Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday warned suppliers and distributors of goods for the city government to stop their practice of delivering counterfeit products, fake merchandise, and goods of inferior quality.
She reacted to reports that fake commodities were delivered by the suppliers and distributors of goods, subsequently accepted by the end-users, and then paid for by the city government.
Recently, the mayor received 1,100 pairs of counterfeit branded rubber shoes distributed to local athletes who would represent the city in various national sporting events.
If proven true, Belmonte ordered the city legal office to initiate legal action against those who were involved and conspired to commit the offenses violative of the Consumer Protection Act or Republic Act 7394, RA 9184 or the Procurement Act, and other related laws.
The mayor instructed the procurement department, particularly the bids and awards committee through its technical working group, to conduct the necessary due diligence in their evaluation and selection of winning bidders to avoid the award of contracts pertaining to purchases of goods to unscrupulous suppliers and distributors.
Belmonte ordered the recall of the counterfeit shoes and committed to replace them before March 14, when local athletes are scheduled to attend the National Festival of Talents in Isabela.
The athletes are also set to participate in the Palarong Pambansa to be held from May 1 to 9 in Marikina City.
Belmonte instructed other concerned offices to investigate allegations that the delivery of fake commodities was a common practice in the past city administration.
Meanwhile, Belmonte also vowed to provide security of land tenure for around 10,000 informal settler families by 2022 under the city’s three-year local shelter plan.
The shelter plan 2020-2022 was presented by the Housing, Community Development and Resettlement Department (HCDRD) during the Quezon City Housing Board meeting.
A key part of the plan is to provide security of land tenure to around 10,000 ISFs by 2022 as promised by Belmonte. There are a total of 213,978 ISFs in Quezon City.
“We are complying with the Housing Code at Shelter Plan,” she said.
The mayor vowed to provide affordable housing for indigent and deserving families.
“One of our priorities is our promise to provide security of land tenure,” she said.
Under the plan, ISFs in Quezon City would be given a security of tenure through various programs, including community mortgage program, direct sale program, in-city housing projects, and relocation of ISFs from waterways and other danger areas.
The HCDRD has initially identified various ISF areas in barangays Bagong Silangan and Payatas as initial beneficiaries.