Maximize resources, Lim advises peers

City Mayor Dan Lim Wednesday said the key to fiscal sustainability to maximize available resources. Lim was invited to speak to a conference on enhancing local fiscal sustainability in the Philippines organized by the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG) last Feb. 28. The mayor was invited to share his experience on the UP NCPAG mentoring program between the cities of Tagbilaran and San Fernando , La Union.

Lim noted that one of the common misconceptions hounding many institutions in the country is that the lack of resources is the main obstacle to growth. “While there is some truth to this, I believe it is a rather simplistic view of the problem that we are facing on a national scale. Lim remarked that the government officials from various Philippine cities who attended the conference do not need a lecture on the economic and political crisis plaguing the country. He said the neighborhood economist can do that in “very convincing fashion”.

“While the problem is there for all of us to see, the solution has remained elusive,” he noted. Lim pointed out that not even the so-called Philippine gift to the world, the EDSA People Power Revolution, has not lived up to its billing as the catalyst that the Philippines needed to move out of the deep hole that it has dug itself in. He said he believes that more than machines and technology, it is the x-factor called perseverance that makes the difference in life. The mayor noted that like most LGUs, Tagbilaran faces the daunting challenges with few resources, so many distractions and too little time left.

“And yet, we all know that this is no justification to throw our arms up and surrender,” he stressed. The mayor said that in the face of these odds, LGUs are “left with the task of making do with whatever meager resources and create opportunities to get the job done”. “I have always believed in the principle of stewardship – the ability to utilize available resources before considering outside help,” he noted.

Lim said the first agenda of his administration was to design a mode to expand the tax base without increasing the burden of the people. “This we accomplished simply by an efficient tax collection scheme that raised our local revenues,” he revealed. The mayor admitted that it is still “a long way to go”. “We still have to put in place the infrastructure that Tagbilaran needs if it intends to grow into a progressive city like San Fernando ,” he admitted. To be able to do that, Lim said Tagbilaran has to look for outside help such as those that UP NCPAG can facilitate or those that the European Union can finance.

The mayor said he believes the city can justify its appeals for external assistance because it has shown that it is a good steward. “Under this stewardship principle, those who can be trusted with a few can be trusted with so much,” Lim stressed. The mayor said that in the final analysis, it is not so much a matter of getting ahead of the rest but being able to prove that “little is much if we just put it to good use”. “If the Tagbilaran experience is good enough to be replicated not only in the City of San Fernando but in every small city in the country, that would be enough reward for all our sacrifices,” he added. Lim said it is not really a bad time to live in. “There are no hopeless situations, only people who have lost hope. We God's blessings, we will overcome,” he concluded.

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