Olivarez Brands Paranaque As The Bay City

MAYOR Edwin L. Olivarez is expected to report on the huge strides Paranaque is making during his 3^rd State of City Address (SOCA) Thursday even as the city gears towards becoming one of the best and most dynamic cities in the country.

In the same address, Olivarez will also launch the new theme and campaign rally for Paranaque which from here on will be called “Bay City” with the slogan “Life Never Stops at the BAY CITY”.

In an interview, Olivarez said the “Bay City” was born out of their desire to seek and create an identity that will be unique to their city while also retaining the color, character and values of a true Paranaqueno.

Also, the new label is justified by the fact that the city is actually nestled between the majestic Manila Bay and the equally impressive Laguna de Bay.  

This developed as business locators continue to move into the city with the latest count already at more than 20,000 with an estimated annual gross sales of over P300 billion.

Among the top companies and world-class hotels that are now in the city are Solaire Resorts and Casino by Bloomberry Resorts Company which is the first casino-hotel to open at the Entertainment City.

Another is the 6.2-hectare City of Dreams Manila Resort that has a total of six hotel towers as well as family entertainment amenities being developed by Melco Crown Philippines and Sy’s Premium Leisure Corp.

The Aseana City by Aseana Holdings Inc. is a 204-hectare area of sustainable living and booming business community and the Manila Bay Resorts by the Okada’s Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment (TRLE).

The latter is a 44-hectare integrated casino-resort project composed of an indoor beach club, entertainment facilities, retail and restaurants.

The Resorts World Bayshore City meanwhile is a joint venture between Andrew Tan and Malaysia’s Genting Group. It is a 31-hectare project that will house four new hotel brands namely, the Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton and Westin Hotel, casino and shops and a more than 3,000-seater Grand Opera House, among others.

Not to be outdone, Ayala Land Inc. will develop a 500,000 square meter shopping mall, bigger than the 406,000 sq m. Mall of Asia and hotel complex project.

To sustain this growth momentum, the city is cashing in on the P5-billion investment in infrastructure over the next four years to complement the national government’s huge investments of around P 110 billion for the construction of Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, NAIA Expressway Phase 2 and the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project that are due for completion in the next three years.

In his address, Olivarez will also report on the measures that his administration has done in turning around the city’s financial situation from bankrupt to stable and robust.

It can be recalled that the city coffer was virtually empty when he first assumed office even as the Commission on Audit (COA) has discovered that the city has a cash deficit of P 2.786 billion aside from another P2 billion that it owes from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

But after more than just two years, Olivarez has turned around the city’s financial standing through various cost saving programs and initiatives.

One of the moves that he introduced was the tax amnesty program for delinquent property owners that easily netted around P700 million and also by entering into restructuring agreement that resulted to easier loan terms for the city government.

Because of the city’s vast financial improvements Olivarez has managed to introduce programs at delivering basic services to his constituents such as socialized housing projects, construction of more school buildings, improving environmental sanitation, health services, disaster risk reduction, preparedness and management program, construction and rehabilitation of hospital buildings, improvement of drainage systems, waterways and road asphalting.

Olivarez also improved the fisherman’s complex, the multi-level parking, repaired government buildings, material recovery facility and rehabilitation of streetlights.

The mayor also launched an intensified campaign in combating poverty through programs aimed at providing livelihood and job opportunities for the city residents through the Public Employment and Service Office (PESO), that facilitated and assisted in the employment of thousands of job seekers in many of the companies based in the city.