First city integrated public transport terminal, coming soon!

As one of the flagship programs of City Mayor Peter B. Miguel, the opening of an integrated public transport terminal is coming soon in the City of Koronadal to address the rising needs of commuters and passengers in the city. This will be the first ever public transport terminal that will be put up in the city. As the Administrative Seat of Region XII and as the capital of South Cotabato, increased passenger flow is expected to continue to rise, hence, construction of a spacious, comfortable and an accessible transport terminal is of utmost necessity as among the basic services of the city.

To set the project on the go, initial steps were undertaken such as the creation of “Taskforce Terminal” to spearhead the scouting of the area among others as part of the acquisition process. Ten potential areas were identified all over the city and the proposed Abella property at Pinto Subdivision, B/Zone 3 was singled out to be the most qualified and advantageous for the purpose considering the requirements set for a public transport terminal such as viability, efficiency, road user safety, people-friendliness, and environmental concerns.

Other local initiatives and pre-requisites were also conducted such as consultations and IEC to ensure transparency. The Lot Selection Committee composed of multi-sectoral members representing the local government departments, NGAs, NGOs, CSOs and the private transport group was guided by professional consultants from UP-School of Urban Planning (UP-SURP) and UP-National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) in determining the area fit for this public facility. Moreover, according to City Treasurer Gumbao, the appraisal committee employed three approaches in considering the area to include the sales comparison approach, the opinion survey approach and the cost approach to render objectivity in the process.

The request for authority to purchase is now on the committee level of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and will go through the regular processes of public hearings and consultations.

Meanwhile in an interview, City Treasurer Marloun C. Gumbao,CPA said that if ever the purchase of Abella property be finally considered, the city government could save almost 20% of the cost in buying the six-hectare lot which was originally offered for sale by the owner at PhP800 per square meter but was trimmed down to PhP 672 more or less per square meter after a series of negotiations with the owner. According to Treasurer Gumbao, the location of the proposed public terminal conformed to the DOTC guidelines on distance from the superhighway and within the 2,000 radius range from the urban center.

Construction activities for the realization of this project are expected to kick off within the year.

By: Caroline Mariano

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Aiming for excellence in public service PES to evaluate city government employees Aiming for excellence in public service PES to evaluate city government employees

To evaluate the city government employees behavior and accomplishments for an improved performance and productivity in public service, the office of the Human Resource and Management required for the submission of an Agency Performance Evaluation System or PES by all permanent, casual and regular job-order employees.

The Civil Service Commission through Memorandum Circular No.25, s.1999, Resolution No.992650 requires for the submission of PES by all local government units. According to CGDH I, Hazel A Lebanan,MM, the evalaution is indeed beneficial as it improves employees performances helping them to understand better their post achievements, improves efficiency in work and provides information on employees training and development needs. Also PES is also beneficial to the LGU as it provides systematic judgment for employees salary increase, promotion, transfer and termination. It will also be the basis for coaching and counseling of employees. The Performance Evaluation Review Committee or PERC, chaired by City Mayor Peter B. Miguel, will act upon the data submitted for appropriate actions and interventions.

During the HR Focal Persons meeting held last January 7, City Mayor Peter B. Miguel challenged all employees to get rid of the old practices and consider the new standards in public service. He emphasized that each employee has to plan his/her activities and targets for an efficient result. “As employees, go back to the basics, focus on your job and everything else follows. Create a culture extending productive hours and have enthusiasm in work,” PBM said. “Be in love with your clients momentarily. Have an eye, ears and emotion contact with them,” he further said. Before he ended his speech, he cited the city’s sister city Valenzuela saying that Valenzuela employees would always aim to have things done before the day ends and would always strive for excellence.

By: Caroline Mariano

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CRIME RATE DECREASES IN KORONADAL

Koronadal City PNP under the leadership of Police Superintendent Michael Lebanan hit their target last year to significantly decrease the crime incidents in the City of Koronadal.
The crime rate decreased by 20.17% based on statistics on all crime incidents referred and gathered by Koronadal City Police Office for the period covering January 1 until December 31, 2011. In the index crimes report for the year 2011, crimes against persons and property numbered only to 248 compared to 611 incidents recorded in 2010.

Moreover, the crime rate volume in the city numbered only to 416 cases compared to 2010 with 1,309 incidents. The total crimes cleared were 156 compared to 2010 with 339 cases; these cases were filed in court but no arrest was made to the suspect. For the total crimes solved, 138 cases were recorded for 2011 compared to 2010 with 217 cases; for these cases, suspects had been identified, arrested and cases were filed in court.

Mayor Peter B. Miguel commended the efforts of the City of Koronadal PNP for a job well done that contributed to the decrease of criminalities in the city.
The continuous campaign and monitoring of Koronadal City PNP to neutralize criminalities is still ongoing but public cooperation is still a must to maintain peace and order in the city.

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94 PUBLIC MARKET STALLS NOW OPEN FOR NEW VENTURES

“Closed” signs were posted on 94 stalls at the city public market which signaled that said stalls are now ready to accept new applicants for business.

The city government of Koronadal, through the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) headed by City Treasurer Marloun Gumbao, conducted Operation padlock on February 2, 2012 and initiated the closure of said stalls considered as delinquent in paying rental fees to the city.

Gumbao said that before they carried out Oplan padlock, series of demand letters were sent by his office to the concerned stall owners but they still failed to pay their dues until the closure period. He further said that this move would show the city’s commitment to implement appropriate measures to improve market operation and to also give justice to good payers.

Also during the operation, the team discovered that there were some stalls no longer occupied by the original applicants and already sub-leased for higher rental fees. In the dry goods section alone, sub-leasing could peg rent to as much as PhP4,500 a month while the original stall owner would only pay the city the amount of PhP999. In the fish section, the city only collects PhP300 per month but the new occupants pay PhP100 per day for the same reason. The CTO said that if left unchecked, said modus operandi would be detrimental to the market operation and would cause the cost of market goods to rise due to high rental fees.

Most of the 94 stalls that were closed were from the meat, vegetable, dry goods and the fish sections.

Operation padlock was generally smooth despite the resistance of some affected stall owners as the team explained the provisions of the local revenue code in handling their sentiments.

Application for lease is now open to interested entrepreneurs who would like to start their business at the public market.

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Four Silid Pangarap from AGAPP Foundation

The City Government of Koronadal received four classroom buildings tagged as Silid Pangarap from Aklat Gabay Aruga kaagapay sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP) Foundation. Presidential sister and Agapp chairman Aurora Corazon “Pinky” Aguino-Abellada, together with Agapp Director Gel Caguioa and Petron representative Marvie Caballa, personally attended the ceremonial turn-over of the Agapp building on February 1, 2012. The said activity was also witnessed by City Schools Division Superintendent OIC, Mr. Isagani S. dela Cruz, CESO VI. Prior to the official turn-over of the project, the blessing of the building was solemnized by Father Jo-An Paez.

Osita Elementary School and Koronadal Central Elementary School (KCES) 1 were the beneficiaries of the projects through the recommendation of Agapp Regional Coordinator for Region XII, Dr. Cesar Yabot. Through his effort and with the cooperation of City Mayor Peter B. Miguel, the quick construction of Silid Pangarap was made possible.

In her speech, Pinky Abellada expressed her gratefulness to the city government of Koronadal and the people for giving them the opportunity to put up their projects in the city. She also promised that their foundation, together with Petron, San Miguel and Purefoods Corporations as their partners, would continue to source out funds for more Silid Pangarap classrooms.

Further, Abellada explained that the focus of their projects was the kindergarten since Agapp believed that giving the children the best basic training would make them more prepared for higher level of education. However, she also said that the project would cater to grades one to three as well. The foundation does not only donate classrooms but also provides books.

By: Bic F. Manato

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