The city of Manila recently released another P28.25 million in supplemental budgets to its barangays as Mayor Joseph Estrada promised to increase their funds through the new reclamation projects rising in the city, particularly the Solar City venture that would generate billions in additional revenue.
In a recent speech where he distributed checks to 70 barangay officials, Estrada said he is “working hard to effect inclusive growth” for the previously bankrupt city by supporting ventures such as the multibillion-peso Solar City project at Manila Bay that will bring more jobs to the people.
“This will provide a lot of jobs and huge income for the city government,” Estrada said. “With huge revenue, we can do a lot of projects.”
Referring to the benefits the Solar City project would bring, Estrada pointed out: “’Di naman sa akin napupunta, kundi sa inyong mga barangay chairman at mga residente (This is not for me, but for you, barangay chairmen and your residents).”
“This is why we should be thankful to President Duterte. He approved all these three reclamation projects,” he added.
Solar City, planned to be a state-of-the-art tourism, commercial, and residential district, is projected to generate up to P17 billion in taxes every year on top of the P10 billion in real property taxes for the city government.
Manila’s annual income averages P8 billion, “so this is like doubling our yearly income,” Estrada added.
The project is expected to generate 100,000 jobs during its construction phase and up to 500,000 more once it becomes operational, which Estrada believes would help Manila’s unemployment situation.
With Duterte’s approval of the project, Estrada said the city is almost finished processing the documentary requirements and clearances of Manila Goldcoast Development Corp., which won the joint contract to develop Solar City back in 1991.
The project is on top of the planned expansion of the Manila Harbour Centre in Tondo, which also has the support of Malacañang. The port expansion, a joint venture agreement of Manila and R-II Builders Inc., also requires the reclamation of 50 more hectares of Manila Bay.
Recently, the city released about P300 million to different batches of barangay chairmen as their supplemental budget for 2016.
In releasing the supplemental budget, Estrada said he is confident the barangay chairmen will use the additional funds to carry out programs and projects that would directly benefit their constituents in the communities.
After wiping out the city’s P5.5-billion debt left by the previous administration and securing enough funds through improved revenue collection and updated tax rates, Estrada doubled the aggregate budget allocation for the 896 barangays from P950 million in 2014 to P1.96 billion in 2015.
The budget hike allowed the barangays to implement their own projects, mostly on crime prevention, emergency and disaster response and the improvement of health care services and facilities.
Solar City entails the creation of three islands totaling 148 hectares in the Manila Bay, where business centers, residential and commercial properties, and tourism facilities, including an international cruise ship terminal, will be put up.
Solar City aims to be the new gold standard for cities in the Philippines. Designed to be green, self-sustaining, and innovative, Solar City will be the first of its kind in using renewable energy from solar, wind, and biomass sources; utilizing urban farming; and capitalizing on a modern waste management system to dramatically reduce organic waste.
With traffic in Manila a burdensome problem for most residents, the designers of Solar City envision dedicated walkways and a monorail system to reduce the need for cars and bring tourists and visitors around hotels, convention centers, and even an artificial beach to make Manila good enough to be dubbed the “Dubai of Southeast Asia.”