CATBALOGAN CITY-Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan pictured her city as one of the fastest booming cities in the region, if not in the country, as she delivered her fifth State of the City Address (Soca) on Tuesday (July 3).
Uy-Tan, in her more than an hour Soca held at the provincial gymnasium, said that Catbalogan City is now attracting investors which could spur its economic development and provide employment generation for its people.
In particular, the city mayor cited her ambitious Sky City Mega Project which she envisions as a new commercial area.
“It’s an ambitious project but will have a long impact to the city and its people,” Uy-Tan said in an interview.
She disclosed that the 40-hectare Sky City Mega Project, located in four contiguous villages just outside the city proper, has already attracted several investors.
One of them is the proposed Oriental Samar Hotel with the construction expected to start anytime this year.
Uy-Tan also said that the management of the SM has also signified their plan to put up their ‘full shopping mall in the area.’
It is in the area that a new city hall, occupying 1.6 hectares, will also be constructed along with different government line offices.
Residential spaces will also be available in the sprawling area, the city mayor said.
And right at the heart of the city proper, a modern four-storey market is also to rise to be constructed by the Primark Town Center.
The coming of investors to Catbalogan City, the provincial capital of Samar province, is an indication that it is now one of the fastest emerging city in the region, if not in the country, Mayor Uy-Tan said.
The investors will not only spur economic growth of the city but more importantly, provide employment to the locals, she added.
Providing jobs to her people is one of the priority programs of her administration why they have tied up with other government agencies and private companies in conducting jobs fairs, Mayor Uy-Tan said.
She disclosed that last year, for example, 2,200 people were able to find jobs because of the jobs fairs her administration has initiated.
In 2017, 1,537 establishments are operating across the city providing employment to the residents of the city, providing more than P67 million to local revenue.
Mayor Uy-Tan also said that she is pushing for the city to become a tourist hub in the region as she reported in her Soca that tourist arrivals in the city is increasing.
Last year, 95,000 tourists visited Catbalogan, which was higher compare to the more than 81,000 guests in 2016.
The operation of its Buri Airport is an addition factor why its tourism industry is slowly booming, Uy-Tan said.
Mayor Uy-Tan also said that her administration is also addressing the poor infrastructure of the city as well as its drainage problem, ensuring quality education particularly among its public schools and providing quality health services among its poor people. (JOEY A. GABIETA)