Thirty two years after

By Former Vice President

MAKATI’S focus on eradicating poverty through responsive social programs has not wavered 32 years after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. Makati continues to serve, improve, and innovate.

Makati’s students remain the incumbent leadership’s top priority, as it has been since 1986. Since the 1990s, we have been providing them with free books, school supplies, school uniforms, bags and shoes. Last year, the city government gave each and every elementary and high school student free sneakers. Makati students took to social media to thank the Mayor and the city government, complete with pictures of their new white sneakers. The deluge of “thank yous” went viral. Netizens christened the sneakers “Air Binay” and sneaker enthusiasts have given it rave reviews.

Scholarships, perks, and partnerships with the private sector and national government agencies to boost employment for graduates, out-of-school youth, and indigents have been expanded. All in all, some 45,993 beneficiaries were given jobs and skills training in 2017.

Cash assistance was also extended to parents who enrolled their children in our SPED centers, while the heartwarming stories of two Makati septuagenarians who were among the Batch 2017 graduates inspired the leadership of Mayor Abby to exempt from the payment of tuition fees all residents 70 years old and above who enroll at the University of Makati (UMak). For senior citizens 60 years old and above, the city now grants them incentives upon graduating from any public senior high school in the city, and from college or graduate school at UMak.

Makati remains the pacesetter in public health, another government priority since in 1986. Makati is perhaps the only local government with an Eye Center, equipped with the latest equipment for corrective eye treatment and surgical procedures. Since its opening in 2017, the Center has extended these services for free for our citizens. Makati also pioneered the “Libreng Gamot” program and last year the city increased the budget to accommodate more citizens. As a result a total of 527,989 Makati residents received free maintenance medicines, vitamins and other medications.

As of December last year, Makati granted lifetime membership to 297 Yellow Card cardholders, among them senior citizens aged 80 years and above who have been Yellow Card members for at least six years. The Yellow Card provides subsidized medical and hospital care at the Ospital ng Makati. This pioneering program has received local and international recognition, notably from the United Nations-Habitat.

For our children, Makati has an award-winning nutrition program that provides regular weight monitoring, nutrition education, free vitamins and supplements, feeding, and emergency food assistance to families with underweight children. We are glad that the malnutrition prevalence rate has declined over the years, from 7.7 per cent in 1990 to 0.48 per cent in 2017.

For our seniors citizens, we have close to 80,000 who receive cash gifts ranging from R3,000 to R5,000 given in two equal installments every June and December. Our “seniorito” and “seniorita” citizens receive perks and benefits well beyond what is provided for by national law.

Financially, the local government is as robust as it has been since 1987. From a municipality mired in debt during the years of martial law, Makati’s income has been rising steadily after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. Makati earned a total of P16.9 billion from January to December 2017, surpassing its revenue target by 16 percent, and posting a 12 percent increase over total collections in 2016. This is another feather in the cap of the current leadership.

The impact of the social programs we started 32 years ago have been life-changing for our citizens. These programs have improved their quality of life and lifted them for poverty.

Makati teaches us that political will, transparency, compassion, credible governance and the unwavering support of the people can move a community forward. We have seen the fruits of People Power in Makati through a local government that serves its people well. The promise of EDSA 1986 has become a reality in the City of Makati.

jcbinay11@gmail.com