Belmonte wins 2nd term in QC

For the first time since its creation in 1939, Quezon City voters have given an overwhelming mandate of more than 400,000 votes to a sitting chief executive.

Re-electionist Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., the 13th mayor of the city, and his runningmate, Herbert Bautista, were officially proclaimed yesterday by the Quezon City Board of Canvassers.

"Ang nararamdaman ko ay hindi (What I feel is not) triumph o (or) victory, but I am humbled by the confidence given to me by all sectors in the city," Belmonte said in his proclamation speech.

The mayor said the overwhelming mandate he got in the last election is a big motivation for him to double his efforts in the next three years.He thanked Comelec officials, the police and the teachers for the orderly and peaceful conduct of elections in the city.

Lea Alarcon, chairman of the Board of Canvassers, did not give the number of votes garnered by Belmonte and Bautista but the tabulation of votes from 90 percent of over 6,000 precincts, Belmonte got 592,599 votes as against his nearest rival, former Quezon City Mayor Ismael Mathay, who got only 164,285 votes.

Belmonte, who dramatically transformed the city from a financially distressed local government unit to the richest city in the country today, has practically won in every precinct and the in the city’s 142 barangays.

Festive atmosphere prevailed at the City Hall yesterday as Belmonte’s jubilant supporters filled the compound and cheered as he was proclaimed.

Among those who congratulated the mayor were opposition congressional candidate Vincent "Bingbong" Crisologo and his supporters.

In the long and distinguished line of Quezon City mayors, Belmonte is the sixth lawyer to become the city’s chief executive.

The late President Manuel L. Quezon, who served as the city’s mayor for only 23 days, was a lawyer. The city’s other mayor lawyers were Oscar Castelo (April 1945 to Sept. 30, 1945), Nicanor Roxas (May 4, 1949 to Jan. 6, 1950), Ignacio Santos Diaz (Jan. 6, 1950 to Dec. 30, 1953) and Norberto Amoranto (Jan. 1, 1954 to March 31, 1976).

In the history of local politics, the mayoralty race in Quezon City has always been a close fight among rivals, some winning by a margin of only 20,000 votes.

Belmonte has attributed the victory of the administration party to his administration’s track record of good governance in the past three years, particularly in the area of providing quality services to every sector of society.

Major infrastructure development programs, livelihood opportunities for low income sectors, creation of business centers and the enhancement of education and public health services bannered the records of the local government during the first thee years of Belmonte‘s term.