Noy to local officials: No projects for poll purposes

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday called on members of the 122-strong League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) to “sacrifice your short-term political goals for the long-term requirements of attaining progress and prosperity for all people, especially the poorest of the poor.”

Addressing the 58th general assembly of the LCP at the Century Park Hotel, the President said he was aware that most mayors would seek re-election in the next few years.

“But I ask you to sacrifice your political goals by working on programs that will have long-term benefits for our people,” the President said, adding that some requests for projects were in conflict with the general interest and were for political purposes only.

Among those who attended the LCP meeting were Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and the President’s running mate, former senator Manuel Roxas II.

The President recalled his recent visit to the coastal town of Bani in Pangasinan, now a relocation site for victims of storms “Emong” and “Ondoy,” where he saw the beauty of genuine cooperation and collaboration among various sectors, including the national and local governments.

The Department of Social Welfare has provided P70,000 assistance per household while the Bureau of Mines and Geosciences certified the suitability of the site for relocation. Local and national governments poured resources into the project and the people themselves built their homes.

He also cited the fast expansion of Convergys, which added a facility in San Lazaro, Manila within three months and is now putting up another in Muntinlupa that would generate 10,000 jobs.

The President also met yesterday with executives of General Electric, which recently broke ground for its new plant in the country.

He said the company pledged to set up shop in the country during their meeting at the United Nations last year.

“There are a lot of opportunities for our country and we must be fast in grabbing them. But like in one boat, we must all row in harmony and in unison, otherwise we will not get anywhere,” the President told the city executives.

He said he would keep his doors open to hear the problems, concerns and other suggestions from mayors on how to propel the country to greater heights.

He urged them to be ingenious in the implementation of major projects, citing as example the use of coco coir in containing soil erosion and rip-rapping the slopes of the entire stretch of Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway, which was originally projected to cost P2 billion but now costs only P500 million with the use of coco coir.

“If we use our funds more prudently and wisely then we have more funds left for other projects,” the President said.

He said by 2016 “when I step down and look back with my head held high, I can proudly say that our country has truly gone a long way.”