- The Gavel
- Dec 11
THE 21ST City Council, led by Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, approved the city’s Farm-to-Market Roads Network Plan (2025–2028), Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Plan (2025–2028), and the updated Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (2022–2031).
The three thematic plans endorsed by the 17th City Development Council (CDC) are seen to guide the city’s development trajectory in the coming years.
The Farm-to-Market Roads Network Plan (FMRNP) prioritizes the construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading of key rural road infrastructures to enhance connectivity, boost agricultural productivity, and improve market access for farmers and fisherfolk.
Complementing this, the City Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Plan (CAFMP) aims to modernize the sector, increase labor efficiency, and strengthen competitiveness through the adoption of mechanization technologies and integrated systems.
Meanwhile, the Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (ELCCAP) offers a comprehensive framework for local adaptation and mitigation measures, aligned with national directives and international climate commitments.
Aside from supporting the RISE Agenda of the city, the plans are mandated by national policies and are crucial for compliance with major governance and performance assessment frameworks, including the Gawad Kalasag Awards and the Seal of Good Local Governance. (FDC/SP)
- The Gavel
- Dec 11
WOMEN-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the city will soon benefit from strengthened training and capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing their overall business competencies.
This, after the 21st City Council approved the ordinance authorizing City Mayor Rolando A. Uy to enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) – Cagayan de Oro Campus, represented by its System President, Dr. Ambrosio B. Cultura II.
The partnership seeks to equip women-led MSMEs with targeted training programs and other capability-building interventions, including those focused on digital skills.
Under the MOA, USTP will, among other responsibilities, provide qualified resource speakers and relevant training materials, secure a suitable training venue, administer pre- and post-assessment tools, and consolidate program data.
The City Government, for its part, will identify, screen, and confirm qualified participants; promote full attendance and active participation; and support program documentation and logistics, among other duties stipulated in the agreement.
The measure was reviewed and endorsed by the committee on women and family relations and the committee on laws and rules, chaired by Councilors Des Dahino and Edgar Cabanlas, respectively. (SPE/SP)
COUNCILOR Maximo T. Rodriguez supported Councilor Gilda Go’s special report on the issues surrounding the senior citizens’ purchase booklet, describing the current situation as a “clash of policy and practice”.
Go reported complaints from senior citizens about the incomplete and selective implementation of the “no booklet” policy for availing statutory discounts on medicines and essential medical goods.
Rodriguez said that while the booklet was originally intended to help monitor purchases it has ironically become a barrier to the very privileges it was meant to protect.
He emphasized that forgetfulness is a natural part of aging, and denying seniors their rightful benefits simply because they fail to bring the booklet is “the height of injustice.”
Rodriguez also announced that on November 21, 2025, he filed an ordinance seeking to remove the requirement for commercial establishments to demand the purchase booklet from seniors when availing discounts on goods, especially medicines.
The proposed measure is set for committee deliberation next month.
The proposed ordinance adopts FDA Circular No. 2025-005, anchored on RA 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act) and DOH Administrative Order 2024-0017, which clearly state that the law does not require senior citizens to present a purchase booklet.
Instead, only a valid ID proving age and birthdate, and a prescription, when necessary, are required.
Rodriguez said he welcomes further inputs from the Council to refine and strengthen the ordinance, with the goal of ensuring that senior citizens fully receive the privileges due to them. (JDO/SP)
