Amid concerns that big infrastructure projects often make people doubt the government, Mayor Vico Sotto on Monday, Sept. 29, confidently said residents in Pasig City continue to trust the local government because of its transparency and inclusivity.

Sotto said this after a public consultation held on Sunday, Sept. 28, in Barangay Ugong, Purok 2, regarding the plan to construct a multipurpose building with a new health center and a covered court.

He said that instead of simply repairing existing facilities, his vision is to provide the barangay with the facilities it truly needs.

While presenting the plan, Sotto said he suddenly thought about why Pasigueños trust the local government, even though people often view large infrastructure projects, particularly flood-control initiatives and other major developments, with doubt.

“Kapag may nakita kang malaking infrastructure, aminin natin o hindi, anong iniisip ng tao? Minsan hindi maganda ang tingin sa gobyerno (When people see a large infrastructure project, whether we admit it or not, their initial impression of the government is sometimes not good),” he said.

“Pero ‘pag nag-ikot po tayo sa Pasig, hindi naman sa pagmamayabang o pagmamalaki, pero p'wede tayong maging proud [dahil] ang tao nagtitiwa sa atin. Ang tanong, ‘bakit?’ (But when we go around Pasig, not to boast or brag, but we can be proud because people trust us. The question is, why?),” he continued.

The mayor suggested that this may be because of transparency, noting the recent public consultation where, even before the bidding process, the city government presented the plans and budget, answered questions from the community, and explained the project’s purpose, allowing the people to become partners in monitoring the project and safeguarding public funds.

“Katuwang natin (local government) ang tao para bantayan ang pamahalaan, para bantayan ang pondo natin (The people are our partners in monitoring the local government and safeguarding our funds),” he stated.

While Sotto admitted that public trust in the local government may not be absolute due to political or personal biases, as is true everywhere, he said he is proud that Pasigueños continue to place a high level of trust in the city government because of its efforts to promote inclusivity and transparency.

He cited the New Pasig City Hall Project as an example. Despite being a large-scale project, he said, "Alam ng tao napupunta sa tama yung pondo nila kasi bukas na bukas tayo (People know that their funds are being spent properly because we are transparent in all our processes).”

He noted that even before any construction begins, the Bill of Quantities will be made public, which Sotto said is an uncommon practice in government. He added that this demonstrates the city’s commitment to accountability from planning to implementation.