Message:
“Overcome poverty with the RIGHT VALUES”
The fundamental measurement of good governance is its impact on alleviating poverty. No amount of physical development can reflect real progress if a good number of residents still wallow in squalor.
Poverty is indeed a formidable issue, but it can be surmounted. My experiences in public office made me realize how important it is to imbue people with the right values, and complement that with well-conceived plans and determined efforts to ease poverty. My realization also brought to the fore the value of transforming people’s mindset in a way that promotes productivity and self-sufficiency.
Our approach to poverty alleviation is multi-pronged which includes health, housing, education, employment, livelihood, and values formation. We have several grand visions (“Squatter-free Marikina”, “Two Jobs, One Family”, and “Zero Non-reader in Marikina”, to name a few), and we have gained significant strides to realize the same.
Ultimately, the best measure of success of our poverty alleviation efforts is our people’s proud assertion that
home is Marikina!