Mayor Khymer Olaso rallied barangay chairpersons to take a stronger role in driving Zamboanga City’s growth as the City Development Council (CDC) convened at the Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum in Tetuan, Tuesday morning, September 23.

Presiding over the session, Mayor Olaso underscored that meaningful progress must begin at the grassroots level, urging the city’s 98 barangay chairpersons to carry out their programs with transparency and accountability. He identified urgent concerns such as road repairs, waste segregation, flood control infrastructure and school facilities as pressing priorities that require collective action.

To ensure better alignment with the city’s long-term development goals, Mayor Olaso reminded barangay officials to submit complete and well-prepared development plans for integration into the Annual Investment Program (AIP). He noted that while submissions are regularly made, some remain incomplete, which slows down harmonization with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and other strategic frameworks.

The mayor encouraged barangay chairpersons to be more consistent and thorough, highlighting that stronger planning at the grassroots level leads to more responsive programs for the community.

“Si ta man junto-junto kita ta trabaja para na buen del ciudad de Zamboanga, necesita principia este na de ustedes maga cadaycualan barangay,” Olaso said, citing the importance of unity in advancing development.

A major outcome of the meeting was the CDC’s approval of the CY 2026 – 2028 Local Development Investment Program (LDIP) and the CY 2026 Annual Investment Program (AIP), key blueprint that define the city’s investment priorities and policy directions.

Also present at the meeting were Vice Mayor Ma. Isabelle “Beng” Climaco-Salazar, First and Second District Councilors, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Mayor Celso Lobregat, CDC Vice Chairperson and Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance, Inc. (ZABIDA) President Dr. Grace Rebollos, City Planning and Development Coordinator Ma. Luz Agbayani, members of the Local Finance Committee, along with city department heads, civil society organizations, non-government agencies, business groups and other partners and stakeholders. (Arvin Midel) (photo credits: Kathy Wee Sit)