Belmonte promises pro-God, pro-people governance

Incoming Quezon City Mayor Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr. sought yesterday the help of his 2.2 million constituents in establishing a pro-God, pro-people and pro-business local government under his leadership.

"With God’s help and your (residents) help, we can live with what we dreamt for Quezon City," Belmonte told hundreds of city residents who witnessed his oath-taking despite heavy rains.

No other than President Arroyo administered Belmonte’s oath of office at the Quezon City Hall yesterday afternoon. Along with Belmonte, four city congressmen, 24 councilors and vice-mayor also took their oaths of office.

At the same time, Belmonte vowed to address problems confronting the city, particularly crime, garbage, shelter, health, environment, traffic and education, which he said was part of developing a highly-urbanized city like Quezon.

However, the outgoing House Speaker said his plans for the city and its 2.2 million residents could be realized only if residents share responsibility with the government and elected officials.

"Good governance is a shared responsibility (between the government and the people)," Belmonte stressed to the city residents. "Improving the city and solving its problems are tasks not only of elected officials but of all of us, let us observe individual discipline and come up with community-initiated programs."

"We must begin now and here. Let us have a government that is conceived with honesty, productivity and efficiency," he added.

Aside from fighting graft and corruption in the city, Belmonte also said he would come up with programs to ensure efficient tax collection from the city-based establishments. "We will collect what is due to the government."

The mayor also thanked the President for "taking some time to be with us in this very special moment despite her very busy schedule as the Chief Executive."

Belmonte also acknowledged the President’s husband Mike Arroyo, whose family used to own 1,529 hectares in Quezon City until the government under the late President Manuel Quezon bought it from them.

The mayor, who worked as a staff assistant to the President’s late father, President Diosdado Macapagal, pledged his unconditional and unwavering support to the national government.

Belmonte was instrumental in installing the Arroyo government. It was the 11th Congress that approved and submitted to the Senate the four articles of impeachment against jailed President Joseph Estrada that paved the way for the historical impeachment trial.

Belmonte, who was then minority floor leader, served as the manager of the 11-member prosecution panel that prosecuted Estrada.

But before the Senate could conclude the historical impeachment trial, being the first in Asia, Estrada was ousted by a popular people uprising.

Belmonte’s swearing into office was witnessed by members of his family, including two of his three sons, Isaac and Kevin, and their respective wives and daughter Joy.

For his part, outgoing Quezon City Mayor Ismael Mathay Jr. expressed belief that Belmonte could live up to the expectations of the city residents, being a veteran lawmaker who served for three consecutive terms as congressman of the city’s fourth district.