Makati: Premier city, progressive citizens

MANILA, Philippines - Makati City is the country’s financial center and its premier city. It leads other local governments in giving benefits to its citizens, from quality education, health care and social services, to public management and setting the right condition for business to grow and expand.

But a few decades ago, Makati was a bankrupt municipality. The 1986 EDSA Revolution ushered in a new national leadership. And a few days after president Cory Aquino was sworn into office, she appointed then human rights lawyer Jejomar Binay as Makati’s officer-in-charge.

“Makati was deep in debt when my father came in. And he made it a point to practice fiscal discipline and good governance. Of course, he also provided residents with good benefits and services. So from 1986 until his second term, there was really a big difference – from a deeply indebted munisipyo into the most progressive city in the country,” now Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay says.

With Makati’s financial stability came improvements in the lives of its residents. The city was the first to put in place a health care system called the Yellow Card, which provides subsidized medical and hospitalization care for residents. Education was a major priority, prompted by now Vice President Binay’s belief in education as “the great social equalizer.” And who can argue with its pace-setting programs for senior citizens, obviously a most pampered sector in the city.

“My father accomplished a lot in his two decades as mayor of the city. We have to take the cue from him. We have learned a lot from my father. And I’m really striving to make sure that the progress of the city will continue,” adds Binay.

As Makati celebrates is 344th Foundation Day, the younger Binay says he is determined to continue his father’s legacy of good governance and public service.

“The vision has not changed – that we would be able to give the necessary benefits for our constituents, quality governance, and all of that – it does not change. There will be more and more benefits that will be given to them. This is a continuance of what my father has started,” he offers.

Education remains the city’s top priority, getting on average 16 percent of Makati’s annual budget.

“My father’s bias for education was a result of his upbringing. He grew up poor, and education rescued him from poverty and hardship,” he explains.

Makati has about 85,000 public school students in the elementary and high school levels. They receive free books and notebooks, uniforms, school supplies and bags. Another 9,000 are in the country’s pilot senior high school program (K+12) being run by the University of Makati (UMAK). Another 15,000 are enrolled at UMAK paying only a subsidized token fee of P1,000 per semester. UMAK also has 1,500 non-residents who have passed the entrance exam and pay P3,000 per semester.

“The meals at five-star hotels are more expensive,” jokes Binay. What stands out is that for such meager fees, students are guaranteed jobs just a few months after they graduate.

“What sets UMAK apart from other universities run by local governments is that we partner with the private sector in setting the curriculum, and the students have their apprenticeships in these partner companies,” he continues.

The Mayor says since 2005, 100 percent of the graduates from these courses – under the Dualized University Education System – are hired within the first three months of graduation, mostly by the companies where they had their apprenticeships.

“Our investments in education are actually investments for our youth and we are sure that the investment will pay off in the future,” he says and adds that residents also benefit immensely from the city’s investments

in health services. “I visited a resident earlier and I learned she was a patient at Ospital ng Makati (Osmak). Their hospital bill totaled P380,000, but because of our Yellow Card subsidy, she only paid P200. And we can say that the health services at Osmak are quality services.”

Under construction is a second Ospital ng Makati in Bel-Air, which the mayor says would be privately-managed. “The idea for the new 12 to 14-storey hospital is to have a public- private partnership – the facility is owned by the city government of Makati but there will be a private group that will manage the hospital for us. The private group now ensures the quality of service that will be given to our constituents. This is something that we’re proud of,” he adds.

But like any locality, Mayor Binay admits that the city has its fair share of difficulties. “It’s not like we don’t have problems in the city. But I’ve learned from my father that we need to take care of our people, especially the poor in Makati. Not all residents of Makati are rich. We have poor residents, and there are those from the provinces who go to Makati in the hope that they will have a better chance to improve their lives,” he shares.

“That is the role of the city: that we will give them a better future. That the poor will eventually have the right resources to have a better life,” stresses Binay. Progress, after all, is not measured only by tall buildings and corporate offices but the quality of life of its people.

“We will retain the luster of being the premier city of the country, and they will see this not only from the various infrastructure projects that we’re doing, but the quality and character of the people living within the city. For me, that is more important. Makikita natin yung progreso pag nakita nating may progreso yung mga taong naninirahan dito,” ends Binay.