“Persistence pays off.”
That is how DILG XII Regional Director Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III, summed up all the efforts of the local government units which had never gave up on submitting proposals and requests for funding for any project which are deemed beneficial to the community. One of these towns is the Municipality of Tantangan which formally received a P20-million public market project on March 29, 2021.
The ceremonial ribbon-cutting was spearheaded by Mayor Benjamin V. Figueroa, Jr. with RD Leysa as the guest of honor, together with DPWH South Cotabato 2nd District Engineering Office Assistant District Engineer Benedicto S. Amido. The brief ceremony also included the signing of certificates of acceptance as a symbolic gesture of the turn-over of the completed structure which will stand to benefit close to 44,000 residents in the municipality.
In her address, Director Leysa did not fail to acknowledge Tantangan as one of the few selected municipalities in South Cotabato which received sizable funding for public markets, under the programs of the Department. RD Leysa encouraged the local officials to remain consistent in their rally to request for project proposals for their municipalities. The message also came with the warning for all the residents “to take care of the projects as they are gifts from God.”
As a response, Mayor Figueroa thanked DILG Regional Director Leysa for the efforts of the Department to secure the funds for the said project. The mayor aims to secure funds for income-generating projects that will boost local economy and provide employment to the locals. Mayor Figueroa also shares the same view of RD Leysa who considers each project as one’s legacy for the community to enjoy in the years to come.
MLGOO Fiorello G. Elizaga, in his parting message, challenged the future tenants and occupants of the building to maintain the cleanliness of the whole public market area by tidying up their own spaces. “Such a practice will eventually lessen the expenses of the LGU,” MLGOO Elizaga added. “I also hope things will be more convenient for market-goers as they will no longer have to travel to the neighboring towns just to purchase their goods. Thanks to the operational public market of Tantangan,” he further stated.
From 2015 to 2020, the DILG has provided LGU Tantangan a total allocation of Php 77,617,664.00 under various programs, which include Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB), Bottom-up Budgeting – Local Government Support Fund (BuB-LGSF 2016), Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities (ADM), Assistance to Municipalities (AM) and 2019 Public Market/Farmers’ Market (Bagsakan Center) and Public Cemetery, to fund the LGU’s priority projects that will address the needs of its people.
DPWH South Cotabato 2nd District Engineering Office is the implementing agency for the project which features a two-storey building with a tiled ground floor for fish and meat stalls and a second floor with rentable spaces.
