Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is expected to list his accomplishments when he delivers his State of the City Address (SOCA) at 5 p.m. today at the Plaza Independencia.
His biggest achievement, in terms of revenue generated for the city government, is this week’s successful bidding of two lots at the 300-hectare South Road Properties to an SM-Ayala consortium and to Filinvest.
The city government stands to raise about P16.7 billion from the sale.
The auction was the highlight of his speech at the City Council’s inaugural session last Wednesday and was among the thrusts he listed when he started his second term in 2013.
What other items in Rama’s to-do list have been accomplished?
Based on his 2013 inaugural address, Cebu Daily News reviewed how Rama has fared so far.
In 2013, Rama said he wanted to stop the “hemorrhage” of City Hall funds due to debt payments for the 300-hectare SRP.
The city expects to collect this year P349 million from SM Prime Holdings, Inc., which is developing the 30-hectare SM Seaside Complex, and P141 million from Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI), which is developing the 50-hectare City di Mare at the SRP.
The City Treasurer’s Offfice received this week checks for P1.7 billion representing the 10 percent security bond for the two lots, from highest bidders SM-Ayala consortium and Filinvest.
With the improved revenue situation, the mayor may announce today that Cebu City will pay off its P4-billion SRP loan from Japan, which has yet to be converted to a peso loan.
Reblocking and widening of roads as part of disaster preparedness were also identified by the mayor as a major concern.
Reblocking has been done in several urban barangays. A system was also developed by the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) to provide packed meals to fire victims for three days as well as handing of disaster kits, housing materials and financial assistance.
The city established in March 2014 a 24/7 Command Control Center (C3), which residents can contact during emergencies.
Helping senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) was another priority.
The annual cash aid to around 60,000 senior citizens was increased to P12,000 from P7,000.
About 10,000 PWDs now receive P5,000 a year from P3,000 in 2012.
Distribution of the cash aid was done at the barangays for the convenience of beneficiaries. The cash was released by installment, depending on cash availability in City Hall.
Traffic remains a major challenge, especially along the Banilad-Talamban corridor, Escario St. and Juan Luna Ave.
Mayor Rama said he wanted to rehabilitate the city’s traffic signal system, a project that would cost around P800 million, but it hasn’t been done.
It was during Rama’s second term that the P10-billion Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project was approved by President Aquino and the World Bank. Consultants are in Cebu to conduct a detailed engineering design study.
Garbage disposal is also a problem, especially with the closure of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill last December. There was no plan in place on how the city would manage its waste after that.
A comprehensive drainage masterplan still has to be updated. A senior citizens’ park, Magellan’s Park, a new building for the city’s civil registrar’s office were built. A satellite City Hall in the mountain barangay of Taptap was also established.
The mayor, who is seeking a third term in 2016, has some of these priorities in his to-do list.
“I never made promises (in 2013). I only made a list of things we should be focusing on. Promises are made to be broken,” he told Cebu Daily News.
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