Quezon City’s new leaders want to focus on gathering data that would help them craft policies for the next few months, they said in a television interview.
“The first thing that I’d like to do is establish baseline data so that resources are not wasted but go towards targeted programs,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a morning program on CNN Philippines last Wednesday.
“We’re just focusing on data gathering on what to do for the next 100 days,” Vice Mayor Gian Sotto said in the same interview.
Belmonte said she would like to make changes in the city government’s directions and plans to have a feedback mechanism to generate greater participation.
In her inaugural speech, the mayor emphasized her focus on social services and the need to go back to the “gut issues” of housing, education, livelihood, and health for her first 100 days as the local chief executive.
Sotto, for his part, said he is eyeing to pass a Freedom of Information ordinance to ensure good governance and transparency.
Meanwhile, new Quezon City Councilor Winston “Winnie” Castelo on Thursday rallied his colleagues in the council for the immediate, deliberate and speedy passage of the supplemental budget being pushed by Belmonte.
Castelo, who represents District 2, said the supplemental budget will help sustain and realize the pet projects and pro-people programs of Belmonte, especially on housing and social services.
The former District 2 congressman also threw his support to all the revenue generating initiatives of Belmonte in a bid to boost the city’s coffers, which reports said would only amount to P1.6 billion by yearend.
“I fully agree with the wisdom of the mayor on the fiscal position of the city and I call on the other councilors to approve without delay the needed additional fund,” Castelo said.
Owing to the recent clarification made by Belmonte on the true state of the city’s financial standing, Castelo also urged the council to push for measures that will prevent pilferage and losses to the government due to mismanagement, indifference, and corruption.
Earlier, outgoing city administration officials claimed some P26 billion is still remaining in the city’s coffers, but Belmonte, after doing the math, clarified only P1.6 billion would left by yearend.
“For a city that has an area one-fourth of all of Metro Manila and a population of 3.1 million, this means a budget for the remainder of the year of only P516 for every Quezon City resident,” Belmonte said.
In response, the mayor plans to immediately convene the 21st Quezon City Council to enact a supplemental budget ordinance.