Speech of Mayor Abby Binay for the Rotary Club of Manila Luncheon Meeting on July 11, 2019, 12 NN, at New World Hotel in Makati City

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(Salutations)

Rotary Club of Manila president, Rotarian Joaquin

Rodriguez; other distinguished officers, directors and members of the Rotary Club of Manila; visiting Rotarians and guests; ladies and gentlemen:

First, I would like to congratulate the club as it celebrates

100 years of the founding of the Rotary Movement / in the

Philippines and in Asia. I would also like to thank club vice president, Rotarian Herminio Esguerra, for inviting me to be your guest speaker today.

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In its 100-year history, the Rotary Club of Manila has pioneered projects that embody the four avenues of Rotary service, and has served as a shining beacon to Rotary

Clubs throughout the country. Congratulations to the illustrious men and women who have joined its folds for keeping the passion for service aflame! The nation owes your organization a debt of gratitude / for having been a reliable partner in community development / and in building the foundations of a sustainable future for us all.

Three years ago, I stood before you and vowed to rebuild

Makati to its former glory. I also revealed my plans to harness modern technology / to upgrade public service and local governance, not only for greater efficiency and convenience, but for transparency and accountability.

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Today, at the start of my second term as Mayor of Makati,

I am honored to present before you the highlights of my administration’s achievements in the past three years.

Then I will share some of our major plans in the next three years or, God-willing, six years, as we forge ahead to fasttrack our progress towards becoming a full-fledged

Smart City by 2025.

To be sure, our Team Performance had our work cut out for us, but we were ready and determined to pave the way to Makati’s digital transformation. After a rapid assessment of systems and processes in the delivery of services at City Hall, we implemented innovative and strategic reforms that turned out to be highly effective, and productive.

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Besides establishing a business one-stop-shop, we were able to shorten and simplify processes, including the application for business permits. These and other relevant changes have apparently renewed investor confidence / and earned the trust of our taxpayers. In 2017, Makati posted a two-digit increase in revenue collections. It was the first time / after 12 years of only single-digit year-on- year gains. We also consistently surpassed revenue targets until 2018, and by the looks of it, we are sure to do it again this year.

Through due diligence and strict adherence to the law, we have earned, for two years in a row, the highly coveted, yet elusive, “unqualified” or “unmodified” opinion of the

Commission on Audit. As you may know, it is the highest audit rating to be given by the said body.

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We were also elated when COA declared Makati as the country’s richest local government unit, after several years of trailing at the top post. With total assets reaching P196.57 billion, our city became the first LGU to breach the P100-billion mark, according to the

Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Other notable recognitions we have received include the

Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping from the DILG; the title of Champion City in the Best in eGov Digital Finance

Empowerment category of the First Digital Cities Awards, launched by the Department of Information and

Communication Technology and the National ICT

Confederation of the ; and the Special

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Achievement in GIS Award during the 38th Esri

Conference in California, USA.

With all these impressive results, we are inspired to pursue more technology-driven reforms to promote ease of doing business and enhance our competitiveness. We are, in fact, developing an enhanced business permit and licensing system, or e-BPLS, a computerized system that will provide easy access to business permits through various platforms.

I am also glad to report on the progress we have made with major PPP-led initiatives / aimed to accelerate Makati’s digital transformation, as well as promote genuinely inclusive progress. To date, we have distributed over

75,000 Makatizen Cards to qualified residents and city hall

6 workers, who now have convenient access to the fast- growing cashless ecosystem / and its many opportunities for financial security.

The all-in-one ID card consolidates all city-provided health and social benefits of residents and employees, and can be used to pay bills, purchase items, draw salaries and bonuses, and even send money to relatives.

We now have over 5,000 android and iPhone users accessing the Makatizen App, the first digital citizen app in the country. They can use it to learn the latest updates about programs and events in the city, and to report crimes and other emergencies, and concerns like uncollected garbage, to the proper authorities.

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Another digital PPP initiative that is about to go full blast is the Makati Public WiFi System.

Our partner has completed the installation of a fiber optic cable loop covering 27 target barangays, excluding the six villages, and free WiFi connection is now available in 24 barangays on designated periods daily. Access points are now being activated in the remaining three barangays and will soon be up and running.

Let me point out that all these projects, with all the benefits and advantages they bring to our constituents, have been done at no cost to the taxpayers of Makati.

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Taken with our healthy revenue growth, this has given us added leverage to expand current programs with additional benefits, and introduce new initiatives as well.

For our public schoolchildren, we have added more items like free rubber shoes – dubbed “Air Binay kicks” by impressed netizens, school socks, rain gear and emergency go bags to their benefits.

We have also brought thousands of students to free educational trips / at popular sites like Kidzania Manila and Mind Museum. We have invested in enhancing the

Math proficiency of Grades 1 to 10 students / using a top

Singaporean learning platform, and very soon, we will be giving our schoolchildren free nutritious meals daily / so

9 that their parents need not worry about their “baon” anymore.

As you can see, we are doing everything possible / to leave parents without any reasonable or conceivable excuse / not to send their children to school. We are determined to remove any barrier to accessing quality education, which is a true social equalizer that has the power to set anyone free from poverty.

Another great social equalizer is the Makati Health

Program, more popularly known as Yellow Card. Over

80,000 card holders and their dependents have access to free medicines / and quality health care in our 26 barangay health centers and at the city-run Ospital ng

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Makati, which now boasts of a modern Eye Center.

Recently, we launched a hospice care program aimed to help patients with chronic or terminal illness, and their families, in coping with multiple burdens.

While we continue to upgrade our hospital’s equipment and services, we have also given Yellow Card members access to specialized medical and diagnostic services / at the Makati Medical Center through a memorandum of agreement.

Through outsourcing, we have made available “unli- dialysis” services to patients with kidney ailments / in private freestanding dialysis centers in the city and nearby locations.

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Makatizens can also look forward to increased access to better medical services, as the state-of-the-art hospital in

Malugay, District 1 is expected to be completed in 2022.

Its features will include a modern Oncology Center for cancer patients.

In the meantime, we will establish 24/7 Urgent Care services in selected barangay health centers / to provide immediate relief to patients, which will address congestion at the OsMak emergency room due to the influx of non- emergency cases on nights and weekends.

We have also made substantial investments in building citywide resilience to disasters, as part of our efforts towards sustainability. We have acquired modern disaster response equipment and emergency vehicles, including

12 mobile command vehicles, in preparation for the so-called

“Big One”, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that may occur in

Metro Manila anytime.

Friends,

As I begin my second term, I am glad to give you a preview of some of our major projects in the pipeline / chiefly for the benefit of our residents and stakeholders.

Soon, we will establish a school that is fully equipped with fast internet connection and modern computers to boost the competencies of public school students. We will also upgrade the facilities of our existing public schools and

13 support enhanced training programs for teachers, so that the youth of Makati can have cutting edge and relevant education / attuned to the demands of the digital age.

We have also come up with an innovative solution to the shortage of interment space in Makati that, at the same time, will offer Makatizens a worry-free and cost-free yet decent way of laying departed loved ones to rest.

We have already drawn up a site development plan for the construction of a public columbarium on a 4,000-meter property that used to be the Makati Catholic Cemetery.

Also in the pipeline is a new building complex that will house our protective services sector, including the central

14 police headquarters and central fire station, and the Public

Safety Department.

We also plan to put up a separate building for the Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Office / and all its attached units, parking and storage of vehicles, supplies and equipment, and a satellite command center that will support the C3 at City Hall.

Another move towards resiliency is the construction of a separate DRRM Academy / outside of the University of

Makati, in order to accommodate a larger group of volunteers coming from all sectors / who need proper and adequate training to become competent and effective in responding to emergencies.

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I have deliberately saved this next major project for the last part, as I regard it as my “legacy project” that will transform the lives of present and future generations of

Makatizens, as well as everyone who comes to our city for work, business or leisure.

Makati is poised to make history with the construction of the Makati Subway, the first-ever underground mass transit system in the Philippines.

The Three Point Seven Million Dollar ($3.7-million) intra- city subway will be built at no cost to the city, through a

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PPP agreement with a consortium of local and foreign investors.

It will connect key areas in the city, including the Makati

City Hall complex, Ayala Central Business District,

Poblacion Heritage Site, University of Makati, and Ospital ng Makati, among others.

The subway system will have two tracks, up to ten underground stations, and air-conditioned coaches which can accommodate 200 persons per car. It is estimated to serve up to 27,000 passengers per hour per direction. The entire system spans 10 kilometers with a train yard, maintenance depot, and central command center at ground level.

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It is projected to create around 10,000 jobs during its construction and up to its full operation in 2025.

It is also expected to drastically reduce traffic congestion / along with air pollution and greenhouse gas emission, increase productivity of workers, rake in bigger profits for businesses, including small and medium enterprises, and accelerate sustainable development and economic stability for the city.

With great hope and optimism, we envision the Makati

Subway as a game-changer, a catalyst of inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social progress, not just in the city, but throughout the nation. By showing other local government units that such an ambitious goal can be achieved, we can inspire them to follow our lead / and

18 thereby open up limitless opportunities / for their own constituents to succeed and prosper.

On this positive note, I would like to conclude by expressing my firm commitment / to our shared vision of

Makati as the country’s first certified Smart City – a city that is fully capable of providing efficient, transparent, and excellent services to its people, while sustaining a healthy, livable and resilient environment for all.

Thank you.

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