Codilla leaves PHP1.3B to Mayor Richard Gomez

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, July 1 (PNA) -– A day before he stepped down from office on Thursday, Ormoc Mayor Edward Codilla left the local government unit (LGU) in its best financial shape ever despite the devastation caused by super typhoon Yolanda.

This would enable Mayor Richard Gomez to pursue his plans smoothly considering that roadblocks have already been removed.

For starters, Codilla will leave almost PHP1.3 billion in cash deposited in 13 bank accounts, 

distributed to as follows: General Fund Proper, over PHP1 billion; General Fund Royalty, PHP23.3 million; and Special Education Fund, almost PHP1.3 million. Best of all, the LGU is debt-free.

Codilla also put in place measures that would assure more revenues from the LGU’s economic enterprises. One of these is the Superdome wherein the previous administration subjected the rental rates of all its 25 stalls to bidding for the first time late last year.

The starting price for the bidding was pegged at the prevailing rate of PHP150 per square meter for the 16 stalls on the ground floor and PHP100 per sq.m. for the nine stalls on the second floor.

Beginning July, the new rental rates on the ground floor is pegged at PHP200 to PHP375 per square meter while on the second floor at PHP150 to PHP200.

This will result to a projected 57.6 percent increase in the total rental rates of the Superdome stalls from PHP188,576 in June to at least PHP297,290 every month beginning July. The computation didn’t include two vacant stalls and another one occupied by the Commission on Elections free of charge.

Furthermore, Gomez will not have to deal with reconstruction, resettlement and other matters pertaining to Yolanda as the previous administration has taken care of all the cleanup and rebuilding, along with other contentious issues like the distribution of the Emergency Shelter Assistance.

Finally, the new Gomez administration will benefit from the high impact projects implemented by his predecessor like the PHP19.4 million rehabilitation of the city hospital, PHP13.5 million CCTV 

system as well as the acquisition of six garbage compactors worth almost PHP31 million, five dump trucks worth almost PHP23 million, six police vehicles worth PHP4 million, emergency rescue truck worth almost PHP4 million, heavy duty ambulance worth PHP2 million and many more. (PNA)
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