Marikina City Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro emphasized the core principles of compassionate and empathetic leadership, adaptability, and increased resilience as the local government begins a new year of public service this 2023, during his State of the City Address (SOCA) on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Speaking to the members of the City Council and other government-affiliated organizations during the SOCA, Teodoro said they are continuously working towards more "compassionate leadership," one wherein the government cares for the interests and needs of its citizens.
"Adaptability – dahil learning and thinking organization tayo. Mag-adjust tayo ng ating mga priorities at pamamaraan base sa mga pangangailangan at mga kaganapan (Adaptability – because we are a learning and thinking organization. We must adjust our priorities and methods based on our needs and on current events)," he added.
He said their priorities – order, discipline, excellence – remain the same, and they will not abandon their established principles in governance and management. However, they will further adapt them, in consideration of the opinions of the public and the varying perspectives and beliefs of their constituents.
"Compassion and empathy -- lalo na sa panahon ng kalamidad at krisis, bitbit natin sa ating paglilingkod at serbisyo ang mataas na respeto at pagpapahalaga para sa mga tao (Compassion and empathy – especially during times of calamities and crisis. In our service to the public, we carry a high respect and value for our people)," Teodoro said.
To achieve "increased resilience," the local government will continue to level up their organization and community resilience, as well as strengthen their mandate of being stewards of good health and development.
Teodoro thanked his fellow officials for their service to the public and their continued support for him in his seven years serving as mayor of Marikina.
"Good government service is the ultimate equalizer. Tayo ang pamahalaan, tayo ang lingkod-bayan, and kanilang sandigan, at higit sa lahat, ang kanilang pag-asa (We are the government, public servants, their strength, and most of all, their hope)," Teodoro said.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the last three years, which greatly tested the local government, Teodoro said the "genuine and effective service for the welfare and happiness of every Marikina family and citizen" remains their highest commitment.
Their government service is not simply "leader-centered," but relies on the cooperation and capacity of all sworn officials in the local government and members of their institutions.
Teodoro said 22 local government units (LGUs) from across the country visited Marikina for benchmarking activities to learn about the city's best programs and practices.
Economic recovery
Teodoro stressed the recovery of the city's local economy as a main priority.
He noted how the tax amnesties and other business processing policies approved by the City Council helped relieve the financial burdens of business owners in Marikina, as well as encouraged more businesses to open in the city.
A total of 2,743 new business applications and 16,242 business renewal applications were recorded by the city government.
An additional 37 million worth of business taxes were collected in 2022. From the 730 million overall collected in 2021, the collection rose to 767 million in total in 2022.
As for real property taxes, an additional 44.6 million were collected in 2022.
Teodoro said effective tax collection and giving incentives to residents such as the tax amnesties helped these achievements instead of increasing valuations of taxes.
Despite the economic recession brought by the pandemic, the city's business viability remained at high levels, Teodoro said. Many big businesses established stores in the city, which increased the employment of Marikina residents, he added.
Marikina was also noted as one of the Most Improved LGU for the Highly Urbanized Cities (HUC) category by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Most Business-Friendly LGU by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Healthcare
The mayor also reported the highlights of the government's interventions and strategies in 2022, especially on creating and implementing a "robust and compassionate healthcare system" that complies with the standards for Universal Healthcare (UHC).
Marikina is the first city to have the most Department of Health (DOH)-licensed to operate health centers, with 16 health centers.
Eight of the health centers have been accredited by the Philhealth Konsulta accreditation and passed the UHC criteria.
The city was also cited for being a Top Performing HUC for Excellent and Timely Management of Covid Vaccination Records by the DOH.
Teodoro said the city has around five million vaccination records in their database, which they can use to efficiently process RT-PCR test requests, and for Covid case management.
Among other topics discussed in the SOCA were the ongoing dredging operations for the Marikina River Restoration Project (MRRP), development of the riverpark, protection of the Upper Marikina Watershed in Rizal, and improvement of infrastructure to adapt to the changing weather patterns.