Reelected Pasay Mayor Antonino Calixto has vowed to combat poverty by boosting basic social services in the city as he took his oath of office the other day.
Calixto was sworn in by Pasay Judge Edwin Ramizo at the Shrine of St. Therese in the Villamor compound.
In his speech to his supporters whom he thanked, the mayor noted that his second consecutive term coincided with the city’s 150th founding anniversary.
From a small village off Manila Bay, “we are now on the global map as a world-class entertainment center,” Calixto said.
At the same time, he vowed to continue pushing for Pasay’s development. “In the various aspects of fighting poverty…and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, we will seek to keep abreast with Philippine progress or be one of those leading it,” he added.
Toward this end, Calixto said he and his sister, Representative-elect Emi-Calixto Rubiano, will allocate more funds for the city’s livelihood programs, including business capital.
Calixto said that during his first term, the city government donated capital money for 700 fledgling entrepreneurs and facilitated wide-scale employment through job fairs, employment programs for students and disadvantaged workers, career guidance and labor education.
“[Now] we will also expand our Tesda [Technical Education and Skills Development Authority] skills training program so many more can get jobs as call center agents, security guards, baristas, masseurs, housekeepers and many others,” the mayor added.
“This time, we will widen admissions to alternative learning systems so that out-of-school youth can also study. In coordination with the Department of Education, we will also put up technical-vocational high schools in our city,” Calixto said.
He likewise said that he would coordinate with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) “to provide proper homes soon for around 5,000 families living along danger zones.”
To improve the peace and order situation in the city, Calixto promised to beef up the present police force with 50 more tourist police and 10 more mobile patrol cars on top of the installation of more security cameras on major roads to help curb and solve crimes.
“With progress and development come both challenges and opportunities. With your continued help and support, we are confident that Pasay City will be able to respond to all of the challenges while embracing all the opportunities of the years ahead,” he told residents.