ANGELES CITY — Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr., having exactly 344 days serving the city, said he will not slow down, but remain steadfast more than ever and hold true his promise that “No Angeleño will be left behind.”
One of the highlights of the mayor’s 5th State of the City Address, which he delivered on June 24, 2024 at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Legislative Building, is that for the past five years, he has received 27 awards and citations.
“For the past five years — three and a half years spent in a pandemic — the city government received a total of 27 awards and citations, a testament of our commitment to quality public service,” Lazatin said.
Among the recent feathers in the cap of Mayor Lazatin was Angeles City being hailed as one of the largest urban economies in the world, ranking 5th in the Philippines, according to the UK-based thinktank Oxford Economics.
Apart from this are notable awards recognizing the leadership of Mayor Lazatin, among which are the Seal of Good Local Governance, SubayBAYANI, Gawad Kalasag and Gawad Makabata, while the city was a National Finalist for Walang Gutom through the Walang Plastikan: Plastik Palit Bigas project.
Lazatin said during his SOCA that these awards were achieved with the help of all Department Heads, Chief of Offices and his fellow government employees, which kept the firebrand leadership of Lazatin burning.
Lazatin thanked their support and dedication, making them the true and modern heroes, also citing the Angeles City Council led by Vice Mayor Ma. Vicenta Vega-Cabigting, and the Barangay officials.
In his report, he also said the construction of the 7-storey new Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center, formerly known as Ospital Ning Angeles, is now at 70%.
The new Level 2 RLMMC will be inaugurated in October 2024 to better serve Angeleños.
The mayor also mentioned that the city will soon have nine more primary health care units, to be completed by November 2024, located at Barangays Pulungbulu, Pulung Maragul, Cutud, Anunas, Capaya, Amsic, Tabun, Malabanias, and Balibago.
“With a population of 450,000, Angeles City must have 15 primary health care units,” Lazatin said.
Other infrastructure projects, amounting to P715 million, are expected to be finished by 2024-2025, while state-of-the-art computer labs will rise in 5 public schools in the same years.
Additional CCTV cameras will also be installed in major roads and completed by December 2024.
For health, Mayor Lazatin is targeting zero malnutrition this year, while free pap smear, circumcision, and provision of basic medicines will be continuous under his administration. Moreover, employees, barangay workers and PUV drivers will be tested for drugs.
Meanwhile, the city government has alloted P37 million for new plantilla positions, and will continue to provide cash assistance to seniors, PWDs, solo parents, transport, LGBTQ, among others.
For the environment, the Lazatin administration will continue to plant trees at the Watershed, where it has already planted 79,000 mixed seedlings.
The mayor also said he will not stop until the Bases Conversion and Development Authority awards stewardship of the 560-hectare watershed to the city government.
The city will also fully implement segregation-at-source after completion of the P68-million waste transfer station, and will soon be shifting to renewable energy by installing solar panels.
The mayor also mentioned that the city will distribute 45 sqm each to displaced families in Sitio Balubad in Anunas.
In ending his report, Lazatin said he will dedicate himself in ensuring a more progressive Angeles City.
