The Old Man and the Sea (of Inexperienced)

Former Quezon City Mayor and Congressman Ismael “Mel” Mathay, Jr. is raring to reclaim the reins of the premier city. Mathay is pitted against eight other candidates for mayor, many of whom are much younger than him. Despite the odds, he boasts of his strengths, claiming he has loyal and solid following in the city’s four districts.

His opponents for the mayoral post include Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Rep. Annie Susano, former Environment Secretary Michael Defensor and businessman/civic leader Johnny Chang.

Belying concerns about his health, the 77-year old Mathay says he is “as fit as a fiddle” and still capable of discharging the strenuous tasks of running the city government. For him, the May 10 polls are more than just a politicalexercise—it is D-Day for Quezon City. For him, solving the city’s problems is a critical ingredient in the overall well-being of Metro Manila. Quezon City, after all, is the country’s main urban hub. Having served as vice governor and de facto chief operating officer of the Metro Manila Commission (the forerunner of the Metro Manila Development Authority) during the Marcos era, Mathay knows what he is talking about.

Quezon City comprises one-fifth of Metro Manila’s territory. It is the repository of migrants and “refugees” not only from all 16 neighboring cities and one municipality (Pateros is the only non-city left in the metropolis) but also from the provinces. Because of land availability, Quezon City is a natural magnet for settlers, most of them illegal.

And this is why Mathay feels Quezon City badly needs leadership. At a recent mayors’ forum, he explained that the growth of the city should be managed well. Since he left the office of the mayor nine years ago after serving for three consecutive terms, he noted that the city’s population grew by 500,000.

That’s half a million—a significant fraction of whom are likely out of work, hungry and desperate.

This is where critical planning is badly needed. Mathay says his priorities are jobs, health care, housing and peace and order, all of which are interconnected.

Quezon City residents have been feeling the pressure of rapid urbanization, and many of them are grumbling about the lack of basic services. One reason for the growing discontent and desperation is that many don’t see concrete and sound plans to address their plight.

This is where planning and vision come in. Amid the political rhetoric that comes with the political season, Mathay can lay claim to real development that he jumpstarted. In a media forum, he says it was under his watch that development projects like the Eastwood cyberpark in Libis, Metro Centro in Cubao and Fairview were born. These projects have generated thousands of jobs and countless business opportunities for many. Now, he says he is aiming to push for more. He promises to create employment and widen the revenue base of the city. He also wants to increase the income pouring into the city government’s coffers without raising taxes.

For a city that touts itself as the richest in the country, Mathay says he can’t understand why the aforecited problems still linger.

There is widespread complaint among residents and business firms that they are overtaxed and many of the fees charged by city hall are among the highest in the country. The cheapest community tax certificate (cedula) in Quezon City—for jobless people —is worth P50. The equivalent cedula fee in Makati or Taguig is only P5.

Mathay says there are several other problems bugging Quezon City which he says make him more motivated to reclaim the mayoral post.

It’s probably frustrating for a man of his age and experience to see the opportunities wasted and chances blown away. He speaks with firmness in drawing up his idea of how to turn the city’s fortunes around.

(Opinion of Fel Maragay, columist at the Manila Standard Today. It came out today)