Solano gears for cityhood

By Leander C. Domingo

SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya -- Gearing up to become a city, this town is working on the passage of an economic measure called the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code in its effort to raise competitiveness.
    On Feb. 15, 2021, House Bill 8727 was filed for the conversion of the municipality of Solano into a component city in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, which has 15 municipalities — but not a single city — within its jurisdiction.
    Pending with the committee on local government since Feb. 22, 2021, the bill, if approved, will make Solano the fifth city in Region 2 after Tuguegarao in Cagayan province, and Santiago, Cauayan and Ilagan in Isabela.
    Based on the Department of Finance-Bureau of Local Government Finance (DoF-BLGF) 2021 data, the town of Solano has the highest locally sourced revenue of all the municipalities in Region 2 making it one of the notable economic hubs in Cagayan Valley.
    The DoF-BLGF 2021 data has further solidified the status of Solano as the undisputed premier town of Cagayan Valley.
Marietta Salviejo, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Nueva Vizcaya provincial director, lauded the Solano local government unit (LGU) headed by Mayor Philip Dacayo and its Sangguniang Bayan for their initiative in proposing the ordinance that will enact the PPP Code in Solano.
    Salviejo said a team from the DTI attended the Committee on Land Use and Infrastructure Development (Cluid) meeting on Jan. 5, 2022 at the Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall of Solano.
    Its main goal was to present and gather the inputs of the concerned offices and individuals regarding the said proposed ordinance, Salviejo said.
    She said the committee meeting for the said ordinance, which was authored by Councilor Ma. Regina Valdez, was spearheaded by the Cluid which Valdez heads, and the Committee on Legal, Good Governance, Justice, Human Rights, Rules and Privileges led by Councilor Jerome Marcos.
    "I would like to commend the Solano LGU for coming up with this laudable initiative in pump-priming the town's economy, especially since they are gearing up for cityhood," Salviejo said.
    She also lauded the town mayor who is "truly bent on raising the bar for Solano's competitiveness" as manifested in the     Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index or CMCI Award as the 30th Most Competitive 1st-2nd Class Municipality under the Economic Dynamism Pillar that was received by Solano LGU in December 2022.
    "We are looking forward to the success of this undertaking as it would mean more quality public and social services will be made available and more income and jobs will be generated," she said.
    She explained that through the PPP Code, there shall be an increase in the participation of the private sector in infrastructure development and social service-related projects.
    Meanwhile, the committee meeting also discussed plans to update Solano town's Local Investment and Incentive Code to jive with the directions and goals toward a livable cityhood