City of San Jose Del Monte (CSJDM), Bulacan Mayor Arthur Robes on Thursday, Oct. 19, said that the long-awaited dreams or goals of the city will be fulfilled once it attains the Highly Urbanized City (HUC) status.
Robes said that CSJDM could soon be proudly compared to the cities of Metro Manila as it progresses into a vibrant and progressive city.
He said that with the Highly Urbanized City (HUC) status, San Jose Del Monte will be able to sufficiently fund and operate the city's hospital and provide better health services to its growing population.
Robes said the CSJDM, the oldest city in the province of Bulacan, is on the brink of making history.
He said that if 'YES' wins in the Oct. 30 plebiscite, the city will move up a notch higher and become classified as HUC, the ultimate level that elevates it to the same category as Makati, Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan City, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Olongapo, or Angeles City.
The residents in the city will only vote "Yes” or “No" in the Oct. 30 plebiscite which coincides with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).
Robes said that becoming a Highly Urbanized City is one of his dreams for the city and is also a long-time wish shared equally by the late congressman and former mayor Angelito Sarmiento who authored Republic Act 8797 converting SJDM into the first component city of Bulacan province on Sept. 10, 2000, and the late Dr. Eduardo Roquero, the first mayor of the city.
Envisioned by Robes as the fastest Rising City of Bulacan, SJDM has gone a long way since becoming a separate town on March 2, 1752, from Meycauayan which is now a component city of Bulacan.
Robes said facilities at the City College of SJDM will be improved and additional learning centers will open including the City Library that will cater to all Bulakenyos and residents of neighboring towns.
The city college will augment the existing Sarmiento Campus of the Bulacan State University which will also be funded to help the internet and technological needs of students. At present, most students and teachers have to contend with poor internet and basic learning aids.
Robes sees the complete digitalization of the operations of the city’s payment and queuing systems, making transactions with the city government simple and easy for its residents.
SJDM is the largest city in the whole province of Bulacan in terms of land area with a population of 651,813, which is way above the population requirement of 200,000 to be classified as HUC. Its annual income of some P2.1 billion is also way above the HUC requirement of P50 million.