Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez led the signing of a P2.1 billion build-transfer-maintain agreement for a landmark super city project that will not only boost Bacolod City’s security, emergency and environment response systems, but will generate an additional P5 billion over a 10-year period with an improved tax collection system.
The mayor signed the public-private partnership agreement with High Data Infra Inc. represented by Danny Fernandez at rites held at the Bacolod City Government Center lobby Monday afternoon, March 3, for the establishment of a high-tech Centralized Command Center in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City.
This historic agreement will ensure Bacolod’s transformation into a super city by introducing modern technology in daily transactions, Benitez said.
“This landmark contract signing will usher Bacolod into a new era”, he said.
The mayor said the city government does not need to obtain a loan to avail of the project that will be paid over a 10-year period, it’s making the city’s tax collection more efficient is targeted to generate an additional P5 billion that is more than double the cost of the project.
The city’s annual National Tax Allotment is also expected to increase by P200 million, the mayor said, in assuring that the city does not need to obtain a loan for the super city project.
The project in fact will easily increase the city’s tax collection by 40 percent without having to raise taxes, Benitez said.
This will be achieved through the project’s e-governance platforms: the Property and Tax Assessment System (PTAS) Solution and Geographic Information System (GIS) Solution.
The PTAS will be designed for efficient transaction processing, property valuation maintenance, and archiving of real property tax records for improving the LGU’s tax collection functions.
The unified GIS will be used for the visualization and analysis of geographic information for real property tax purposes.
The project that is exempted from the election period ban can commence immediately , the mayor said.
The Centralized Command Center is equipped to improve Bacolod’s public safety, emergency response, disaster management, traffic management and monitoring, environmental conditions, public announcement and visual information, High Data Infra Inc.’s audio visual presentation said.
The systems intelligent streetlamp poles will enable traffic, crowd, and flood monitoring for safety and security, it also said.
The systems cameras will be able to detect and record illegal waste disposal, criminal activities and property vandalism, it added.
Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said under the agreement High Data Infra Inc. will update all systems at the Centralized Command Center every four years at its expense.
The project is “a significant milestone in Bacolod’s journey towards becoming a smarter and resilient city”, PPP Center Deputy Executive Director Eleazar Ricote said.*