Manila mayoral aspirant and retired police Gen. Elmer Jamias vowed to protect and serve the city of Manila in case he wins in May 2022.
"To serve and protect the city of Manila from lawless elements para 'yung mga investors natin will come in kasi kapag magulo mawawalan tayo ng investors at 'yung pagunlad sa Maynila hindi natin makakamtam (For the investors to come in Manila so we can further develop the city)," Jamias told the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum when asked what his plans are if elected as mayor of the nation's capital.
Jamias started as a police patrolman in Manila and served the country for almost three decades as an honest public servant until he retired in 2017.
He is running for Manila mayor under the People’s Reform Party, the political party of the late Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Jamias said he is familiar with every corner and street in Manila and is confident that the people of Manila will see him as the best candidate.
He was also the running mate of Lim in the 2019 elections but failed to win against incumbent Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan.
Jamias said that he learned in the 2019 elections the culture of politics which is to be firm and expose the truth to the people. This, he added, pushed him to run as Manila mayor.
"Lilinisin natin ang Maynila pati ang city hall. Hindi pupwede ang ako lang. Lahat tayo. Magtutulong-tulong, 'yan ang tagline ko. Since pumunta ako dito sa pulitika, 'yan ang sinisigaw ko palagi (We will clean the city of Manila and the city hall, it will not only be me, but all of us. We will help each other as this has been my tagline ever since I entered politics) with respect to the current administration," he said.
Jamias also promised that if elected as mayor, those who did anomalies in the city of Manila will be held accountable,
"Wala akong sinasabihang personal don sa administrasyon. Ang sinasabi ko, 'yung mga taong involved dun, maaring hindi alam ng namumuno yung kapaligiran. Since time immemorial, nandiyan pa rin 'yung mga gumagawa ng hindi ayos sa siyudad sa city hall bagama't sila ay may ginawa na pero hindi pa rin completely na nawala (I’m not saying anything against the current administration. What I'm saying is that the people involved and the head were not aware of the environment. There are still those who are doing bad things in the city, in the city hall, although they have done something but it is still not enough)," Jamias said.
Jamias will soon announce his nine-year plan for the city of Manila which focuses on COVID-19 pandemic response, health-related problems, employment, disaster response, education, illegal drugs, crime prevention, and electric buses to contain the pollution in the city.
He also plans to build a subway that can make the nation's capital the "prime city" in the country.
He added that he will further improve and continue the projects and programs initiated by the current administration of the city.
Jamias also said that he can donate his salary as the new mayor of the city to the senior citizens if needed because his pension is already enough for him.
He said he will announce his running mate and other candidates on Nov. 15.
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