Bangui 2026 SOMA: A year of service, a vision for the future

Bangui Mayor Denton Lawrence Garvida delivers his 365 days State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) before the municipal council, municipal hall employees, barangay officials and the people of Bangui. (Doms dela Cruz)

By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter

Bangui, Ilocos Norte—Mayor Denton Lawrence G. Garvida delivers his first State of the Municipality Address (SOMA), “A Year of Service. A Vision for the Future,” at the Bangui People’s Center during the Sangguniang Bayan’s second Special Session on June 30, 2026, marking his 365 days as local chief executive.

Garvida reviews the municipality’s accomplishments, outlines ongoing projects and sets priorities for 2026–2027, stressing that local governance is a shared task among the municipal, provincial and national governments, barangays, civil society, the private sector and residents.

Administrative governance and partnerships drive many projects. The LGU partnered with Mariano Marcos State University on tilapia grow‑out sites and a three‑hectare macapuno plantation; with PHilMech on a P120‑million drying facility, rice mill and warehouse; with the Department of Agriculture on a PHP4.5‑million cattle production program; and with DOLE on a PHP 2 million feed‑mixing facility, where the municipality provided the building). Other projects include a PHP15‑million cold storage facility for onions and garlic, and concreting of the Nagubogan‑Banga Banga Road (P30 million). The municipal government also acquired land in Barangay Abaca for a future Bureau of Fire Protection building.

The Sangguniang Bayan, presided over by Bangui Vice Mayor Joseph T. Sales, approved 183 resolutions and enacted 16 ordinances supporting administrative, social, economic and environmental programs, including the comprehensive development plan and annual investment programs.

Agriculture remains Bangui’s backbone. Using Tobacco Excise Tax shares, the LGU distributed 1,884 bags of fertilizer; provided PHP7.5 million in rice financial assistance to 1,078 farmers; distributed hybrid rice and corn seeds; and awarded tractors, hand tractors and other farm machinery. These interventions helped increase production by 8,095 metric tons over 2024. Tobacco production expanded to 21.6 hectares across several barangays, and the LGU built eight curing barns with five more planned. Fisheries support included fingerlings, gillnets, motorized bancas and fuel subsidies in partnership with BFAR; a Payao project; and tilapia fry production with MMSU. Solar‑powered irrigation systems are installed in Dadaor and San Lorenzo, with more barangays lined up.

Environmental and health initiatives continued. The LGU produced and planted over 11,000 trees, led clean‑up drives and improved the municipal cemetery. Health programs reported strong coverage: 86% expanded immunization, 89% Garantisadong Pambata, 94% TB control, and 100% for child/maternal health and environmental sanitation. Bangui received two ambulances, one from PAGCOR and one from the Office of the President.

On disaster risk reduction, the LGU strengthened emergency response through training, pre‑emptive evacuations, relief operations and shelter assistance, helping 192 households with emergency shelter supported by national agencies.

Bangui remains among the province’s most peaceful towns, with a 20% reduction in crime and both 100% crime clearance and solution efficiency. The mayor also announces that all barangays are now declared drug‑free.

Social welfare programs include the Ayuda Sa Kapos at Kita (AKAP) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (PHP12.44 million), PHP3 million in assistance to individuals in crisis, educational support for 100 students, and PHP6.96 million in barangay assistance for honoraria of tanods and health volunteers.

Infrastructure works are ongoing: wet market and public plaza improvements, fish landing shed upgrades, conversion of the old agriculture building into storage, slope protection in Barangay Bacsil, additional curing barns in Baruyen, and rehabilitation at Sentinela Hill. Garvida says these projects are improving access to services and livelihoods and that 210 households have been lifted out of poverty.

Bangui received numerous awards recognizing good governance, fiscal discipline, disaster resilience, child welfare and service delivery, including Good Financial Housekeeping, Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence, and top recognitions from the DOH, DepEd and DTI. The municipality also earned a P150,000 prize as 3rd runner‑up in the provincial Search for the Greenest Municipality.

Priorities for 2026–2027 include improving livelihoods and agricultural productivity, promoting agri‑business and cooperatives, enhancing social services, strengthening disaster resiliency and peace and order, pursuing an ecologically balanced environment, accelerating infrastructure development, boosting tourism, promoting commerce and industry, supporting renewable energy, and improving access to education.

In closing, Garvida announced a proposed Mariano Marcos State University campus in Bangui. The proposal, endorsed to Congressman Sandro Marcos and MMSU President Dr. Virgilio Mansano Jr., targets a DepEd‑owned lot at Bangui National High School. A technical working group completed initial technical drawings, and public consultations were held; the mayor hopes DepEd and MMSU will approve the project.