TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jessie C. Mangaoang believes that this component city will have the chance to become as the Cordillera’s second charter city in the near future because of the rapid pace of development coupled with the presence of visionary leaders who are at the helm of the city government’s directions.
However, he claimed that the primary focus of the city government should be on the city’s ongoing development so that it can achieve the needed targets on internally generated resources and even population to be qualified to be converted into a chartered city and have its own Representative to the House.
“We have a solid partnership with the city’s leadership under the stewardship of Mayor Darwin Estran͂ero that is why we are closely working together to sustain the gains of growth and development in the city to realize the aspirations of our forebears. Partnership between Congress and the local government is one of the instruments to success, especially in our desire to make Tabuk a future chartered city,” Mangaoang stressed.
The three-term Kalinga lawmaker claimed that Tabuk is qualified to become a chartered city in terms of land area but there is a need for concerned sectors, especially the city government to entice investors to achieve the targeted annual income of more than PhP100 million and eventually address the population requirement fixed by existing laws, rules and regulations.
Tabuk is the third largest city in the country in terms of land area having landholdings of more than 700.1 square kilometers which is behind Davao and Ilagan cities in Mindanao and Isabela, respectively.
Mangaoang assured the city’s officialdom that he will continue to fully support the city government’s development thrusts, especially towards its goal of becoming a future chartered city, provided, that the focus that should be currently done is through coordination and collaboration with both the government and the private sector to help in speeding up the city’s pace of development.
For his part, Mayor Estran͂ero expressed his gratitude to Congressman Mangaoang for his compliments to the harmonious working relationship between the local government and the congressional offices that had been established through constant coordination and collaboration through the years.
He pointed out that the route to become a chartered city will surely be rough but the desire to achieve such goal that will contribute in spurring the city’s growth and development.
“The city will continue to establishing harmonious working relationships with other local governments and government agencies because it will surely be instrumental in helping our dreams and aspirations for Tabuken͂os. We do not want to lose track of the momentum that we were able to achieve through the years so that we will be able to reach our desired destination as a city the soonest,” Mayor Estran͂ero stressed.
He also thanked the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera for considering Tabuk City as the future regional center of the proposed Cordillera Administrative Region (CA) which will surely contribute in the realization of the city government’s development thrusts. By Dexter A. See