Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and leaders of homeowners’ associations in District 5 have signed a covenant advocating secured housing and decent shelters for the district’s poverty-stricken areas.
“We aim to address the issue of the housing backlog through affordable and safe housing for our people and it can be done,” Belmonte said.
“There are many private organizations that are willing to work with us toward sustainable development and inclusive growth because that’s the only way forward,” she added.
The vice mayor said she would implement a listed housing agenda designed to protect the welfare of informal settler families in District 5.
“I believe that if we don’t improve the lives of our poorest residents, the lives of the rest of our people will also not become better. Because at the end of the day, what we really need is inclusive growth because it benefits everybody,” she said.
“But we cannot achieve that if the system of governance within our own city government is not at par with the private sector. I think we also need to upgrade the level of service delivery,” Belmonte noted.
Meanwhile, daycare centers in Quezon City will soon be at par with international standards after Mayor Herbert Bautista approved a resolution prescribing their new benchmarks.
Bautista recently signed City Ordinance 2820-2019 setting internationally-accepted standards in daycare facilities.
Introduced by Councilor Jose Mario Don de Leon, the measure is in line with Quezon City’s drive to remain as one of the most child-friendly cities in the country.
According to the resolution, daycare centers in QC must:
Be located on the ground floor and are far from main roads, mortuaries, creek sides, and gambling dens;
Be easily accessible and have large enough spaces;
Have kitchen, hand washing, and tooth-brushing areas as well as stock and comfort rooms;
Have electricity, proper lighting and ventilation; and
Have first aid kits and firefighting equipment.
The resolution gives daycare facilities four years to accomplish the new requirements.