Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay on Friday reiterated the city government’s strong support for the city police and fire departments to maintain peace and order and promote disaster readiness, resilience and sustainability in the country’s financial center.
Addressing members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Binay said her administration remains firmly committed to strengthening the city’s protective sector in the face of growing challenges posed by climate change and rapid urbanization.
“Let me assure you of our commitment to transform Makati into a real ‘smart city’, a city that is not only in step with the digital age but is fully equipped to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all its constituents and stakeholders to grow and prosper,” she said.
Binay said the city government recently turned over modern emergency response vehicles and equipment to the Makati police and fire departments, to enhance their capability to fight crime as well as respond to disasters.
Makati was named among the top ten “safest and most peaceful cities in Southeast Asia” by Numbeo, a global crowd-sourced database which provides current information on global living conditions, including cost of living, health care, traffic, crime and pollution.
In a report released by Numbeo, Makati ranked fifth among the region’s top ten safest cities, with 39.56 percent crime rate and 60.44 percent safety rate.
The PCCI invited Mayor Binay to its special joint general membership meeting held last May 16 at the Manila Hotel, where Makati and four other Philippine cities that made it to the list were feted.
Through a plaque of recognition presented to the mayor, the PCCI praised the city government for “exemplifying commendable initiatives towards good governance reforms that promote trade and investments, and significantly contribute to local economic development.”
“We are glad that our continuing efforts to promote safe and sustainable communities are appreciated, especially by the PCCI whose members include Makati’s corporate citizens and industry leaders,” said Binay.
She acknowledged the vital role of the business community as the city’s “steadfast partners for progress and development.”
Last March, Binay also led the turnover of new disaster response vehicles and equipment to the two national agencies.
The police received one Mobile Command vehicle and two rescue boats, while the fire bureau received one Mobile Command vehicle, a chemical fire truck, two rescue boats with one fire pump, 10 sets of mobile fire suppression equipment (motorcycles, protective helmets, portable foam compressors), and two extra foam compressors.
The mayor said the continuing upgrade of the local police and fire agencies “aims to ensure that their systems and operations conform to international standards as befits the country’s financial center.”
Aside from equipment turned over to the said agencies, other state-of-the-art equipment recently acquired by the city government include an aerial fire ladder which can extend up to 56 meters and reach the 18th floor of a high-rise building, a super tanker, an advanced emergency communication vehicle, two mobile command vehicles, chemical fire trucks, rescue boats, rescue trucks, and mobile kitchens.
According to news reports, Numbeo based its report on a survey conducted on netizens who visited its website, www.numbeo.com. They further quoted Numbeo stating that “crime index is an estimation of the overall crime in a given city or country, while safety index is the opposite of crime index. If the city has a high safety index, it is considered very safe.”
