Re-elected Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. vowed Friday that he will pursue his vision of transforming Quezon City into a “city of opportunities for each and every one of us.”
“I thank you for giving me a fresh mandate… I feel challenged by this last term, there is so much more to do,” Belmonte told his cheering supporters as the local Board of Canvassers officially proclaimed him the winner Friday night after he received more than 80 percent of the total votes cast.
Lawyer Dinah Valencia, who chairs the local Board of Canvassers, also proclaimed Herbert Bautista as the duly re-elected vice mayor in the city.
Belmonte pledged to prioritize high-impact programs that would stimulate investment and economic opportunities in the city. Among these projects is the full development of the city’s central business district, with the North and East Triangle areas and the Veterans Memorial eyed by the national government as a “well-planned, integrated and environmentally balanced mixed used development model.”
He garnered more than 360,000 votes canvassed from 3,400 out of the 5,049 election returns in the city, which has a total of 1,005,000 registered voters in four congressional districts.
Before his proclamation, Belmonte and his SB Performance team were leading their rivals by a wide margin except in District 2, where re-electionist Rep. Annie Susano enjoyed only a slight lead over former congressman Chuck Mathay III. Mathay has asked the Comelec to speed up the counting of election returns.
Re-electionist Rep. Vincent Crisologo is leading outgoing Councilor Rommel Abesamis in District 1, Rep. Matias Defensor has widened his lead over Danton Remoto in District 3, and District 4 Rep. Nanette Castelo Daza is running unopposed.