MAYOR REX- HIS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CITY OF VALENZUELA
“Politics is always interested me, working with
people is always been something that I’d like and what better way to do it,
then find solutions to things that you are mad about every day and then do it
inside political setting.” These are reasons why Mayor Rexlon Ting Gatchalian
chose politics over his father’s billion hotel and real estate business. Being
tired of complaining about the same problems and his personal urge to be part
of the solution made him what he is now, in addition to this, his education in
George Washington University with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and Sciences
in Political Science toughen his fascination by people in politics and how they
respond to different stimulus, about political settings and how it work
especially when he got to expose in the diverse perspectives and points of view
from his classmates from all over the world. He got to know why certain systems
work and why certain systems don’t work. Over his tenure, he tries bigger and better
approach on how to upgrade the foundation which his brother, the former Mayor
Sherwin Gatchalian now Senator, had planted in the city remarkably in
education. Coming from a business family has helped him to impart certain
knowledge about business strategies in improving Valenzuela, he considerably
tries to apply his knowledge in business specifically in trade and industry of
the city, he has also put his learning from his former school in United States
of America and the main thing that seems the most important is his profound
dedication in serving Valenzuelanos, to be part of the solution, to fix the
same problems inside political setting.
Valenzuela has changed a lot since Mayor Rex took over the sit. He walked in with the bases already there established by his brother, the challenge is, how he will develop the bases and not regress. He has the luxury of thinking bigger and better, upgraded things to make communities livable. His public service platform, better known as the “Five Pillars of Good Governance” focused on the essential needs of his constituents: (1) Education, (2)Health and Social Services, (3) Housing, (4) Job Generation, and (5) Trade and Industry. He primarily wanted a high standard education for Valenzuelanos because he believes that education is not simply an act of bettering oneself but it is rather a way of securing sturdy future that may also help fellowmen and the city in rising as one. In accordance to this, he contributed an estimated 19 new campuses, 563 renovated classrooms and 37 additional facilities as of 2013-2017 of his leadership. He offered free tuition fee in college public schools particularly Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV) and Valenzuela City Polytechnic College (ValPoly), to sum up, he allocates 200 million estimated funds only in education. On the other side, for the health and social services, each barangay has medical clinic for elders and pregnants that offers free check-ups and medicines. He deploys many policemen, police outposts, police mobiles, k9 unit headquarter and emergency vans.
He gives to the family who lost their loved ones. He transferred
families living nearby the creak to his project: Disiplina Village at Bignay
which achieved Galing Pook Award for innovations and excellence in good
governance. When it comes to employment rate, there are 60% Valenzuelanos who
have their works in the city and only 40% who don’t have. “Many jobs are
offered here in Valenzuela since our city is an industrial-type, we have a
prosperous factories scattered in every area, a person with no job here is a
lazy one” said by the barangay official. Aside from the infrastructure he
concretized, he promoted the Allied Local Emergency and Evacuation Response
Teams (ALERT) for the disaster preparedness and response of the city. For the
recreational, he inaugurated the Valenzuela People’s Park and Valenzuela Town
Center, he turned ragged courts into elegant Basketball Covered Courts for all
activities held in the barangay. His inclinations to create chains of
infrastructure made him Valenzuela City’s fastest achieving chief executive to
build the most number of government edifices in less than two years.
Behind these
advocacies and contributions, some people questioning his capabilities, “where
did the mayor get the money to all of these?” There’s hearsay that he could be
a sponsor of the shabu shipments in the city, they claim that it is impossible
for a billion of illegal drugs be imported to the city without his permission
and realization, and with high police men on work. My theory for this is that
people have different opinions when something turn to be possible whether it’s
a nice opinion or a bad thinking to what a person has done for the benefit of
all. The point is we people tend to stereotype those who are in the position
and assume that they’re always related into illegal drugs for it is the source
of money in making succession in the city, although they’re not users, people
will always think that they know the operation takes place and protect those into
it, in this circumstance, money is indeed become instantaneous.
Courtesy of: (http://www.gmanetwork.com/balitanghali)
. In contradict to this; Valenzuela City became 2nd safest
cities in Southeast Asia in the latest report of the collaborative online
database Numbeo next to Singapore, the conclusion here is: there’s no city
considered as an absolute drug free place, there will always be but what
Valenzuela differs from others are the consistency of restraining illegal
drugs, the activeness of Bantay Bayan officers, the responsiveness of the
appointed policemen, the users who voluntarily surrendered after hearing the
campaign against drugs and the unconditional cooperation of the citizens. Out
of 33, barangays in the city, a total of 24 have been declared as drug-free workplace,
this probably strengthens the fact why Valenzuela became 2nd safest
city. “Peace and order is correlated
with economic development. Safety in the city stimulates more vibrant economic
activities, creating more jobs and other opportunities for its people.” The
mayor said in his interview as he credits constituents and law-enforcers.
Barangay officials strongly defend the mayor and
believe that he couldn’t bear to do things that are related to illegal drugs.
They said he applies knowledge about business strategy since he came from a
business family in improving Valenzuela. The funds came from different
resources. Valenzuela borrows money from stable corporations or organizations
for the use of innovative infrastructures and activities and eventually bring
back the money. Valenzuela is an industrial-type city; it is rich in factories
that provide job for the people and of course, the tax coming from the labor of
the people. These things could be the source of huge amount of money that the
mayor releases in supporting his projects for the city.
Courtesy of: (https://youtu.be/XUIvFxqlCQc)
He stated that he hates illegal drugs and he doesn’t have any idea about the billions of those being collected in a warehouse, only, there are things beyond his control. In addition to this, he was the first CAMANAVA mayor who voluntarily submits himself for a drug test to prove that he is genuine and deserving. In my humble opinion, I personally trusted whatever decisions and plans made by the Mayor, I choose not to look at the negative side of the hearsays and controversies being thrown at him, I mean it depends to people what they want to believe from that, people indeed are different being. What I have learned along the interviews and from deep contemplation in this specific concept are: people tend to believe and hold on to their assumptions in many things in life that sometimes lead into misapprehension and blindly look at the explanation of it. This applies the quote of Robert Ailes “Truth is whatever people will believe.”
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