Sparks fly in QC debate

A heated debate among local candidates in Quezon City the other night, aired live over ABS-CBN, highlighted the performances of re-electionist Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. in his three-year term and that of his rival, former mayor Ismael Mathay who served as chief executive for nine years.

The debate over "Dong Puno Live" held at a jampacked Amoranto stadium also allowed Belmonte and runningmate Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista a chance to answer and refute charges hurled by Mathay and his runningmate Dingdong Avanzado against their administration.

Among the issues raised was the status of Quezon City as the richest city in the country and the raising of business taxes.

Mathay said a report from the Department of Finance had actually declared Makati as the richest city in the country.

But Belmonte said Mathay was trying to mislead the public in disputing the status of Quezon City as the richest city in the country.

He said Mathay did not take into account in his computations the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), which is a component of the general fund.

Belmonte said it was ironic that Mathay did not include the IRA since during his rival’s term, the latter was dependent on the allotment particular in paying salaries of government employees. He added that the COA had in fact declared QC as the richest in the Philippines.

On the other hand, the stand of the mayor on taxes was fully supported by the president of the Quezon City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCCI) who was also invited to the program.

"The business community is happy with Mayor Belmonte, that is why Quezon City is now the richest in the country," Zulueta said.

Belmonte revealed that when he assumed office, Mathay left P1.5 billion in payables, including debts in garbage collection. He said his predecessor also left P1 billion in bank debts, which his administration managed to pay.

Belmonte stressed that when he took over, the city’s general fund was "negative P10 million."

Mathay reacted strongly when the mayor raised the issue of garbage collection debts of over a hundred million.

The former mayor vehemently denied the incumbent’s claims, but Belmonte presented documents, receipts and checks which he brought with him to back them up.

Bautista and Avanzado engaged in several verbal skirmishes over the gains and progress in Quezon City, eliciting cheers from supporters as each one spoke or rebutted a statement.

Sparks flew when the debate shifted to discussions on the Payatas garbage dump, the acquisition of which Avanzado credited to Mathay.

A verbal exchange ensued with Bautista making reference to the Payatas tragedy wherein over 140 people perished, which drew a sharp reaction from Mathay. "The bulldozers that built the garbage mountain, that collapsed then were all under contract with city hall," Belmonte added.

During the debate, supporters and other local bets from both parties were also given time to speak and explain their reasons for supporting a particular candidate.

Bold actress Ara Mina said that she believes in the capability of her "lolo," the ex-mayor.

Councilor Aiko Melendez, on the other hand, said it’s public knowledge that Belmonte was awarded the most outstanding city mayor in the Philippines and Quezon City is the richest local government unit. Ara Mina is presently the girlfrield of Melendez’s ex-husband.

Melendez added, "Bakit ibibigay pa natin sa iba?"