QUEZON CITY, Oct. 11 (PIA)--Six neophytes and a returning Metro Manila mayor were among those who reported on their respective accomplishments and challenges during their first 100 Days as local chief executives on Tuesday, Oct 7.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano, and Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco discussed their respective salient programs implemented to resolve deep-seated issues in their cities on their 100th day since their latest assumption into office.
In Quezon City, Mayor Josefina "Joy" Belmonte-Alimurung highlighted the road clearing operations dubbed as “QC Bayanihan sa Lansangan” that added 20 to 30 alternative roads to further decongest traffic in Metro Manila’s biggest city. The displaced caused by the clearing operations were encouraged to continue inside public markets or in alternative sites that do not obstruct public roads. The relocation of displaced vendors includes their profiling, registration, and creation of official identification cards for them. Around 3,200 vendors are registered.
“This way, they will no longer be taken advantage by syndicates, and they will be legal vendors in government-identified vending sites,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte also took action on the outbreak of African swine fewer (ASF) in three barangays, and urged backyard hog raisers to surrender their pigs for culling. Financial assistance was provided to hog raisers with P10-million allocation from the local government budget.
In Manila, the country’s capital, actor-turned-public servant Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" highlighted his “Bagong Maynila” campaign, which sought to elevate the city to greater
heights, buckling down to work on his first day, they were able to clear 3,373 roads all over the city, of illegal structures, peddlers, and other obstructions. This included the streets of Divisioria, Carriedo, Recto, Blumentritt, and Abad Santos, among others, all known hotspots for street vendors and illegal structures occupying major portions of roads.
Apart from that, through what he described as “good governance,” the city was able to restore some notable landmarks like the Arroceros Park, Bonifacio Shrine and the Ongpin monument into cleaner, more lively tourist-friendly spaces. The local government also demolished a total of 147 barangay halls that were obstructing public roads and sidewalks.
To entice more trade and commerce, Moreno also launched a one-stop shop to ease doing business in Manila. Some meaningful ordinances include a comprehensive social amelioration package to provide financial assistance for the city’s centenarians, persons with disability (PWDs), senior citizens, and students from state universities from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and the Universidad de Manila.
In what he described as, “the most challenging 100 days of my life,” Pasig City Mayor Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto or just Mayor Vico, Metro Manila’s youngest local chief executive, said the city has shifted into preventive healthcare and implemented a universal healthcare coverage by allocating P36 million to cover residents with PhilHealth. He also provided all 42 Barangay Health Centers with medicine, medical supplies, and better facilities.
“Meron po tayong sapat na resources, sapat na pondo, sapat na talento para isa na po tayo sa magpapatupad ng universal health coverage,” Sotto emphasized.
Sotto also enforced stricter road rules, and discipline among local traffic enforcers. He suspended erring ones and required others to attend professional development programs to improve services.
For San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, started to deliver his campaign promise by building a condo-type high rise for the residents expected to be completed by first quarter of 2022.
“This was my campaign promise. I promised the people of San Juan that we will build an in-city public housing,” he said in an interview over a news channel.
“First of all, the first high-rise, in-city, socialized public housing in Philippines has started in San Juan. This is a 22-story, condominium-type public housing, which will be built in Barangay St. Joseph, and this is a first in the Philippines because usually the NHA buildings are only up to five floors,” Zamora said.
He said the city has been chosen by the Department of Information and Communications Technology to be the pilot for the Free WiFi Program and also first in the country to be covered with free wifi access in all public areas by 2020.
“Initially there are three areas already with free wifi, which are the San Juan City Hall, San Juan National High School, and our mini-park. But by 2020, all other areas will be covered by the free wifi program, and I’m talking about barangay halls, barangay basketball courts, multi-purpose halls, public schools, police community precincts, health centers, our markets, public hospitals, Pinaglabanan Shrine, and all other areas covered by the access points,” he added.
Finally, he underscored that they did away with the pay parking previously implemented in the city because of numerous complaints from the motorists and residents.
For Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano, the first 100 days have been “exciting.”
In an interview over CNN Philippines, Cayetano said, “The project I’m most proud of so far is our SME center. While, the most difficult part of being mayor is just the complexity of problems.”
He said they have also intensified efforts on sidewalks in Taguig Streets through the city executive order that directed all city departments to ensure not only vehicular but more importantly, pedestrian mobility and safety.
“Kapag wala kasing sidewalk, ang tao ho naglalakad sa kalye. Kapag naglalakad sa kalye, tumitigil ang mga sasakyan. So with us, our efforts into clearing, we summarized it into an executive order and called it the Mobility EO,” he said.
Cayetano also prioritized the creation of parks and open spaces and cited the initiative of converting basketball courts into community centers and converting some infrastructures into more usable spaces.
With Taguig’s technological capability, he said they would continue to provide easy and free wifi access in the city’s 107 public spaces
The mayor has also expanded and strengthened city health programs under Taguig’s 10-point agenda.
“I want Taguig to be a caring community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pasay City Mayor Imelda "Emi" Calixto-Rubiano emphasized as part of her initial accomplishments include the city’s comprehensive health programs, particularly on maternal and child health, out-of-school immunization programs, anti-dengue drives, and improved patient support in local hospitals, particularly the Pasay City General Hospital.
Calixto-Rubiano also highlighted their socialized housing program for city hall employees, in-city housing project and relocation program for informal settler families.
“We have addressed the 183 informal settler families in the city and their structures and issued more than 30 Certificates of Occupancy to Pasay Ville resettlement site,” she said.
She said they have developed full automation and updated the processes in line with ease of doing business to provide more efficient and effective public service through the One-Stop Shop Government Service Center.
Calixto-Rubiano added that they continue promoting Pasay as a premiere “Travel City” and a walkable, habitable city clear of road obstructions.
Navotas City Mayor Tobias "Toby" M. Tiangco, on the other hand, said, “The city government strives to provide decent jobs and livelihood opportunities to Navoteños. We intend to pursue more programs and services that would help our constituents gain meaningful employment and secure a sustainable source of income.”
With this, Tiangco reported that around 7,000 residents were given gainful employment and various livelihood assistance during his first 100 days in office.
This included a total of 4,379 being employed from July to September 2019, 3,000 beneficiaries of cash for work; 1,237 Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) recipients, 40 government interns and 102 hired job fair applicants.
The city also conducted a number of seminars to start a business.
In terms of addressing the city’s informal settler families, Tiangco said 178 ISFs who used to dwell in danger zones have been given a new, safe place to live with the local government’s housing project.
“Mula Hulyo hanggang Setyembre ngayong taon, 95 na informal settler families ang nailipat sa NavotaAs Homes 2-Tanza at 83 ang nagkabahay sa Caloocan at Bulacan,” he said.
“Nasa bingit parati ng kapahamakan ang mga pamilyang nakatira sa gilid ng dagat o mga daluyan ng tubig. Kaya naman napakahalagang mailipat agad sila sa tahanang ligtas sa panganib, kung saan sila maaaring magsimula muli at mabuhay nang maayos,” the mayor added.
Only recently, the city was able to purchase five hectares of land that now houses close to 1,800 families.
Currently, he said, the local government had managed five in-city relocations. (PIA-NCR)
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