QC’s priority: More school buildings

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. gave his assurance yesterday that the construction of more school buildings is among the main priorities of the city government under his administration.

Speaking before City Hall employees during yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony, the mayor said a good education is a lasting legacy that the government can provide to the more than 400,000 public elementary and high students in the city.

"We need to construct more school buildings in the city," Belmonte said.

He said the city government has spent P1.2 billion for the construction of medium-rise school buildings to accommodate the growing number of students each year.

For this year, 15 four-story school buildings with 18 classrooms were constructed in various parts of the city. At least 10 other school buildings are being constructed.

Belmonte noted that except for Commonwealth, all other districts have adequate classrooms to accommodate the new batch of students this year.

The Commonwealth district is the most heavily populated in the city.

He said an average of 11,000 high school students graduate every year in public high schools in the city.

During yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony, the mayor also paid tribute to former mayor Norberto Amoranto, the last appointed and first elected Quezon City mayor who served for 20 years.

Belmonte said Amoranto was the first mayor in Metro Manila to construct a high-rise building using city funding without borrowing money from outside sources.

"Mayor Amoranto was one of the two pillars of Quezon City", he said. The other is President Manuel L. Quezon.

In recognition of his contribution to the development of Quezon City, the City Council passed a resolution, principally authored by Councilor Winston Castelo, renaming the Bulwagang City Hall to "Amoranto Hall."

Belmonte said since the Bulwagang is the nerve center of all social and other activities, it was fitting to name it after a man who virtually laid out the development plan of Quezon City.

Former Councilor Wilma Amoranto Sarino, on behalf of the Amoranto family, thanked the mayor and the City Council for the recognition accorded to the former mayor.