Valenzuela to study Cebu City's fiscal strategies

CEBU, Philippines - Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian expressed his desire to study Cebu City’s best practices in local governance and have them introduced to his city.

As he plans to bring in investors, more income and more employment to Valenzuela, Gatchalian said he needs to study and learn particularly Cebu City’s revenue and investment codes.

“I want to bring in investors to Valenzuela before my term ends,” Gatchalian said. “New investment means more income and more jobs for the city and my constituents.”

But to be able to do that, he said needs to study and learn Cebu City’s revenue system and approach in luring investors, both foreign and domestic.

Gatchalian was among the keynote speakers in the recently concluded Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines’ 7th Visayas Island Conference at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City.

The 37-year-old mayor was invited to the conference after he successfully steered Valenzuela to the top of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS) last year from among highly-urbanized cities in the country.

Valenzuela topped all LGPMS categories including local legislation, revenue generation, resource allocation and utilization, environmental governance, transparency, participation, financial accountability, and delivery of basic social services such as health, housing, and peace and order.

He credited this achievement mainly to the city government’s exemplary programs, including the “Biz-Bilis” (short for Business Bilis), “Zero Graft and Corruption” and Triple-S programs, which are all aimed at improving the internal system in business permit applications.

“For me, coming from the private sector, it was very difficult to implement the ‘zero graft and corruption’ program within the local government because at that time corruption was a way of life in city hall. Marami kaming fixers, mga taong lumalakad sa loob. Kung hindi magbigay ng padulas hindi tatakbo yong ating mga papeles,” Gatchalian said.

As part of their Biz-Bilis program, he said they redesigned the Valenzuela City Hall and the workflow in the office.

Gatchalian said that they built a very big Taxpayers Lounge where free water and coffee is served. They also treat their taxpayers as customers and make sure that they have transportation service when they pay their taxes.

“Obviously if you simplify the processes, they are willing to pay their taxes and that makes the city deliver the necessary basic services,” Gatchalian said. —(FREEMAN)