Erap to deliver first SOCA tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will deliver his first State of the City Address (SOCA) at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Representatives from more than 890 barangays in Manila, 11,000 city hall employees and other local officials are expected to attend Estrada’s SOCA.

Estrada will present his administration’s achievement in the fight against criminality, the state of the city coffers and other reforms he had initiated during his first year in office.

In an effort to improve police visibility, the mayor yesterday turned over 12 new patrol cars to the Manila Police District.

Estrada vowed to give policemen additional allowances and other benefits.

He said the city government will earmark P200,000 for the repair of landmark clocks at the city hall tower.

Estrada had earlier announced that 30 dialysis machines were made available at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center in Tondo.

The mayor plans to put up a large, modern dialysis center in Manila to accommodate poor Manileños.

The city government allocated P200 million for the purchase of equipment to boost its disaster preparedness.