Cagayan de Oro City councilors at work. GSD File Photo.
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By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .

the City Council in Cagayan de Oro on Monday approved unanimously an ordinance adopting the public-private Partnership for the People’s Initiative for Local Government (LGU P4).

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Vice-Mayor Reinier Joaquin Uy said it’s now high time for the city government to adopt all programs coming from President Rodrigo Duterte in giving a clear and progressive program handled by the private corporations in partnership with the government side.

The LGU P4 code was authored by city council’s committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry and Ways and Means chair Councilor George Goking. He said the ordinance is an approach towards development of the city.

“The code provides that any contract signed in between by the local chief executive and the private sector should be approved by the city council,” he said.

According to Goking the initial offers from the private sector were the proposed reclamation project, dredging of the Cagayan de Oro River, proposed overpass and circumferential road

City Councilor Teodulfo Lao expressed some clarification as he even pointed out that the provision of the Local Government Code of 1991 (LGC of 1991) should be followed as the basis of the local government units that all contracts must be approved the city council.

“That is the usual which the city council always authorized the mayor before signing any contract. If supposed a local investor wanted to become a partner of the LGU, they will be given equal qualification as those other investor coming from other city,” he said.

Minority Floor Leader Leon Gan said the city council should make some checking on any proposed ordinance specially that would fall to LGU P4.

Gan said members of the city council should be kin on the terms approval and authorization by the local chief executive.

Goking said his committee immediately made some amendments before it was submitted to the city council for approval.

Last week, during the meeting with the Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office and representatives of the City Planning and other concerned offices,  Goking said there is a need to thoroughly review the P4 code to ensure that there are no errors, once it is submitted for approval.

Goking said before they finalized the passage of such ordinance, the committee created a technical working group (TWG) headed by Assistant City Legal Officer Atty. Reymond Q. Villablanca, with Nimfa-Along Albania of the Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center, City Budget Officer Atty. Percy G. Salazar, City Engineer Rolando Pacuribot, and Atty. Jose Sabanal to finalize the code.

The code provides the procedure for selecting a private sector proponent, adapts a contract and management framework for the purpose.

It was learned that the draft is adopted from the template provided by the DILG in its Memorandum Circular No. 2016-120. It provides the guidelines for the private sector participation in the provision of public infrastructure and social services.

The code aims to provide better, affordable and timely services to the community and ensure that these projects are feasible, affordable and bankable.

 

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