-Employment Seminar for Local Applicants educating them

on their rights as employees.

Economic Enterprises and Cooperatives

We have also improved economic enterprises to enhance existing resources and

further boost our resource generation capabilities. The City Government, through a

Public-Private Partnership endeavor, is in the process of rehabilitating the Ma-a

Slaughterhouse with plans to fully mechanize its slaughtering operations using state-of-

the-art slaughtering equipment. This will the improve hygiene practices for the health

benefits of butchers and meat consumers. It can also become a training center for

butchers, meat processors, students and meat inspectors to enhance their skills and

knowledge in food safety. More importantly, the rehabilitation will allow our

slaughterhouse to be upgraded from Class A to Class AA accreditation once we file

with the National Meat Inspection Service.

The Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) was rehabilitated and a

passenger’s lounge was constructed in 2012. DCOTT was improved by the

construction of comfortable waiting areas, clean and sanitary restroom facilities and

promoted order with the efficient scheduling and regulation of departures to minimize

vehicle and passengers’ waiting times.

We rehabilitated the Wireless Public Cemetery with a total cost of Php 22M with the

construction of 256 compartmentalized niches and 1,368 ossuaries to ensure

orderliness and a systematic layout of graves. Phase 2 of its development is ongoing

and is set to be completed by June 2013. The project created thousands of available

burial spaces available to the general public at a lesser cost compared to private

cemeteries.

In 2012 The City Cooperative Development Office, in partnership with the Bangko

Sentral ng Pilipinas, Land Bank of the Philippines, Industrial Guarantee Loan Fund, and

the Development Bank of the Philippines, started the Php 25M Davao City Credit

Surety Fund Program to help different cooperatives and their member MSMEs for their

business enterprises through a credit enhancement scheme. This program was

launched last July 2012 wherein cooperatives in Davao City can avail of loans more

than the amount of their contribution with limited interest and no capital. As of May 31,

2013, the Davao City Credit Surety Fund has released Php 3.5M loan assistance to

cooperatives within the city.

Governance

We have made full use of the internet technology and utilized social networking sites

such as Facebook, Twitter, and the City Government Official Web Portal to allow

Dabawenyos quick access to information regarding government services, projects,

events and incidents around the city.

We also produced distinctly Dabawenyo audio-visual materials of an ecumenical

prayer, the Philippine National Anthem and Tayo’y Dabawenyo song. We have

distributed these materials to different national government agencies, schools and

private establishments for their use. We wanted our residents to be loud and proud

Dabawenyos.

We have also continuously conducted the Government Services Caravan project to

bring the services of the different government offices right to your doorstep. This

provides easy access to mobile government services and information about

government projects. We have visited barangays at least once a year for government

employees to personally assess the areas and deliver service. We recorded a 100%

visitation rate in 161 out of the 182 barangays every year since 2011.

We have started the Knowledge Management system to guide us in planning for local

government operations. Systems design development and specifications for online

transactions are now ongoing, spearheaded by the City Information and Technology

Center (CITC). In addition, our electronic Barangay Accounting System or e-BAS

provides barangay officials real-time information with regard to feedback on documents

submitted to the City Accounting Office, virtually bringing accounting services to every

barangay.

The issuance of Senior Citizen IDs is now made faster with the computerized system

developed by our CITC. We also changed the IDs from laminated paper to hard plastic,

making it more durable to wear and tear. The Office of the Senior Citizens’ Affairs

regularly conducts barangay caravans using the automated system for the issuance of

new ID Cards, replacement of the old cards and to gather a reliable database on the

number of senior citizens in the city, making it easier for the City Government to plan

programs beneficial to the elderly. At present, 23,158 senior citizens have been issued

new identification cards by the OSCA in Davao City.

I personally pushed for the inclusion of an Indigenous Peoples sector representative in

the city council so that the issues of our Muslim and Lumad residents will be firmly

heard in the formulation of legislation and will be strongly considered in any

development issues and projects of the city.

We have started the restoration of government infrastructures beginning with the

renovation of the Rizal Park stage with a design by the United Architects of the

Philippines-Davao Chapter. Our Ad hoc City Architect Office designed a common

theme for all city government buildings which we started with the repainting of the

Sangguinang Panlungsod Building and the City Hall, which was recently cited as a

historical site by the National Historical Commission.

To comply with existing national laws and improve delivery of public service in a

specialized and dedicated manner, I issued executive orders creating the Ad Hoc

Building Official, Ad hoc City Architect Office, and the Public Safety and Security

Center. The proposal for the formal creation of these offices has been submitted to the

16th Council and hopefully re-filed in the 17th Council. I intend to release an executive

order “Creating and Organizing an Interim City Transport and Traffic Management

Office” before the end of my term that may be considered by the 17th Council as well.

We were also able to institutionalize the Public Employment Services Office through an

Ordinance duly approved by the City Council in 2012. Our PESO office has been

recognized for its best practices and has been awarded the 2011 National Best PESO

Award for the Highly Urbanized City Category last October 2012.

We reconstituted The Real Property Task Force of the City to inventory all the city

government real properties. As of this date, the REPTAF has processed the transfer of

title of 107 lots in the name of the City Government of Davao since 2011. The activities

conducted by the task force are beneficial for the city in order for us to identify the

existing assets of the City Government and properly document them.

The City Government also invested in securing trademark with the Bureau of

Trademarks of the Intellectual Property Philippines for our Araw ng Dabaw,

Summerfest, Kadayawan, Pasko Fiesta and “Life is Here” logos. This is to ensure that

the integrity and the intellectual property of the logos are authenticated and protected

for continued use.

The Bureau of Local Governance and Finance recently awarded the City Treasurer’s

Office with a Plaque of Recognition for the successful implementation of the Revenue

Generation Program for CY 2011 by exceeding the total revenue targets in all major

resources: Real Property Tax, Business Tax, Fees and Charges and Economic

Enterprises. The Cooperative Development Authority awarded our City Cooperative

Development Office as the Most Outstanding Local Cooperative Development Office in

Region XI in 2012 for its exemplary performance in bringing responsive cooperative

services to the people and the community. Likewise, the Civil Service Commission has

given the City Government of Davao the re-validation of Level II Accredited Status,

recognizing the best practices of the city in human resource management.

We implemented random drug testing on the employees of the City Government. Sixty-

four percent (64%) of plantilla population has been tested. We have randomly tested

the job order and contract of service employees from the Public Safety and Security

Command Center, Central 911 and the Traffic Management Center. Nine hundred fifty

three (953) employees from these offices were tested and those who were found to be

positive in the use of illegal drugs were immediately terminated from their services.

Random drug testing in the offices should be conducted throughout the year because

drugs in the urine disappear after several days, unless the employee is a habitual user.

What I presented to you this afternoon are just a few of the accomplishments made in

service to our beloved city. Our journey the past three years have been peppered with

challenges. However, we were able to overcome obstacles that were directed our way

with the cooperation of all stakeholders. These challenges fueled us to do better for the

benefit of our constituents. I personally thank all the national government agencies,

other line agencies, the non-government organizations, the political supporters, the

business community, the association of schools and colleges, professional

associations, socio-civic groups, civil society, different religious communities and all

Dabawenyos in general. I am grateful for your full support and encouragement, most of

you are my seniors and I’m happy to have worked for you and with you at such a young

age. I thank the barangay captains, kagawads and their respective communities for

aligning your programs, activities and projects with that of my BAROG administration.

We extend our gratitude to the members of the 16th City Council, their administrative

personnel and our 2nd and 3rd Congressional Representatives.

May I request our department heads and their deputies to please stand. Ladies and

Gentlemen, I present to you: your public managers who took charge of the different

offices and supervised government employees. They all made it happen for the City

Government of Davao. Let us give them a round of applause.

It is rare for one to be granted the great responsibility of serving our country as city

mayor and vice mayor. I am truly blessed to have been given this opportunity. All the

accomplishments and recognition that our beloved city has attained in the past three

years, I share them with every single Dabawenyo. But, all that are left undone rest

solely upon myself.

Daghang Salamat ug maayong hapon usab kaninyong tanan.