Reviving the economy of the City of Manila is the primary reason why mayoral candidate Atty. Alex Lopez decided to run in the May polls.
In Manila Bulletin’s Hot Seat Forum, Lopez said he wants to bring his experiences and perspective in the private sector to the City of Manila.
“Ako po ay manggagaling sa (I am coming from the) private sector. I think after Covid, we need a fresh start, fresh outlook, fresh vision coming from the private sector,” he said.
“We have to have a heart on helping the poor. Different visions and different approaches that have been implemented not only during this administration but also in the past. We need a total redevelopment,” he added.
With the city still reeling from the impact of Covid-19, Lopez listed the upliftment of the marginalized individuals, improvement of the social amelioration distribution, and creation of more jobs as his top priorities.
“Unang una ang priority ko (My foremost priority) is marginalized upliftment eh. Marginalized empowerment. So ‘yung mga mahihirap po pano natin paaangatin ang buhay nyan (So how can we uplift the lives of the poor). We have to do many things in order to reach that goal,” he added.
Lopez said he would apply the same principles that he had done in running his businesses to the local government.
“I think I can offer what I had done to my company to the City of Manila. We can rebuild the City of Manila, not only from the effects of Covid but also from the past,” he said.
“I came well prepared... I believe that giving jobs in my business, helping my business progress, we will apply the same principles in politics,” Lopez added.
Lopez also said that he will intensify the livelihood program in the city and will pursue lending money to the poor to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Aside from his expertise in the business industry, Lopez, who is a lawyer, believes that the time he spent during the term of his father, the late Manila Mayor Gemiliano “Mel” Lopez, Jr., from 1986 to 1992, is also one of the reasons why he considers himself the best candidate to become the city’s Chief Executive.
“Kaagay po ako ng aking ama sa kanyang pagiging alkalde noong 1986 to 1992 (I was with my father when he served as a mayor from 1986 to 1992),” he said.
“Baka naman may maidudulot ang mga naging matagumpay sa larangan ng ibang sektor at madala naman sa larangan ng gobyerno (Perhaps those who have been successful in other sectors will have something to share in government),” he pointed out.
Fair treatment for the employees of the city hall will also be one of Lopez’s priorities.
“Right now, the city hall employees, I don’t think they’re getting the right income they deserve. So how do we expect too much production from people who are underpaid?,” he stressed.
“That’s our basic principle po — to give every man his due - and I think that needs to start from the management of the city hall. If the city hall can give the employees their fair share then we can start rationalizing,” he added.
Aside from establishing projects on infrastructures, business, and improving the lives of the poor, Lopez said he will also focus on uplifting the youth, as well as the other sectors in society, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) community and women in the city.
“We have programs for that. If only we’ll be given a chance to serve, we can show what we can do,” he said.
Asked about his plans for the parks in the city, he said: “We have to maintain this green space but because there is very little space, what we plan to do is to make the ground floor like a swimming pool, a multi-purpose area; the second floor a library tapos (and) a separate entrance ‘yung burolan ba, kasi it's so hard na magpaburol now (then a separate entrance for wakes). Third floor, we can make it into a basketball floor, tapos (and) fourth floor doon natin gagawing green. That’s what we intend to do with the parks.”
Lopez also plans to improve the social welfare program of the city by doubling the ayuda (financial aid) that will be given to residents.
“‘Yung ayuda po ‘yung sa kahon (the aid in boxes), we’ll put more value into that.. We’ll just have to double what’s in the box of that social welfare program. We would like to continue the social welfare programs of our beloved mayor. We will continue it and make it better,” he promised.
“We just have to make it efficiently. ‘Yung plans po natin katulad ng job order, I think we will push for that, we will continue that. Paparamihin pa natin (We will increase that),” he said.
Lopez is running under the Partido Federal Party with actor Raymond Bagatsing as his running mate.