25 Year Development Plan

Yes Kidapawan has a Land Use Plan, but for it to easily navigate the road towards progress, it needs a Development Plan which covers a longer time span. It needs a plan no shorter than 25 year. We all know of the Malaysia 2020, or the 20 year development plan of General Santos City. Knowing where Malaysia or GenSan are today would prove the importance of a plan.

It is very ironic that many local legislators and executives failed to see the importance of a plan. Most think that they already know what should be done. Unfortunately most of these politicians who were task to manage the affairs of the city (and this is also true to other LGU’s), lack the necessary management skills and the expertise to effectively steer the city to a world class progress. But ask any fair minded, world class management consultant and he/she will tell you that the first thing to do for any management or administrative endeavor is to write down the goals. Some may call it the OVER ACHING GOAL,  for some it may be THE DREAM, but the meaning is the same.

To prove my point that the local leadership (past and present) failed to see the importance of this , why would the Mayor Gantuanco insist on Cabiles to be his adminstrative officer? What expertise does he bring to the table. He was once a news reporter of a local radio station, and no other management expertise, is that enough to bridge the management requirement that the task importantly requires?

If the mayor has the blue print on how to manage the affairs of the city, he will readily see that to bridge the management gap, since he himself lacks the necessary management expertise, he would opt to hire a management expert as his administrator.

A 25 year development plan will also ensure the delivery of necessary projects even when new leaders get hold of the local government. At present, new leaders will have to envision for themselves the projects and programs they think will help their constituents and will help them win another term. So the result are a mixture of bits of programs or projects that might be good if some will jive with each other. Most of these program are, however, not in conjunction with the other programs, so it is farfetch to think of a bigger impact to the community.

There are other positive contribution that a 25 YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN will contribute, not only will it concretize the vision, it will also help invite investors and donors to the community. It will also envigorate the local people towards a specific objective, and will give them more energy to strive harder.

Road Network

Linking Kidapawan with other municipalities such as Makilala, Magpet, Roxas, Matalam, Mlang will unravel a very big market. Every investor will always be looking for that ingredient before pouring in money into the area. Of course there are other consideration such as peace and order, power supply, manpower supply, etcetera,  but the most important aspect of any business enterprise is the costumer, and linking the five municipalities with Kidapawan to create the Metro Kidapawan corridor would open access to around 600,000 people. That is as big as Cagayan de Oro or General Santos.

Second reason why there is a need for a new and better road network is the continous growth of the  vehicle population in the city. As many Kipapawenyos bewail, the lone major road-Quezon boulevard- carries all the burden of servicing the major vehicular traffic, and in four to five years the traffic congestion along that route will be unbearable. The leaders of the city should not wait for that clogged moment before acting on it. Good leaders are always  proactive in there approach rather than reactive.

Third reason is the development  that a sound road network will draw out of its business environment. It is noticeable how business establishment sprouts along major roads. The reason is obvious. In Kidapawan, almost all major establishments are located along the Quezon boulevard because there are no other roads where traffic flows. If the road going to barangay Magsaysay becomes a main alternative route, there will be no doubt that businesses will be established along that strip.

This is something that should be done this early because it is not yet a big problem. This is a must if Kidapawan is to become one major city in this part of the country. Every major cities that were develop during the modern time have alternative routes. Major cities have elliptical roads, and not only one but several elliptical roads.

Connecting roads will unlock the vast economic potential of the place, it will also arrest the potential congestion problem.