The Political Conversations with The Mayors • Part 1 Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City -------------------------------------------------------------- Celeste of Alaminos, Pangasinan October 13 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Alcala of Lucena City, Quezon October 20 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Salvame of Ibaan, Batangas October 27 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Calderon of Angono, Rizal November 3 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Tesoro of San Manuel, Tarlac November 10 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Teodoro of Marikina City November 17 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Maligaya-Bautista of Magallanes, Cavite November 24 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Benitez of Bacolod City December 1 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Agda of Borongan City, Eastern Samar December 8 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Cayetano of Taguig City December 15 | FRIDAY | 8 PM Exclusive on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube

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Hi people of the Philippines and people of the world!

Hit the button below and you will be subscribing to the Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube.

Let's keep talking!

Kaibigan, tuloy ang usap!

The Philippine Women's University and The Philippine Star

with JC Organic Barley, Joy Bus, and Poiso of La Carmela de Buracay present

The Political Conversations with the Mayors Part 1

Mayor Joy, maraming salamat.

Thank you also, Kuya Boy.

This is actually our first political conversation.

Well, I feel honored and privileged.

How is it being mayor?

It's a lot of work, but it can be also very fulfilling.

And in my case, I love public service.

But of course, to get there, dadaan ka muna dun sa political exercise, which I don't like.

Kasi dun yung mga, you know, yung mga masalimot na bahagi ng politika lumalabas sa tuwing eleksyon, diba?

Pero kailangan malagpasan mo yun para maabot mo yung posisyon na pwede ka na maglingkod ng tapat sa taong bayan.

Let's talk about elections.

There was a study that was done about how polarized we are during elections.

In your experience, because you've done many elections in your life, ganun talaga tayo?

Tingin ko hindi ugali ng mga Pilipino yan, no?

Kasi they also follow the leader, e.

Kumbaga, I think, in fact, Filipinos are quite nice.

Okay sila, mayayos sila.

Kaya lang, they also get very possessive dun sa taong sinusuportahan nila.

Kaya kung yung kanilang sinusuportahan politiko, ganun ang ugali, polarizing ang ugali, mahilig manira ng kapwa kandidato halimbawa,

parang napapagaya yung mga supporters niya.

Kaya ang aking laging payo, politika, kailangan huwag kayong mamersonal.

Don't burn bridges, do not say things that you cannot take back.

Kasi pag nakasakit ka na doon sa kapwa, politiko mo, or sa isang taong hindi mo sinusuportahan,

pero nakabitaw ka ng mga sitang masasakit, mahirap na yang bawiin.

Joy, can you actually win elections by being cool, by being nice, by being fair, by being a good adversary?

I think so. Ganun naman ako, e. Hindi naman talaga ako naninira ng tao.

I wanted and I felt that it is my responsibility to bring the electoral process to a higher level.

In fact, this last election, ganun ang tinuro ko sa aking mga naging kasamahan sa Congress, mga konsyal ko,

just do a positive campaign. Focus on your achievements and what you will do for the people.

Because sa totoo lang yung taong bayad, ayaw naman nila marinig yung mga paninirang yan.

They just really want to know, anong gagawin mo para sa amin, para sa ikabubuti ng buhay namin.

Pagdating sa partido, people have been talking about toying around the idea of the two-party system na pinanggalingan natin,

naging multi-party system. I'd like to listen to your take on the party system of our country.

Kami sa local government, ang ginawa namin, we focus on putting up our own local parties.

So actually, I'm not a member of any national party.

You're not affiliated to a national party?

No, I'm not. I have my own local party. It's called the Senbisyo sa Bayan Party, SBP.

At alam ko, halos lahat ng mga mayor na kaklose ko, they also have their own local parties na rin.

Na yun ang dahilan na ayokong makisalin sa isang national party dahil kayo naman ang kailangan sa LGU during election.

Do you have power to say, ang makakapasok sa aming entablado ay ito lamang?

Lahat ng lumapit sa amin na gusto ng pagkakataon ng mga mpanya, pinayagan po namin yan.

Because ako naman, I feel that I do not really decide for the people.

Okay, hypothetical. When a mayor like you, of a great big city like Quezon City, is not politically aligned, for example, with the president,

malaki ba ang tulong ng national government sa LGU, katulad ng Quezon City?

I would imagine it helps kung aligned ka doon sa presidente. I imagine it does help.

But I can only speak from the perspective of, in my current situation as under President Marcos,

and he did not support me in the last elections.

However, after elections were over, yung mga proyekto niya, hindi naman niya pinagkait sa amin.

Madala siyang pumupunta sa Quezon City. Ilang beses na siyang nagpunta dito.

Pag nakikita kami, maayos, maganda. So nakita ko na hindi niya rin pinersonal na hindi kami magkasama noong huling eleksyon.

Describe to us your style of leadership.

My style of leadership? It's very consensual. So I like to ask a lot of opinions.

Anong tingin niyo dito? Anong tingin mo dahan? I bring people together. I like to build teams.

Again, it all boils down to me, as a leader, knowing that I am not the only one that knows.

I might not be the best person to know a certain solution to any problem.

But my talent is that I can bring people together. And I have that gravitas.

Because I am consistent. Consistency is so important.

You are on your second term. As mayor, you have another term.

Kung halimbawa magdi-decision kang tumakbo muli. But ando na ba sa iyong pananaw, sa iyong consciousness

that one day I'm going to go national?

I never thought about it.

Hindi mo pinag-iisipan?

Did you ever think that you were going to be vice mayor, mayor even when your dad, Tito Sunny, was mayor of Quezon City?

Did it occur to you that you were going to get into politics?

Not in the beginning. I am an archaeologist. You know that.

Yes, I know that.

And that is my passion. But I also realized that when I was working as an archaeologist,

it is something not many people felt was important.

And this is nothing to do with my craft. But then sometimes I would have to go to a politician to ask for some help.

Because when you're excavating, it's public property. You need government support.

And I heard no so many times.

And I realized when my father was performing very well as the mayor of Quezon City,

and I had a heart for the people because I had been serving, I was a Jesuit volunteer,

even in high school I was all over the place.

I felt like maybe sometimes it's okay to be in a position of leadership so that you can make decisions that you think are important.

Hindi ka na-pressure?

Hindi ako na-pressure. At hindi rin sya tungkol sa power.

Many people, it's about power. Kaya lahat nalang pakatakbuhin.

No, it wasn't even about that. It was about my dad doing well. He had a lot of political goodwill.

And then I said, say I'm his goodwill if it will help me get into a place wherein I can make good decisions that will benefit the people.

And people who, like me, have an advocacy, hindi puro no yung naririnig just because the mayor doesn't believe in what you're doing.

But they deserve to have a leader that will listen and think, why is that important?

And that was the kind of leader I wanted to be. Somebody that gave importance to what other people felt was important.

And this is who you are today.

And that's who I am today. And that's why that brings me, Kuya Boy, to something very close to your heart, which is the LGBTQIA+.

I remember you were the first one to call me when we passed the SOGI equality ordinance in Quezon City when I was the vice mayor.

You called me and I was so happy you called me. And this is not because I am a member of the community.

It's just because I had heard so many stories from the community about how much they needed to experience equal rights,

that they needed a champion, that they needed to be heard. And that's why I called a summit.

And from that summit, I heard all these stories and I realized, no, we have to pass a SOGI equality ordinance.

At least in my city, the community can feel they belong. And now, it has gone on.

We have the right to care card, which I think is a beautiful program that we launched.

Maraming salamat.

Last Pride, which we'll be doing. And we continue to be consistent also.

Maraming salamat for all that you do for the LGBTQIA community. Thank you for all your love.

This is essentially what an ally is.

I want to go back to the leadership.

As a leader of Quezon City, ang dami mo ng mga achievements na nagawa.

Do you have that sense na pag-alis ko ba, mananatili ito? Or what do I do to safeguard everything that I have done?

Well, in my case, staying, of course, is not an option because yung batas does not allow you.

Pero tingin ko, isa sa mga responsibilidad ng bawat leader is to groom a successor.

So yung slate ko ng mga konsihal at maging yung mga congressmen ko, napakabata, yung iba.

I hope that something of myself rubs off onto them and they will see a different kind of leadership.

Because I am a very different kind of leader dun sa kinagisnaan nila.

They're also children of politicians.

And really, I consider myself a deviant in that regard.

Pero nakikita rin nila ngayon na ito pala yung efekto ng pagka-reformist ni Mayor Joy.

Meron pala siyang nagagawa na marahil hindi nagagawa kung very traditional yung trajectory natin.

Because indeed, some of the things we are doing are very innovative.

In relation to that, of course, we have gained so many things.

We have achieved so much.

Yung Co-Clean Opinion, tatlong taon na since I became mayor.

Three straight years unqualified opinion.

Yung Seal of Good Local Governance, which is the highest award given by the DILG to any local government.

And you're the top-performing mayor of this country.

I try my best.

Hindi mo inilalagay yung doon sa iyong ulo.

I noticed. I was waiting for you to mention that.

Yes, but on record.

I mentioned these awards to show that our performance has been good.

And in all areas, yung mga award namin from environment to governance to economics to innovation,

all the way to the best city jail in the country.

So lahat na bibigyan namin ng pansino.

Having said that, tama ka. Okay, what do you do?

Well, I hope that yung successor na igugurum natin,

amaampon niya yung mga style of leadership na natutunan sa akin.

Because I think nine years is a long time for somebody to pick up good points.

And I don't expect them naman to be clones of myself.

They will also bring in new ideas to the table.

Pero yung basic principles na sana naiset in motion na natin,

naipundan na natin, sana manatili yun.

Tapos yung bagong leader can add more to the table.

Joy, hindi ka napapagod?

Minsan.

Anong ginagawa mo? Because it's a 24-hour day job.

Well, it's not that tiring because I love the work.

I really do. I love it. I love it.

Do you delegate?

I delegate, yes.

First, I would like to stress that I have a fantastic team.

And that's where my disruptive way of thinking came into being.

A lot of them came from the private sector.

A lot of them are apolitical. They don't understand politics.

Sila ay mga kinuha natin because of their area of expertise.

They may not be the best, but they are the right people

for the kind of vision and the kind of things I want to get done.

And then, alam mo kung bakit kakaiba kami sa Quezon City?

Pag panahon ng election, itong mga technocrats na ito na kinuha ko,

yung team ko, they don't know what's going on sa election.

Sabi ko, it's not your job to know who's running

or what are the issues that are being tackled on the ground.

Your job is just to keep the city running.

Keep serving the people.

And let me do my job, and my job is to win

so that we can continue to do the good things we are doing.

Kaya hindi ka masyadong napapagod dahil, you know,

you have a great team, you delegate,

but you know how to stop.

Yes, may mga boundaries din naman.

And the balance.

Yes, oo, meron naman.

Family, you're a mother, you're a sister, you're a daughter.

You're able to do that.

I'm able to do that.

All of that, it's all covered.

Walang hinanakit ang aking pamilya.

What is the best thing about being a mayor?

The best thing is to be able to change the lives of people.

That's it.

There can be no other reason.

Right.

I think that should be the only reason, and in fact,

kung kayo ay tumatakbo at iba ang iniisip din yung dahilan ng pagtakbo ninyo,

you think again if you should run.

How painful is it when people generally paint politicians,

government servants as,

gusto mo umaman, pumunta ka sa politika?

I'm not saying for you, but somehow, you know,

that generalization, diba?

It can hurt.

Kasi may pinagmulan naman talaga, yung ganong klaseng generalization.

May batayan naman siya.

People did not come to the conclusion out of thin air.

There were cases talaga na maraming politiko na umaman dahil nasa pwesto sila.

I cannot blame the people for that.

Now, if they call me that,

kasi, dear Joy, nandiyan ka lang kasi gusto mong umaman,

medyo masakit.

That's a different story.

Yeah, that's a different story.

Medyo masakit yun because you know you're not there for that particular reason.

But having said that, you know,

I feel that one of the goals of government officials

is to change that stereotype,

that way that people are thinking

by winning back the trust and confidence of people in government.

And that's what we're trying to do.

That's why it was so important for me na

ipagyabang yung three unqualified opinions namin,

ipagyabang lahat ng mga nagawa namin,

projects na bumabalik sa taong bayan.

Because now, really, when you talk to people from Quezon City,

they will say, nararamdaman na namin yung gobyerno.

And it was really a deliberate effort on my part.

Ano mararamdaman ng taong bayan yung gobyerno?

So we really brought the services down,

not just to the district level, to the barangay level.

Kahit nakailangan kami pa yung maghatid ng ayuda

sa isang maliit na tahanan na nangangailangan,

we do that.

Thank you.

I mean, really, thank you.

Kasi again, susugan ko lang yung sinabi mo,

yung cynicism na yun,

ay may cost din.

Hindi naman yan nangyari lang

because gusto nila manginis

o gusto nila magduda.

Joy, if the opportunity presents,

one day,

that you will be given a chance

to run for the presidency of this country,

would you?

I can't answer that question now.

Probably not.

Probably not.

Let me put it this way.

What is the future like for Joy Belmonte?

You know, a lot of it depends on divine intervention.

Yes.

I believe, no?

So, we have seen people that have prepared so hard

for the presidency,

or the vice presidency, or the Senate,

and then some divine act happens,

and it's somebody else.

We've seen that happen.

We have.

So, for me,

it's not for me to think about things

that far off into the future.

Basta yung trabaho ko,

maging mayor ng Quezon City,

the best mayor that Quezon City has ever had,

that is my goal and my dream.

Susubukan kong gawin yun.

So, let's just stick with that particular task.

Last night of the world.

Joy, nasaan ka?

Sinong kasama mo?

Anong ginagawa mo?

I suppose, with my son, my father,

my family,

and just preparing for the end of the world.

Cleaning our hearts.

Cleansing our hearts.

I love that.

I love that.

You were to prepare dinner for five people.

Who would this be and why?

I guess, Jesus.

I want to invite Jesus.

Just because I really want to understand

what he meant by all these,

the words that he preached.

Are we getting it correctly?

Are we interpreting them correctly?

Will he love the LGBTQI plus sector?

I would like to ask him that.

Thank you.

That's one.

I would invite,

this is probably a weird group.

Greta Thunberg, who I love.

Who was just arrested.

Who was just arrested.

But such a strong-willed young girl.

Such an inspiration to leaders like myself

who are so afraid to do the right thing

in our environment.

But she's there, right?

But she's so inspiring.

I will never forget that line,

how dare you?

Yeah.

At the United Nations.

Okay.

So you have Greta.

You have Jesus.

Probably, Dikwanyu.

I would.

I'd ask him how he did it in Singapore.

Right?

Because,

Jamaican, marshland.

You go to the museum.

They were worse off than us.

And he transformed the country.

That's amazing.

I'd love to hear him talk about it.

I would like to have some crazy people around.

Maybe Putin.

What would you ask him?

What are you thinking?

What do you hope to achieve?

Okay.

I mean, it's just nice to have a mix.

Of course.

For conversations.

Yes.

One last.

I would have them.

And I would,

who else would I have?

The Pope.

Oh.

Yeah.

I would like to know.

I mean,

you know,

because people are very judgmental

in this world.

I want to ask the Pope.

What does he think about all this?

What are really the priorities

of the faith?

Is it really to condemn

certain communities?

Or is it to

say that certain types of crimes

are not that bad?

Like corruption?

Like killing people

who are already in jail?

Is that acceptable?

I just want to hear from these people

that everyone quotes from.

I know.

I can imagine Putin and Lee Kuan Yew

during the conversation.

About the state.

About running a government.

I know.

Joy,

why do you love this country so much?

Well, it's the country of my birth.

It's the country that was given

by God to me to love.

You know,

and I feel like,

I think it was Melinda Gates

that said this.

She said,

when you're given a good life,

which I was given,

it's just God's loan to you.

Just a loan.

It's not like

from nothing.

He gave it to you

because there's a return.

And the return is

to serve the country.

Can you write your epitaph?

How would you do it?

Joy Belmonte.

A servant.

I was a servant.

I'm a servant.

You were at the Pearly Gates,

last question.

And God is there.

And he says,

My daughter Joy,

before you come into heaven,

tell me

what is the best thing

that you did?

What would you tell him?

I would tell him

I was humble enough to know

that I know nothing.

And that I was a sponge

and that you gave me the chance

to learn all these things.

A service people.

Yeah.

Mayor Joy,

thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

Presented by

The Philippine Women's University

and

The Philippine Star

with

JC Organic Barley

Joy Bus

and

Boy So of La Carmela de Buracay

Hi people of the Philippines

and people of the world.

Hit the button below

and you will be subscribing

to the Boy Abunda Talk channel

on YouTube.

Let's keep talking.

Kaibigan,

Tuloy ang Usap!