Improving the internal housekeeping and bureaucratic processes are some of the highlights of Iligan Mayor Frederick Siao's State of the City Address (SOCA) Friday. On his first term as the local chief executive, Siao said at least 28 show-cause orders were issued to City Hall officials that were already looked into by the City Legal Office. "We have achieved a 70.2 percent resolution rate in handling public complaints referred from the 8888 hotline number, and that's higher compared to the previous years," he said. Hotline 8888 was established in 2016 during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte to provide immediate access to the public in reporting grievances on any government irregularities and mismanagement. Siao said there were 19 local government personnel who were dismissed after testing positive for illegal drugs. He added that the city government achieved a 95 percent immediate response rate in terms of providing free legal services. He also touted an ongoing improvement in the local governance system by installing a mechanism for document tracking and reducing red tape by monitoring the personnel's logged time and removing "fixers" in City Hall offices. Meanwhile, Siao commended the efforts of the officials in the public health department, vowing to also improve the equipment and facilities of the police. In an interview, City Councilor Nicholle Capangpangan assured her support for the programs and projects under Siao's administration even though she belongs to the "minority" at the City Council
Source: Philippines News Agency