GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The provincial government of South Cotabato is set to create a new office that will develop and manage the operations of the province’s economic enterprises.
Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said the move is in line with the local government’s continuing efforts to increase its revenues and provide better services to local residents.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board recently approved Ordinance No. 29, series of 2017, which created the South Cotabato Economic Enterprises Management Office (SCEEMO).
“It (new office) will serve as a vehicle to further raise more income for the province,” the governor said.
As cited in the ordinance, the new office was created to provide wider access to goods and services, with pricing that is affordable to a larger segment of the population.
It is expected to draw more investors by providing key services not provided by the private sector and contribute to local revenue and resource mobilization by generating modest financial surpluses through financial self-sufficiency.
Fuentes said the SCEEMO would mainly manage the existing income-generating services and facilities that are owned and managed by the provincial government.
These are the South Cotabato Sports Complex, Productivity and Technology Center, South Cotabato Gymnasium and Cultural Center and the Seven Falls and Zipline Ecotourism Development Project.
She said it would handle other local economic enterprise that might be declared through an ordinance.
To complement the establishment of the SCEEMO, the governor said local government would create a management regulatory board that would act as policy-making body and oversee its operations.
The board would be headed by the governor as chairperson and the vice governor as vice chairperson, she said.
Its members are the chairpersons of the provincial board’s committees on ways and means a the trade, commerce and industry, economic affairs and investment; SCEEMO general manager; provincial treasurer; provincial accountant; provincial budget officer; provincial legal officer; provincial engineer; provincial planning and development coordinator; provincial general services officer; and, representatives from the South Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (HST/PNA)
