Treñas likens city to a blooming rose
City Mayor Jerry Treñas yesterday asked the cooperation of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) in its continuous effort to fulfill the vision of making Iloilo City a Premier City by 2015.
In his State of the City Address (SOCA) delivered before the members of the City Council yesterday, Treñas compared the future of Iloilo City to a blooming rose. "I ask all of you to be a part of the family that continuously takes care of this beautiful rose. For working together and being united can ensure that it grows to be the most attractive it can be," the mayor said.
All of the city government's department heads went to the City Council yesterday to listen to the mayor's SOCA.
Trenas's speech focused on the city's economic development, social development, environmental management and good governance. The projects and initiatives done by his administration represent strategic private sector investments, and civic collaborations between the city, private sector, national government and other local government units.
These programs are anchored on the UN Millennium Development Goals and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Ten Point Agenda and Super Region Economic Development Framework.
He, however, said the biggest improvement may be in the mood prevailing right now in the city's 180 barangays. "There is a general feeling of well-being among our people, the kind that does not register on the usual charts."
He added that things are getting better for the citizens of Iloilo City because there is peace and stability in the barangays. There is a business investments and job growth and a substantial reduction in crime rates and many other things.
"Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We have consistently been adjudged as the Cleanest and Greenest City in Western Visayas, one of the Dream Cities of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia and one of the five most Competitive Cities in the country by the Asian Institute of Management," Treñas stressed.
The mayor added that during his first two terms he has instituted change through outreach, collaborations and partnerships with the private sector.
He also cited major improvements in structures and infrastructures in the city, "the kind that enhances quality of life, helps stabilize residential areas, attracts commercial investments and protects the public investments in resources that are often taken for granted."