Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval highlighted various achievements of the local government and unveiled future projects during her second State of the City Address (SOCA) on Monday, July 1.
In her speech at the Malabon Sports Complex, she emphasized that the event was not only meant to present all the LGU’s achievements but also to encourage the residents to join the city government’s initiatives.
“Sa pamamagitan ng State of the City Address, nais nating palawakin ang inyong kamalayan sa mga isyu na kinakaharap ng ating lungsod. Sa ganitong paraan, nagkakaroon tayo ng pagkakataong magtulungan, mag-isip, at maglaan ng mga solusyon. Ito ay hindi lamang ang pag- uulat ko bilang alkalde, kundi pati na rin ang inyong aktibong paglahok sa paghubog ng ating kinabukasan (Through the State of the City Address, we aim to raise your awareness on the issues facing our city. In this way, we have the opportunity to collaborate, think, and provide solutions. This is not just my report as mayor but also your active participation in shaping our future),” she said.
“Sa nakalipas na taon, sabay-sabay nating hinarap ang iba’t ibang hamon at patuloy tayong nagsikap upang mapabuti ang ating komunidad. Ang ating tema ngayon, “Ito na ang panAHON,” ay sumasalamin sa ating pagnanais na itaguyod ang Malabon sa mas mataas na antas ng kaunlaran (In the past year, we have faced various challenges together and continued to strive to improve our community. Our theme this year, “Ito na ang panAHON,” reflects our desire to elevate Malabon to a higher level of progress),” Sandoval added.
Among the initiatives she cited were the provision of affordable housing units and job opportunities, enhancement of education quality, and infrastructure investments to improve social and financial service delivery.
She mentioned some of the achievements of the city government such as facilitating jobs for 3,393 jobseekers and work immersion programs involving 5,013 students; granting 537 housing units to residents and processing 758 new business permits with 5,633 renewals.
Sandoval also said that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) offered a 100 percent accredited program, and they allotted P154,000,000 from the city’s fund to cover the full scholarship of 6,000 students.
She said the city government launched various programs that supported 1,407 students graduating from City of Malabon University, provided financial assistance to 2,000 learners, offered educational assistance to 192 Malabueños, and facilitated the completion of training for 1,018 students of the City of Malabon Polytechnic Institute (CMPI).
The mayor also said that the city government gave quality health care to 59,746 beneficiaries in Ospital ng Malabon (OSMAL) and provided medical assistance to to 209,595 patients in health centers.
A total of 10,993 individuals received disaster reliefs, and 4,389 vegetable seeds were distributed to 4,233 residents.
She said financial aid and birthday cash gifts were given to over 6,600 senior citizens.
The city government was able to upgrade the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and the community-based Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility for e-waste.
Sandoval also cited the launch of automated city services, including the digitalized business permit transactions through partnerships with GCash and the Electronic Business One-Stop-Shop (E-BOSS).
The local government also launched the city’s tourism XP application which aims to promote Malabon’s culture, history, and arts.
During the event, Sandoval announced the upcoming projects such as dental centers, free checkups at OSMAL, and collaborations with Manila Central University (MCU) Hospital and Hi-Precision for new medical equipment.
Upcoming infrastructure projects also include the Malabon Sports Convention Center, an 11-storey mid-rise building with wet and dry markets, basketball courts, multi-purpose buildings, and multilevel parking facilities in Barangay Tañong, the mayor said.
"Magpatuloy tayo sa pagtutulungan upang ating makamit ang mas maliwanag na bukas para sa bawat Malabueño (Let us continue to work together to achieve a brighter future for every Malabueño),” she said.
The event was attended by Vice Mayor Ninong Dela Cruz, city and barangay councils, local government agencies heads and employees, beneficiaries and other guests.