The team of Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay and former Vice President Jejomar Binay kicked off their proclamation rally on Friday for the May 13 midterm polls.
The event, held at the stretch of Lawton Avenue from Kalayaan Avenue to J.P. Rizal Extension in Barangay Northside, was attended by 25,000 people, according to the Makati City police department.
The mayor is going against her brother, former mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., while the elder Binay is seeking to represent the city’s first district in the House of Representatives.
Reelectionists Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, second district congressman Luis Campos and all 16 candidates for city councilors in both districts attended the political rally.
Speaking before thousands of supporters from the city’s 33 barangays, the elder Binay, chairman of the United Nationalist Alliance, formally presented his daughter as UNA’s official mayoral candidate and exhorted her exemplary leadership which he said merits another term in office.
Saying it was a great honor to introduce his daughter who will again be “the next mayor of Makati,” Binay described her election in 2016 as providential for the people of Makati.
“Alam po ninyo, ang laking pagpapala, pinagpala po tayo ng Panginoon dahil siya po ang nahalal noong 2016. Kung hindi ay hindi matutuloy yung tamang pamamahala,” Binay said.
The UNA chairman said he was proud of how his daughter had effectively led the turnaround of the dismal state of public service in Makati under her predecessor, citing the deterioration of services at the Ospital ng Makati due to neglect and incompetence.
In her proclamation speech, Mayor Binay said she has kept her promise to the people of Makati in 2016 when she assured them that she will not only continue but further enhance her father’s legacy of trusted public service with her own innovations.
The city chief executive said her ticket was aptly named Team Performance because from day one, her administration has been firmly anchored on performance.
“I value performance because it is the pillar of a good administration. I believe in performance because it is the key to a Makati we can all be proud of,” she said.
She said her administration will prioritize the establishment of Urgent Care in the city’s barangay health centers, in addition to primary health care services they provide. She said the added service is aimed to provide immediate relief to patients in need of urgent medical attention.
On the other hand, the modernization of Ospital ng Makati will continue, with the addition of new equipment and facilities, and more doctors and nurses, she said.