Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said he is eyeing the use of simpler methods and approaches in planning and implementing future long-term projects and programs in the city.
During the flag raising ceremony on Monday, Jan. 30, Sotto said that one of the things he truly learned during his official visit to Paris, France last Jan. 21 to 28 was how projects are always thought out and planned for the long-term, and using simpler approaches to achieve them.
“Sa implementasyon nila ng mga program, malinaw ‘yung layunin at kung ano ang pinakasimpleng paraan. Siguro iyon ang isang bagay na pwede natin maipakilala dito (In their implementation of programs, the goal or objective is clear, and they follow the simplest ways to accomplish it. Perhaps that is one thing that we can introduce here ),” Sotto emphasized.
He recalled how, in the Philippines, things are done generally in a reactionary manner.
“May nakita tayong problema, gawa tayo ng solusyon. May nakita tayong nangangailangan, bigyan natin ng pansamantalang tulong o mabilisang aksyon na siyempre kailangan din natin gawin (When a problem is identified, the government makes a solution. When people are in need, they are given temporary aid or swift action. Of course, those things need to be done),” Sotto said.
He added that there are often many requirements or bureaucratic processes that the local government tends to do, including adding new rules and regulations, creating new committees and commissions, and drafting new ordinances to address an issue.
However, Sotto’s administration, in particular, has always advocated for longer-lasting, genuine reform and change in the city, especially to address lingering problems like corruption and red tape.
“Sa lahat ng ginagawa natin, may mga aksyon tayong kailangangawin pero lagi nating isipin, ano ba ‘yung pinakasimpleng paraan, pinakamadaling proseso para makapunta sa point A hanggang sa point B? (In all that we do, there are actions that must be done, but let’s all think and consider, what is the simplest way, easiest process to get from point A to point B?),” Sotto urged his constituents.
Aside from following a streamlined process, Sotto also cited the very minimal influence of politics in Paris when they create and implement projects, which he intends to apply in Pasig.
The mayor shared other things he learned when visiting France. Since he was invited by the French government itself, he met and held meetings with some French senators, parliament members, deputy mayors, and other national, regional, and city government officials.
He highlighted France’s implementation of universal healthcare, for which the country is among the top 10 of the best healthcare systems in the world; and their form of participatory democracy, wherein the role of civil society organizations, and “consultation before action” is being followed.
To further his understanding and his personal advocacy as a public official, he said he also studied their country’s political party system.
He noted that since France has an older system of government and is a more economically developed country, there are things that they do better than the Philippines.
However, he said there are things that Filipinos are better at doing such as grassroots interactions and community engagement done by the city’s barangay health workers and health aids, which do not have any equivalent in France.