Belmonte: Major infrastructure, health projects underway

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said yesterday the local government would undertake major infrastructure, health and social services projects, owing to the robust tax collections and other income-generating initiatives.

In her first State of the City Address during her second term as mayor, Belmonte reported that from 2020 to 2021, the local government was able to collect more than P22 billion in taxes, the highest tax collection in the city’s history.

She said the city’s tax collection efficiency improved by 66.3 percent from 2018 to 2019 when it collected only P15.2 billion.

“In the entire 83 years of history of Quezon City, this more than P22 billion in tax collection was the highest and the hardest to achieve because of the challenges of the pandemic. Despite the hardship, this expression of the people’s trust is the most sobering assurance that the people can give to its city. The trust of the people enlivens us,” Belmonte said in a mix of English and Filipino.

She assured Quezon City residents of more “citizen-centric, honest, data-driven, inclusive and uninterruptive services” from the city government.

Belmonte said in the pipeline are the rehabilitation of the Quezon City Memorial Circle (QMC) and Amoranto Sports Complex.

“All of these projects have the allocated funding. These are not just drawings,” she said.

With an allocated budget of P390 million, the first phase of the QMC redevelopment master plan involves the creation of one of the largest green urban spaces in Metro Manila.

“We will also construct a modern, elevated green promenade that would connect the QMC to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife. This has a budget of P140 million,” Belmonte said.

Because of the need for state-of-the-art facilities, the QC government will also expand the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibition or MICE Center.

“This center was designed to become the city’s business and tourist promotion hub. It will have a 1,300-seating capacity auditorium and huge exhibition halls. To finish this project, we allocated P300 million,” the mayor said.

“The MICE Center will be the new global display window for QC’s premium products and services,” she added.

With P734 million funding, Belmonte said the Amoranto Sports Complex would have a 3,500-seating capacity arena, a 10-lane Olympic size swimming pool, a multi-use indoor sports facility and a multi-level parking building.

“Soon, the Amoranto Sports Complex can also host national and international sporting events,” she said.

“As these structures rise from the old Quezon City, a new metropolis will take its place among the best in the world, as the first among equals, the Philippine’s primus inter pares. We dare to dream big, for we have seen the many possibilities of a steady, purpose-driven and citizen-centered climb to prosperity,” Belmonte added.

As for health and social services, she said the city has achieved one-to-one ratio in terms of doctors to health centers.

Belmonte said the local government achieved 97 percent COVID vaccination coverage with 6.7 million doses administered and 2.6 million people fully vaccinated.

She said the city government would intensify its programs on AIDS prevention and treatment in line with its goal of zero AIDS cases by 2030.