4.1
Visioning
Workshop
4.1.1
Introduction
A month after the
Issuance of the Notice to Proceed to U.P. PLANADES
by the city government of Zamboanga on July 23,
1997, the Visioning Workshop was held 23-24
October 1997 at Grand Astoria Hotel, Zamboanga
City. 138 participants attended the workshop (see
list of participants in the pages of this
chapter).
The workshop was
organized as part of the preliminary activities in
participatory planning in the preparation of the
Master Development Plan of Zamboanga City.
4.1.2
Proceedings
of the
Workshop
-
Mr. Andres F.
Tingcang, Assistant City Planning and
Development Officer opened the workshop.
-
The Keynote Address
was given by the City Mayor, Hon.Vitaliano D.
Agan sharing the City’s major concerns which are
as follows:
Ø
High
magnitude of poverty in the City, at a rate of
43.55% families living below the subsistence
threshold. This is based from MBN survey conducted
in 63 barangays, which bring about social problems
such as malnutrition, crime and drugs and
mushrooming of squatter colonies or the spread of
urban blight, high illiteracy rate, many unskilled
laborers and inadequate basic and support
services.
Ø
Low
productivity, both in agriculture and industry.
Farmers need to be trained with modern farming
technologies and practice and facilitate their
access to loan availment programs; rampant
conversions of prime agricultural lands into other
uses must be controlled.
Ø
The need
for the development of Agri-Estate and
Sub-Industrial Estate.
Ø
Local
Investment Ordinance must be enacted to support
local industries;
Ø
Trade
mission and Trade Fairs must be held often;
Ø
Construction of basic Infrastructure facilities
such as modern seaport and airport and roads;
Ø
The
identification of a new central business district
(CBDs);
Ø
Environmental degradation;
In summary, the City
is envisioned to become the hub of economic
activities in ASEA and EAGA; people are alleviated
from poverty; more livelihood opportunities for
the people; improvement in economic productions;
more equitable distribution of economic benefits
and services; enhancement of basic and social
infrastructure and support services and above all
a sustainable type of development.
-
Mr. Juan R. Gaspar,
the City Planning and Development Coordinator
read the message of Governor Roldan B. Dalman of
Zamboanga del Norte with a message that there
exist a symbiotic relationship between local
government units that any growth and development
occurring in one LGU will affect its
neighboring LGUs and that the success of the
City would be the success of the region.
-
NEDA Regional
Director Rafael Evangelista shared the message
of RDC Chairperson Gov. Real with the following
concerns: conduct the planning a consultative
process; give some thoughts on the indications
for the regions such as major road projects,
transfer of the airport, developmental of Bog
Lake.
-
Finally,
Congresswoman Maria Clara L. Lobregat, the lone
district representative of Zamboanga City
emphasized that aside from those mentioned
earlier by the speakers, the planners should
also explore the potentials of the city in the
areas of tourism, sports development, education
among others. She also mentioned the possible
transfer of the city hall and the development of
the east and west coastland most of all the
development of Zamboanga as a City of Flowers.
-
Presentations on the
Situation Analysis were made by Ms. Corazon P.
Jose for Demography aspects; Architect Roquito
V. Bellosillo for Land Use; Dean Honorado R.
Fernandez for Urban Design; Dr. Ricardo G. Sigua
for Transport; Prof. Manuel L. Javier for Human
and Social Development sector; Ms. Marideth R.
Bravo for Agriculture sub-sector, Ms. Annelie R.
Lontoc for the Trade and Industry sub-sector and
Dr. Zenaida A. Manalo, Tourism Sub-sector for
the Economic Sector; Mr. Jose M. Regunay for
Environment Studies; Dr. Norman R. Ramos for
Finance and Dr. Benjamin V. Cariño for
Administration aspect.
-
After the Open
Forum, which was moderated by Mr. Juan R, Gaspar,
the participants were assigned into nine (9)
workshop groups.
-
An Open Forum
following the Group Reports gathered final
concerns from the participants, after which a
council of leaders was organized to come up with
the City’s general vision that was approved by
the participants. Mr. Juan R. Gaspar closed the
workshop formally.
4.1.3
Summary
of Reports
Economic Sector
Agriculture
Sub-sector
Vision:
Viable and vibrant
community characterized by empowered population
with sustainable agriculture development leading
to economic surplus and self-sufficiency.
Goals:
Ø
To
uplift the socio-economic condition of farmers and
fisher folk
Ø
To
ensure food security in the City
Ø
To
promote sustainable agricultural and fisheries
development
Ø
To
develop self-reliant and self-help communities
Ø
To
increase value added from agriculture, marine and
aqua products
Objectives:
Ø
To
improve the income levels of farmers and fisher
folks
Ø
To
increase food production in the City
Ø
To
preserve/conserve agriculture and marine resources
Ø
To
provide livelihood opportunities to farmers,
fisher folks, women and youth sectors of the
communities.
Ø
To
promote agriculture and marine based processing
Strategies:
Ø
Establish linkages of agri –marine and products
for foreign export markets
Ø
Organization and strengthening of farmers and
fisher folks association (cooperatives)
Ø
Provision off financial assistance to farmers ang
fisher folks
Ø
Provision of technical assistance to farmers and
fisher folks
Ø
Infrastructure support from the government 9fram
to market roads, irrigation, and post harvest
facilities, etc.)
Ø
Strict
enforcement of existing laws on fisheries
Ø
Legislation of stronger laws on fisheries
Ø
Implementation of Magna Carta for farmers
Ø
Establishment of “bagsakan center”
Ø
Establishment of livestock auction market and
abaitor
Ø
Research
and development for agri-products and fisheries
Ø
Proper
representation of farmers and fisher folks in the
local legislative body
Ø
Establishment of processing plants for fruit tree
(mango, durian, papaya, banana, cassava, etc.)
Trade and Industry
Goals:
Ø
To
generate employment opportunities and attain
sustainable growth and development
Ø
To
create and develop an attractive business
environment that would create and develop globally
competitive enterprises
Objectives:
Ø
To
increase industrial productivity through the
development and use/adaptation of superior
technology
Ø
To
create a highly productive workforce through
continuing Human Resource Development
Ø
To
develop and sustain private sector initiative to
ensure aggressive participation
Ø
To
enhance access of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
to support assistance
Ø
To
contribute to the protection of ecosystem through
the promotion of environment-friendly industries
Ø
To
evolve the city into the premier shopping capital
in Mindanao and BIMP-EAGA
Strategies:
Ø
Strengthen science and technology infrastructure
Ø
Establish and develop a science community
Ø
Promotion of transfer of environment-friendly
technology
Ø
Undertake training programs designed to upgrade
the skill of the workforce
Ø
Enactment of Local Investments Incentives Code
Ø
Aggressively sell the Ecozones and Freeport
Ø
Establish one-stop-shop center for trade and
investments
Ø
Encourage the utilization of local raw materials
Ø
Strict
compliance with environmental protection laws
Ø
Establish a world-class mail with diversified
products and services supported by massive market
promotion
Ø
Promote
the development of a fashion industry
Tourism Sub-sector
Vision:
Ø
To be a
tourist paradise
Ø
To be a
dynamic and progressive gateway city showcasing
the rich, natural, cultural and historical
heritage and diverse resources.
Goal:
Ø
To
develop Zamboanga City as a premier tourist
destination
Objectives
Ø
To
identify, enhance and preserve historical and
cultural attractions of the City.
Ø
To
develop potential tourist sites and attractions
Ø
To
enhance existing facilities of recognized tourist
locations
Ø
To
preserve the natural environment, historical and
cultural heritag
Ø
To
promote the tourist sited to maximum number of
potential visitors
Strategies:
Ø
To
develop and strengthen inter-agency linkage in
developing the tourism potential of the City
Ø
To
develop complimentary and integrated tourism
packages linking different tourist attraction
Ø
To
further enhance the incentive program to private
sector
Ø
To
foster the participation of the private sector as
the lead agency in tourism development
Ø
To
embark massive urban renewal and physical
improvement
Ø
To
clean, green and beautify the City
Human and Social
Development Sector
Social Welfare,
Education, Health and Protective Service
Sub-sector
Vision:
Empowered individuals,
families and communities with capability to
improve their quality of life, perform expected
roles through strengthened coping mechanisms and
meet minimum basic needs
Goal:
People who are
educated and cultured, healthy and well-nourished,
economically stable, progressive and self-reliant,
living in the peaceful co-existence with one
another and in harmony with the environment
Objectives
Ø
Attain
health for all in the year 2000, health in the
hands of the people by the year 200
Ø
To
improve literacy rate from 82% to 95% by year
2012.
Ø
To
improve the welfare and ensure integration of the
disadvantaged group into the political and
economic mainstream of society with the ultimate
aim of attaining improved quality of life
Ø
To forge
a new social compact for a just, equitable, humane
and pluralistic society.
Ø
To
produce physically fit and high caliber
individuals capable of competing in sports locally
and globally.
Ø
To
improve the peace and order situation of the city.
Strategies:
Ø
Enhancing active community participation
Ø
Strengthening government and non-government
collaboration
Ø
Promotion and maintenance of child health through
strengthened safe motherhood, breastfeeding and
improved weaning, universal immunization, control
of diarrheal diseases and respiratory infection
and other existing public health programs.
Ø
To
increase literacy through formal and non-formal
continuing education
Ø
To
improve quality of the delivery of education
services at all levels
Ø
Minimum
Basic Need Approach
Ø
To
integrate on the curriculum concepts of “unity in
cultural diversity”
Ø
To
heighten awareness of cultural integration through
the celebration of festivals, rites, etc.
Ø
To
promote the formation of multi-cultural,
multi-religious association of groups.
Ø
Expansion of leisure, recreation, culture and
sports at the barangay level.
Ø
Improve
the police visibility through “cops on the block
system
Ø
Cops
through community oriented police system
Housing Sub-sector
Vision:
A garden city:
ecologically balanced, globally competitive,
economically enriched and empowered citizenry.
Goal:
Ø
Descent
housing for all
Ø
Self-sustaining community
Ø
Land
banking for socialized housing
Objectives:
Ø
To
identify, acquire and develop suitable relocation
sites for 1,600 units/year
Ø
To
provide livelihood opportunities for the
unemployed in the relocation sites
Ø
To meet
immediate housing assistance to victims of man
made/natural calamities
Strategies:
Ø
Cooperative housing
Ø
Provide
skills training and other forms of HR
Ø
Prepare
participants for Community Development/Barangay
Development
Environmental
Sector
Goal:
To promote sustainable
environment that will accelerate economic growth
and improve the quality of life of Zamboangueños
Objectives:
Ø
To
restore the productive capacities of
forest/watershed areas
Ø
To
effect a rational land use allocation scheme for
the conservation of forest/watershed areas.
Ø
To
institutionalized appropriate tenurial arrangement
within the watershed areas
Ø
Ti
promote the adoption of safety nets that will
minimize the negative impacts to the environment
within the ecozone including surrounding areas and
communities
Ø
To
promote ecologically sound waste management
through waste minimization and re-use.
Ø
To
improve the sewerage system of the City
Ø
To
improve the over all quality of the rivers and its
tributaries for public water supply, contact
recreation, propagation and growth of fish and
other aquatic resources, boating and industrial
water supply and other purposes
Ø
To
provide a mechanism that will handle a disposition
of toxic and hazardous wastes.
Ø
To
improve the air quality level within the urban
area
Ø
To
institute environmental measures that will
regulate the extraction of sand and gravel
especially along the coastal area
Ø
To
ensure potable water supply
Ø
To
effect a rational resources allocation strategy
for the development and the management of coastal
resources.
Ø
To
institutionalized measure to build-up LGU
capability in the area of natural resources and
environmental management and development
Strategies:
Ø
To
actively pursue the proclamation of the six (6)
identified watershed areas
Ø
To
initiate the formation of Watershed management
council
Ø
Undertake zonification of watershed based from its
classification/uses
Ø
To
pursue deputation of personnel/staff from partner
institution
Ø
To
promote partnership among LGU, NGOs, NGAs, private
sectors in the protection and rehabilitation of
watershed
Ø
Implementation of EIA for all industries within
the ecozone
Ø
Promote
the inclusion of a “Green Plan” in the master plan
of ecozone
Ø
Enforcement of the easement regulation along
rivers and other bodies of water
Ø
Promote
the development of linear parks and walkways along
river banks including the planting of appropriate
tree species to help stabilize stream banks
Ø
Establishment of common treatment facility for
industrial estates
Ø
Improve
infrastructure to increase coverage with the water
district
Ø
Development pf groundwater resources to meet water
demand
Ø
Strengthen the enforcement of fishery laws,
regulations and city ordinances
Ø
Conduct
of sea patrol to minimize illegal fishing
Ø
Pursue
organization and deputization of Bantay-Dagat
fisher folks in all coastal barangays
Ø
Provision of alternative livelihood to lessen
pressure on coastal resources
Ø
Strengthen the ENRO
Vision:
Zamboanga as an
attractive garden city that is a major center in
the exchange of goods, services and ideas in the
region
Goals:
Ø
A major
environmentally attractive tourist destination
Ø
A major
agriculture producer and exporter
Ø
Opening
of more roads to decongest traffic
Ø
More
farm to market roads
Ø
Implement traffic ordinances
Ø
Develop
compatible mixed land uses
Ø
Establish new growth centers and prevent urban
sprawls
Ø
Relocate
city institutions outside of the city center
(distribute to new growth center) preserve prime
agricultural lands
Ø
Construct more hotels/tourist facilities
Ø
Zoning/NIPAS
Ø
Promote
Zamboanga as a cultural center
Transport Sector
Vision:
Zamboanga City, the
Champion of BIMP-EAGA
Goals:
Ø
Be a
trade center
Ø
Be a
center of tourism
Ø
Transportation hub of BIMP-EAGA
Ø
Contribute to local and national economic growth
Objectives:
Ø
Improve
peace and order situation
Ø
Improve
traffic situation
Ø
Improve
sanitation and orderliness
Ø
Prioritize safety nets for agriculture
Strategies:
Ø
Transfer
government offices out of the commercial center
Ø
Relocation of old public market to a new site with
modern facilities
Ø
Establishment of a world class air and sea ports
Ø
Develop
a good road network to give access to neighboring
cities (linking east and west coast, e.g., by pass
roads, fly-over, etc.)
Ø
Develop
an integrated mass transportation system (e.g.
bullet trains, cable cars, etc.)
Ø
Preserve
and conserve historical landmarks e.g. Fort Pilar,
Rio Hondo, Madrid, Pasonanca Park, R.T. Lim Blvd.,
Sta. Crus islands, etc.
Ø
Construct bridge connecting Zamboanga and Basilan
via Sta. Crus Island
Ø
Incorporate traffic education and safety programs
in all levels of curriculum
Administration and
Finance
Vision:
A peaceful, socially
integrated, globally competitive tourist
industrial center in Southern Philippines; a
gateway | 
