A well-deserved standing ovation from a grateful citizenry concluded the final report rendered last week by outgoing Mayor Samuel Laynes, who left behind over P1-billion worth of completed, on-going and soon-to-be-implemented development projects to the new administration.
With Vice Mayor Arlynn Arcilla and six councilors present, Laynes expressed hope that the new leadership led by Mayor Sinforoso Sarmiento will continue what he had started and have been dreaming of for the municipality.
He attributed the resounding success of the past three years to the unwavering support of the municipal; work force and the cooperation of the community.
“For this reason, I am appealing to you to support whatever plan the new administration is preparing for the municipality that I am confident is for the betterment of Virac,” Laynes told a sizeable crowd at the CSU Auditorium in the morning of June 27, 2019.
The appreciative audience included Bishop Manolo delos Santos, outgoing Councilors Virgilio Candelaria, Hermin Zafe, Amador Abichuela and Nel Asanza, reelected Councilor Reynante Bagadiong and incoming Councilors Ephraim Antonio Gianan and Juan Paolo Sales, Liga ng mga Barangay president and ex-officio Councilor Hazel Isidoro and over 50 barangay captains, national agency heads and representatives, senior citizens, department heads and municipal employees, and plain citizens.
Laynes’ report and video presentation, which focused on his 10-point agenda, were interrupted several times by applause from the audience.
The report, he clarified, included only the most notable of his administration’s accomplishments from 2016 to the first half of 2019, including on-going projects as well as funded projects still to be implemented in the latter part of the year.
Among the significant achievements of the Laynes administration cited in the report included the SAM Eco-Carts for 63 barangays, Bote ni Sammy project that collected more than 200,000 eco-brick bottles of plastic waste, rotary composters that produced a ton of organic fertilizer from market waste, reconditioned speedboat and six Bantay Dagat motorized bancas for the protection of municipal waters;
Maintenance of the fish sanctuary and marine reserve and protection of Takot reef; 75 housing units for informal settlers; completion of tourism development plans; Gulayan sa Paaralan, Barangay at Komunidadl 12 units wind pump for irrigation; P3.3-M community fish landing at Ibong Sapa; P1.96-M Buyo Birthing Facility (Buyo RHU), P3-M National Childhood Center for Development at San Isidro Village;
Rehabilitation of VIWAD’s Cauayan water system (P45-M); construction and repair of health facilities and evacuation centers; three ambulances for use of RHU, PWD-service tricycle and 60-seater bus for senior citizens; 419 units of household toilets for 49 barangays; dietary feeding program for malnourished children and milk supplements for malnourished pregnant mothers; vehicles, communication equipment, weapons and training for the Virac police station;
Improvement in the collection of Real Property Tax and Business Tax and provision of vehicles for key departments; completion of salary adjustments; automated payroll system and gratuity pay for job order employees; and the formal signing of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with municipal employees.
The performance of the municipal government during his term earned it the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award for 2016 and 2017 as well as the Certificate of Recognition under the same program for 2018 for passing six out of the seven Local Governance Assessment Areas.
Aside from various recognitions from various national agencies such as DOH, DSWD, DA, DSWD, DOLE, DTI, the Civil Service Commission and PNP, the Laynes administration was given the prestigious Saringaya Award in 2017 and a special citation for environmental protection during the 2018 event from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
On the other hand, the on-going projects include the rehabilitation of the Virac Public Market for P50 million and the construction of the regional evacuation center and two buildings of the Rural Health Unit at the Virac Community Hub in San Isidro Village which is the site of the proposed Department of Justice-funded provincial prosecutor’s office building and the proposed new Virac Fire Station.
Laynes also disclosed that his office already signed the memorandum of agreement covering the rehabilitation of the Virac Resettlement Project in Sto. Domingo two months ago with the P114.6 million project funded by the National Housing Authority (NHA).
He added that the P500-million Our Lady’s Village Residential Housing Project in San Isidro Village also funded by NHA was supposed to see its groundbreaking ceremony last Friday, June 28, but the NHA decided to postpone the event to a later date as President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly wants to attend the ceremony.
A list of projects for the municipality secured by Laynes through then Congressman Cesar Sarmiento for 2019 under the DPWH infrastructure program includes the following projects: P99 million for road widening, P15 million for widening of Palta bridge, P160 million for flood control structures; 15 multipurpose buildings, P50 million for the rehabilitation of Virac public market, P30 million for the Cauayan water system, and P179 million for road construction and concreting.