It is a general observation among Pakileños that the effective governance exercised in their town has been largely brought about by the exceptional teamwork between Mayor Vincent Soriano and the town’s Administrator, Ronald James Hidalgo.
Known to his colleagues as Admin Unad, Hidalgo takes charge of the overall supervision of municipal government operations.
Colleagues and a good number of Pakileños are one in saying that Hidalgo has proven his worth in executing the foregoing duties and functions that are vested upon him to implement, coterminous with that of his appointing authority.
He was Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member 1 for three consecutive terms. Since 2016, he was designated as Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) and Human Resources (HR) Officer, alongside being a Municipal Administrator.
Even with his busy schedule, Hidalgo very graciously gave Philippines Graphic the time to discuss in-depth essential issues concerning Pakil, Laguna.
BUDGET ALLOCATION
Hidalgo outlined three top priority areas for budget allocation. These are infrastructure, education, and health services.
Access roads—like farm to market roads—were built to enable farmers from the upland barangays to bring their crops down to the market and to utilize the farmlands located there.
As for education, the LGU chose to allocate 25% of the collected real property taxes (RPT) to fund the priority projects of all schools within the local school board, focusing on the improvement of the school facilities and hiring of additional manpower. The other half will be allocated to barangays, LGU, and the province.
For health services, the LGU has allocated P13 million to fund services that will address the health needs of the people.
On top of that budget, the LGU has allocated P2.5 million for the procurement of medicines and vitamins because, as stated by Hidalgo, the Administration of Mayor Vince believes that a healthy community shall breed a progressive and robust nation.
Moreover, the LGU is pushing for the institutionalization of the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) because even if they only have an officer to take charge of the employment program of Pakil, they are already recognized as one town with the highest rate when it comes to providing assistance to those who need jobs. Pakil is already nominated for national recognition in terms of job assistance.
MUNICIPAL INCOME
According to Hidalgo, the National Tax Allotment of Pakil increased from P83 million in 2020, to roughly P127 million in 2022.
The jump in allocation, he explained, is due to the National Devolution Transition Program that was implemented through an Executive Order (EO) by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021.
The program will fully transfer to the local government the task of delivering basic services by 2024.
“Executive Order No. 138 states the full devolution of functions, services, and facilities from the national government to local government units (LGUs), in response to the Mandanas Ruling that entitles local governments to a share of all national taxes on top of the national internal revenue taxes,” Hidalgo explained.
He added that despite this order posing a challenge to the LGU, they took it gracefully since their income has been steadily increasing because of the increasing number of new businesses as well as industrial companies that are willing to invest in Pakil.
“One investor is willing to rent for 25 years an area in Pakil that will be affected by about 100 (93.75) Megawatt Wind Farm that they plan to construct in Pililia & Jalajala Rizal, and Municipalities of Mabitac, Pangil and Pakil, Laguna. The project is still under negotiation with Vena Energy, but they are looking forward to this as this may boost their income further. Moreover, the Ahunan Hydroelectric Power Plant is already on its last stage of securing the necessary requirements. So, in general, the income of Pakil, on a per capita basis, is competitive compared to a 1st class municipality. With only around 23,000 population of Pakil, their annual income is more than enough to provide the basic services for the needs of their people. Hence, the quality of their services does not suffer,” Unad said.
Hidalgo likewise disclosed that the projected income generation from the proposed Ahunan Hydroelectric Power Plant is more or less P150 million, coming from business permits, EPIRA Law, and the Real Property Tax (RPT) that the company will pay, the land reclassification of lands around the area from agricultural to industrial that will further increase the RPT, as well as the jobs that will be generated from its operations.
Looking forward, Hidalgo stated, “once people have jobs, the LGU can now collect community taxes from them, and then more businesses will open to cater to the needs of the people.”
The Pakil LGU is also envisioning the conversion of the area into an ecotourism spot, similar to Caliraya, which will attract tourists that will in turn generate more income to Pakil and its people.
The East Bay Project, a water treatment facility constructed in the west side of Pakil, has already started generating income for the LGU through the business permits, collection of RPT, local jobs generated, as well as small businesses that start to build around the location.
Hidalgo stressed that the many investor projects open to Pakil will further move the town forward and sustain its progressive direction. “Pakil is rich in natural resources that the LGU can convert into opportunities to serve the better interests of the people, potentials that previously were not recognized,” he added.
MUNICIPAL EXTENSION OFFICE
To encourage business owners from remote places in complying with the business permit requirements, Hidalgo said that the LGU set up a Municipal Extension Office in Barangay Kabulusan that is fully equipped with a Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO). This ensured that the permitting process is done efficiently and will no longer require business owners to visit the Municipal Office.
The Kabulusan BPLO require one day for all Department Heads to be on duty in the extension office to sign papers. If processing was not completed due to circumstances that are beyond the control of the business owner, the LGU will deliver the permit to their doorsteps free of charge.
Furthermore, in the Municipal Office, they started the online processing of permits, which makes the process even more efficient.
The LGU is also in the process of implementing online payments for permits, RPT, and other government fees. There is an ongoing project with a partner company to develop an app that residents can now install in their mobile phones and utilize to pay online, as well as be updated with happenings within Pakil.
Said Hidalgo: “The full package of service was also provided by the Administration of Mayor Vince by improving the professional outlook of their services. And it all started with the people of the municipal government, equipping them with the proper tools to enable them to serve the people of Pakil with quality outputs. We hired a lecturer to give free review of the Civil Service Examinations to those who want to take the exams for their service eligibility. Moreover, we are also offering scholarships to employees who want to finish or further their education. Engagement of people is key to sustaining what we have started to ensure good governance is served to Pakileños.”
The vision of the Soriano Administration stretches beyond what the locals are perceiving at the moment. This is a good thing knowing that progress does not only lie in enhancing what already exists but also in advancing towards what will be.
“Continuity of service is the key to sustainable development, and sustainable development is a way for us to guarantee life for future generations,” concluded Hidalgo.
