GENERAL SANTOS CITY (07 February 2014) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera and the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc (GSCCCII) strengthened their partnership and promised anew to boost the city’s economy towards becoming an economic and investment center in the region.
In a meeting Friday (February 07) with executives of the chamber headed by Atty. Raul Josefino Miguel, Mayor Rivera shared with the GSCCCII his plans and directions in improving the business atmosphere of the city.
Rivera envisions GenSan to be the business and trade hub of Region 12 and he wants the GSCCCII board to be his partner in the creation of an Investment Promotion Plan, Investment Promotion Center and Business Promotion Center to maximize the capacity of the city to consolidate incoming investments and ventures.
Atty. Miguel said the chamber is very willing to lend help to the local chief executive but stated that Rivera must first amend the "General Santos City Investment Code" or the Sangguniang Panglungsod (SP) Ordinance No.13, Series of 2004.
According to Raymund Salansang, GSCCCII vice president, the General Santos City Investment Code is necessary to be amended from time after time to effectively attract both domestic and foreign investors in order to generate employment and revenue for the city.
Specifically, the Investment Code maps out the improvement areas of the Agriculture/Fishery, Manufacturing Industry, Tourism Development, Infrastructure Development and Support Services.
Salansang also said that the Investment Code provides the composition of General Santos City Investments and Promotions Board (GSCIPB) that includes the vice chairpersonship of the provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry, as required in SP Resolution No. OO1, Series of 2010.
Rivera disclosed that he has already issued Executive Order (EO) 206 for the Investment Code to be updated this year prior to attending the meeting.
He also informed the GSCCCII that he is aiming a P200 million increase in the annual revenue to be used on the city government’s projects.
Rivera reported that as of the year 2014, the city has a budget of P300 million from its own income and P900 million from Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
"We are really under budgeted but then, the current administration cannot be deterred in finding resources to injecting sustainable projects that would reinforce the growth of the economy of the city," added the mayor.
During the meeting, City Hall department heads presented their projects that would complement the objectives of Mayor Rivera and GSCCCII regarding the economy of the city.
Among these are the 1,000 plus LED lights installed in the main streets and highways of General Santos City, the proposed P608 million drainage and diversion channels to mitigate flooding, the creation of transport master plan for GenSan through the help of League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), the construction of Integrated Food Terminal (IFT) and the formation of barangay police with the assistance of Joint Task Force (JTF) GenSan and General Santos City Police Office (GSCPO).
City Planning and Development Office head Engr. Noel Cruspero also disclosed that they will amend the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of the local government before 2014 will end to locate the available areas to erect business and support infrastructures.
Atty. Miguel and the rest of GSCCCII board lauded the pipeline projects and the sincerity of the city mayor and the local government.
"We really appreciate the compulsiveness of the city mayor to coordinate with us for the welfare of the constituents of the city. And it is time once again to bounce back GenSan's economy back to its pedestal," Atty. Miguel said. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Ian John M. Lagare)
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