‘Closer ties for building a quality community’

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. called yesterday for closer cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of the city government in passing and enacting measures aimed at building a quality community for the city’s more than 2.3 million residents.

The mayor, in his first ever state of the city address at the Albert Session Hall, said his administration aims to institute more legislative reforms in the next two years to ensure that money will always be available for the city’s environmental, livelihood, education, health and public works programs.

"We are challenged to do more for the fact that our people have higher expectations. What we could achieve for the next two years of my administration depends much on our collaboration and cooperation," Belmonte told the 26-member assembly.

He remained confident that with renewed support from the council, the city government will remain competitive in its ability to deliver optimum services to the people.

Belmonte’s first year of administration was highlighted by increases in the city’s revenue collections in real estate tax, business tax and other regulatory fees. Undaunted by the difficult task of paying P1.25 billion in bank debts and another P1.4 billion in claims for payment it inherited from the previous administration, the city government has instituted several measures aimed at boosting revenue collections, on orders of the mayor.

Chief among these were the provision of incentives to prompt taxpayers, implementation of the "Suyud-Buwis" program, putting up an air-conditioned lounged for taxpayers and the imposition of penalties to delinquent property owners by offering their properties for auction.

Belmonte also saw the need to implement an infrastructure development program anchored on the objective of linking major roads through a network of interconnecting streets so that Quezon City becomes a large, highly interconnected metropolis.

Already, the city government has programmed and spent some P1.39 billion for the much needed infrastructure projects of the city.

Priority was also given by the city government to the clearing of sidewalks of illegal vendors, obstructions and other illegal structures. The Manggahan area on Commonwealth Avenue, Novaliches Proper, EDSA/Balintawak area and Metro Cubao were given priority during the campaign.

The city government has also adopted several garbage-reducing measures aimed at addressing the city’s garbage problem. Measures under-taken include the deputization of environmental police, clearing of waterways, and adoption of the recycling scheme in the barangays.– Romel Bagares