TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A research study conducted by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) personnel has found that Tabuk City has the hallmarks of a potential ‘Super City’ but the city’s rapid economic growth comes with ‘growing pains’ that it must address to realize its full potential.
“Tabuk City, a powerhouse in the north, has a vast territory of 64,170 hectares. As a city with a vast untapped potential, plans of development from the get-go is very evident in the city’s structure as roads stretching up to four-lanes are seen within the city, a blueprint mark of a Super City,” states DILG apprentices Joe Pablo M. Gernale and Nilo P. Campo in their policy brief presented to the Executive Committee presided by Mayor Darwin Estrañero on Monday, September 11.
“With things we have found through environmental scanning, document review, interview, and survey, Tabuk has big roads, big land areas, strong cultural ties, a presence of a master plan, novel data availability, a ten-year strategic staffing pattern, a huge number of employees and a plan to move forward into a smart city, all developments pointing towards the development and growth of Tabuk City,” the policy brief states.
However, the study has found that the city government is faced with ‘multi-faceted’ challenges that might hamper its growth. Among these are the absence of a detailed and uniform monitoring and evaluation system, an outdated capacity development plan for its employees, and the lack of harmony in the city government and line agencies’ activities.
To address these, the policy brief recommends the following solutions: the establishment of a City Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Committee and the adoption of a knowledge management tool, Governance All-In Tracker, to monitor audit assessments, evaluate outputs, and measure compliance achievements; the updating of the city’s Capacity Development Plan and the adoption of the E-IDP (Electronic Individual Development Plan) to help map out training and career development of employees; and the strengthening of the harmony of the city government with line agencies and the provincial government.
Opportunities
The study has also found that the city is sitting on an opportunity to integrate artificial intelligence into the processes of its Matagoan Bodong Coordinating Council (MBCC).
The study said the MBCC, a special body that handles conflicts and disputes between tribes under the Bodong system, is a gold mine of ‘novel data’ that could be used to introduce digital innovations in line with the city’s goal to become a Smart City.
The study also states that the city now has the opportunity to institutionalize an ‘Urban Decay Planning’ to pre-empt the dilapidation and deterioration of its buildings, facilities, and other properties.
“In the City of Tabuk, only a few visible signs of urban decay can be seen, but the rapid center-focused development of the City especially economically can lead to urban decay making now as the perfect time to incorporate Urban Decay Planning in order for the City to continue developing with the mitigated risks of incurring urban decay,” the policy brief states.
