Standing before his constituents as he delivered his second State of the City Address, lawyer Arth Jhun Aguilar Marasigan renewed his commitment as Mayor of the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas: “As we continue to develop and grow, our city will remain a sanctuary for all; a city that nurtures a sense of belonging and community spirit.”
Now on his third year as the city’s highest locally-elected chief executive, Mayor AJAM painstakingly devoted time and resources in collaborating with various organizations and groups to amplify marginalized voices.
Connecting with local barangays, the city government and various community leaders managed to articulate the concerns and aspirations of their constituents. It is an approach that reveals specific needs and priorities from the ground up.
“Ang bawat hakbang na ating ginagawa ay para sa ikabubuti ng ating lungsod at para sa kapakanan ng bawat isang Tomasino [Each step is for the good of the city and the welfare of every Tomasino], AJAM said.
He further impressed on the people gathered that the city government is always ready to serve with dispatch, excellence, and deep concern. “Sa nagdaang taon, nakita natin kung paano tayo nagtulungan upang malampasan ang iba’t ibang hamon, at ngayon, higit pa nating pinagtitibay ang ating mga programa at serbisyo para sa lahat [The past year witnessed our combined efforts to surmount all kinds of challenges. Now, more than ever, we will implement programs and services for the benefit of everyone].”
Together with Vice Mayor Jaurigue-Perez and the entire Sangguniang Panlungsod, AJAM reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to “render seamless social services and public service that bring essential government services closer to Tomasinos,” as manifested in the city’s Aksyon Bilis mandate.
CIVIL REGISTRATION
Central to ensuring the smooth monitoring and rendering of social services, the city government institutionalized its civil registration system—the process of recording and registering important life events and legal documents for Tomasinos.
The system included the timely and free registration of births, deaths, and marriages, as well as the free issuance of marriage licenses, certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates.
It likewise made available for free the legal copy issuances and the certified copies of civil registry documents.
This year, the City Civil Registrar’s Office (CCRO), in coordination with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), implemented the PhilSys Birth Registration Assistance Project (PBRAP).
Timed to coincide with National Children’s Month, the PBRAP is a program that helps Tomasinos register and enroll their births in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys)— the government’s central identification platform for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens of the Philippines.
LEGAL SERVICES, WEDDINGS
Some 4,000 individuals received free legal services in the form of notary and legal advice.
A total of 300 couples were married through the city government’s Kasalang Bayan & Civil Wedding program.
PASSPORT ON WHEELS
Last September, the city government encouraged interested Tomasinos to avail of the Passport on Wheels project of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Implemented by the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO), Passport on Wheels allows for the quick, complete, and accessible way of applying or renewing one’s Philippine passport. Payment is easy via electronic payment.
FULL AUTOMATION OF BOSS
The city government implemented this year the full automation of its Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) program.
This covers the processing of business permits, real property tax (RPT), Zoning, Barangay and BFP integration, including environmental clearance.
Clients can now pay their Business Tax and RPT through the Landbank Link.Bizportal.
PENSION FOR SENIORS
Senior citizens enjoy a high regard in the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas. As noted by Mayor AJAM: “The strong foundation of this city was built and raised on the productive years of our senior citizens. Kung hindi sa kanila, hindi natin mararating ang tagumpay natin ngayon [Without them, we would not be as successful as we are today]. We recognize their manifold contributions to nation-building.”
Every year, the city government hosts a Senior Citizen’s Month to celebrate senior citizens. The celebration includes a cash raffle and rice distribution. Its highlight is the recognition of centenarians.
Senior citizens regularly receive a local pension from the Sto. Tomas LGU. This year, the city government facilitated the release of local pensions to some 18,000 Tomasino senior citizens, amounting to P30 million.
Disbursed every quarter, local pensions are distributed by the Office for the Senior Citizens’ Affairs (OSCA) in this order: P300 quarterly for senior citizens aged 60-70 years old; P400/quarter (71-75 years old), and P500/quarter (76 years old and above).
Senior citizens are also entitled to free movie passes every Monday and Tuesday, courtesy of SM Supermalls, natal gift, free medicine, and five kilos of rice.
Recently, Mayor AJAM announced that beginning next year, the city’s senior citizens will receive their local pension every other month, instead of every quarter.
PWDs
About 800 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) were provided wheelchairs, crutches, walking canes, and medical equipment that included nebulizers and blood pressure monitors.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program is one of the social welfare services provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
It is given to individuals or families that are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or are otherwise in a crisis situation, based on the assessment of DSWD social workers.
These social welfare services include the provision of medical assistance, burial, transportation, education, food or financial assistance.
In disbursing the AICS, the DSWD coordinates with the Local Government Units (LGUs). The DSWD is responsible for implementing the AICS program and also serves people in need who are eligible under the program.
For their part, the LGU provides financial or material support to individuals and families in a crisis situation through funds sourced from the DSWD’s AICS program.
For this year, the government of the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas facilitated the DSWD’s disbursement of its AICS financial assistance amounting to P30 million. This benefitted some 3,558 Tomasino beneficiaries. Another 948 individuals were provided burial assistance.
FUTURE PLANS
The city government will soon complete its Paleng-QR program, a digital payments ecosystem that allows for cashless payments in public markets and local transportation, particularly tricycles.
Jointly developed in 2022 by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Paleng-QR enjoins local government units (LGUs) to push for the acceptance of digital payments among market vendors, community shopkeepers, and tricycle operators and drivers (TODA) in all cities and municipalities in the country.
This year, the city government of Sto. Tomas, Batangas issued policies and ordinances to incentivize or mandate the use of QR Ph digital payment by market vendors, tricycles, and other such merchants.
By using the QR Ph codes in daily payment transactions, business owners and their customers can expand their digital financial footprint. This will give them access to a wider range of financial services, such as credit, savings, insurance, and investment.
OFW HELPDESK
The city government further empowered its Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Helpdesk in its link-up with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
A Memorandum of Agreement, signed between the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas and OWWA, made possible the once-a-month deployment of an OWWA Welfare Officer at the City Hall’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
OWWA and PESO officers have been designated to attend to a range of needs of OFWs and their families—from employment and livelihood trainings, entrepreneurial development, and welfare assistance to social benefits, scholarships, financial management, reintegration, global emergencies, and related forms of assistance.
In so doing, Tomasino residents no longer have to go to Calamba, Laguna or Lipa, Batangas to attend to their OWWA requirements prior to working overseas.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
To date, there are 53 subdivisions in the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas. These subdivisions range from low cost and socialized housing to high-end residential homes.
On June 8, some 12 families affected by the construction of the Malvar-Sto. Tomas Diversion Road were given the keys to their new houses in Barangay San Francisco, under the city’s “Tahanang Tomasino Housing Project.”
In sum, 59 houses were distributed. Another 37 families will be provided houses, according to the City Planning and development Office (CPDO)-Housing Division.
To provide alternative homes for the affected families, the city government’s Tahanang Tomasino Housing Program provided a relocation site in Brgy. San Joaquin.
This year, the groundbreaking of affordable residences took place at Tomasino Homeville.
Mayor AJAM thanked Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for the national government’s housing project in Barangay San Joaquin.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
In November, the city government joined women and children advocates to mark the campaign to end Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC).
City officials, led by Mayor AJAM and Vice-Mayor Catherine Jaurigue-Perez, signed their names on the event’s Commitment Wall as a symbol of their pledge to fight VAWC.
Among those who likewise signed their names were the barangay captains from the 30 barangays of the city and the members of the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC)
All participants wore orange attire symbolizing hope and unity against VAWC.
NEW CITY GOVERNMENT CENTER
The National Government is providing financial support to build the new government center for the City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
Widely regarded as a great boost to the city’s economy, the new building will help realize more revenues for businessmen in the area of construction and food.
More business revenues will then lead to more jobs for workers in the private and government sectors.
