An aerial view of Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has announced that a P3.1 billion budget from the Local Development Fund (LDF) is now ready for use in 80 barangays of the city.
The mayor said that the fund would be “efficiently” utilized to achieve the “collective aspiration” of the people for a Singapore-like Cebu City with Melbourne-like features.
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Moreover, Rama also shared his vision of transforming each barangay into “city-like” barangays in pursuit of turning Cebu City into a “super city”.
“We will endeavor to make the 80 barangays city-like barangays, and if they become city-like, the whole City of Cebu will become a super city,” he said during the flag ceremony on March 11.
The mayor, however, did not elaborate on how to make the barangays into city like barangays, but he said that he already had ideas on how to do it.
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Rama has also asked Lawyer Collin Rosell, city administrator, to start using the LDF as soon as possible, following the city’s platform of governance and the policy direction of his administration.
Various offices such as the Local Finance Committee (LFC), City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) were also instructed by the mayor to coordinate with Rosell in rolling out the projects.
City Councilor Nestor Wenceslao, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, was also tapped by Rama.
Rama then added into his speech that the city employees of each department together with some affiliated offices and special bodies, would adopt a barangay to help in executing the planned projects.
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Meanwhile, it can be recalled that last February 24, the Cebu City mayor made a promise to the Cebuanos that he would be move to transform Cebu City into a ‘Super City’ by 2031.
Rama’s ‘Super City’ vision was the highlight of the message that he delivered during the turnover of brand new dump trucks to 29 selected barangays at the Plaza Sugbo, one of the activities of the 87th Charter Day celebration. /with reports from Cebu City News and Information