ANG TUNAY NA AMA NG MAYNILA: BEST MAYOR MANILA EVER HAD

“My birthplace is my destiny.”

As a young boy Lito Atienza was a dreamer and a great lover of his City.  He had seen it pick up its pieces from the destruction brought about by World War II.  He grew up as Manila started to reveal him its real beauty and glory.

Day by day, Lito started to draw in reveries of big dreams and visions of the city he has fallen in love with.But as

cities all around Asia started to boom, Manila has fallen to decay due to lack of any serious development. Three decades of wrong governance, Manilenos have just watched the city drown in the

quicksand of poverty.

Writer Nick Joaquin said that when Manila sneezes, the Philippines catches colds. Manila could have gotten tuberculosis during that time.

In the areas of urban renewal for the City of Manila, Atienza implemented the “Buhayin ang Maynila” (Revive Manila) program, his brainchild and battlecry, which aimed at improving community life and services and the environment, developing the facilities in public areas while preserving the links of the city to its glorious past and ultimately reviving Manila’s soul and spirit and traditions.

Atienza’s Buhayin ang Maynila Program was misconceived to be just a face-lifting program.  But in fact, it was a comprehensive platform addressing almost all the society’s basic needs and more. Its major thrusts include projects on Kalusugan, Karunungan, Kapayapaan, Kalinisan/Kapaligiran, Kaayusan, Kabuhayan, Kaunlaran, Kultura at Sports.

“Ang Maynila ay parang bulaklak. Ito ay kailangang maging mabango upang dapuan at buhayin ng mga paru-paro.”

Among the major and most noticeable improvements included:

• Renovating most of Manila’s decaying public facilities such as lighting and improving the sidewalk of major thoroughfares like Taft Avenue and Quirino Ave and by the Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard opening the area to become filled with al fresco restaurants and coffee shops.
• Public places such as the Plaza Miranda, the Lacson Underpass, the Andres Bonifacio monument, Rajah Sulayman, the    Binondo areas, Plaza Hugo, Plaza Balagtas
• The creation of a Linear-Park in Pandacan.
• Renovating Carriedo and the R. Hidalgo streets in Santa Cruz.
• Upgrading services of the city’s public libraries, schools and hospitals including the Ospital ng Maynila.
• Organizing markets and vendors as well as pedicabs and tricycles.
• Providing decent and affordable housing projects in BASECO (with Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity), Residencias de Manila and the U.N. Gardens .
• And the building a permanent campus for the Universidad de Manila.
• He initiated cultural awareness to all walks of life bringing the Hawaii-based Pinoy talents Society of Seven, the Three Tenors, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manila Symphony Orchestra II, the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company and several local and foreign talents to perform in the plazas for free.
• The 2-km promenade Baywalk has beaten seaside of Miami in several ways. The splendid sunset outshined everything Miami had to offer.
• Several private companies have seen Manila as perfect locations for concerts, movies and live television shows. Business establishments started sprouting and investments started pouring, opening job opportunities for several Manilenos and escalating the income for the city government.

Who ever said that development was just beautification?

“If a mayor could not synchronize the 4 clocks at the City Hall tower, one should not trust him to run his office. It just goes without saying that he is not giving his people a good sense of where the City is heading and when should it start.”

He also started improvement inside city hall. He was able to run the clocks, thanks to ingenuity of technicians in Avenida.  All comfort rooms were clean and operational. The elevators were all working.  Taxpayers were given VIP treatment for they give the city government the revenue needed in further improving services to the people. Taxpayer’s Lounge and Mabuhay Lounge were put up in the heart of the City Hall – airconditioned rooms with free coffee and juice, where taxpayers and business permit seekers were given the leisure to relax while waiting for their transactions to get done.

During his term, economic activities were spruced up contributing to 600%increase in the revenue of the City Government.  The profit earned during his time was continuously used in more redevelopment projects.

All the bureaucratic malpractices were aimed to be wiped out so Atienza started it with values formation. He held weekly prayer meetings with his own cabinet, the department heads and directors of offices and bureaus.

The mayor battled the country’s three major oil companies, the partly state-owned and Saudi Aramco managed Petron, Dutch-owned Pilipinas Shell and Caltex-Chevron. Atienza and the city council decreed that the presence of oil distribution depots in the heavily populated district of Pandacan poised as a security and safety danger and issued an eviction notice to the oil companies. The concern was raised after the terror attacks that started on September 11, 2001 that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York. Atienza and the council decreed that the Pandacan district was to be converted from an industrial zone to a residential-commercial zone. A moratorium was set and the oil companies have agreed to gradually scale down their operations.

“If the people could not go to City Hall, let us bring the services straight to their doorsteps.”

He also pioneered “Serbisyong Diretso sa Tao” through the Sama sa Masa, done 2-3 times a week, which involved setting up a mini action center in each barangay, bringing medical, dental, legal services etc. from the city hall as well as free hair cut, nutrition and educational activities in the communities. It was like bringing the City Hall closer to the MASA.

He also had People’s Day, every Tuesday, wherein every Manileño gets a chance to talk to and meet with the Mayor without prior appointments. Everybody was welcome to go his office.

“Takot ang masasamang loob sa maliwanag at magagandang lugar!”

During the Atienza Administration, crime rates were lower compared to previous administrations. He reinforced Manila Police Department by providing them logistical support, patrol cars and vans and motorcycles. NCRPO declared that MPD has 96.45% of crime solution efficiency.

His street-lighting may have contributed much on this development too because he believed that 1 lamp post is equal to 10 policemen on patrol. At the end of his term almost 30,000 lamposts were installed in all the six districts.

“Development is like a virus (good virus-that is), it is very contagious.”

What were mentioned here were just a few for the virus of development was becoming very extensive until June 30, 2007.

“Nobody could put a good man down!”

Over the years, rumors on breaking friendships have tried to bring Lito down. But because of his sheer honest principles of THE RULE OF LAW and TRUE VALUE OF FRIENDS, nothing ever got him down.

Lito Atienza has been one of the strongest pillars of the Liberal Party and has never left his most beloved party. Atienza has been sensationalized for having his own group on the said party during the most talked about splitting of his side, which had the majority members under his wing, and the Drilon wing.

The National Executive Committee was apparently bypassed when a minority number of members announced their disinterest in supporting the current administration.  Drilon’s wing has condemned Pres. Arroyo and has requested her to step down without asking the majority of members if they agree on this stand.

After all the misunderstandings and chaos, the SC had a ruling and as a man who VALUES THE RULE OF LAW GREATLY, Atienza rested his case for the moment.

The Philippines which happened to be a country with the richest history andgreatly empowered and made politically aware citizenry, loyalty and principles are greatly valued and scrutinized.

Most of Atienza detractors would always find a way to throw dirt on his colorful shirts. But they would always fail… for his principles are firm and consistent.

Much as Atienza believes how much Filipinos are empowered, he believes that good governance entails cooperation and discipline too.  We are guided by our constitution and we must respect the RULE.

When former president ERAP ESTRADA was forcibly sent out of Malacanang, Atienza was one of the few who were there to give moral support to his good friend. For sometime, he did not approve of what happened to EDSA 2 because the LAW of the LAND was disrespected.

When PGMA’s presidency was solemnized by the LAW, he kept up the pace and supported the government.  People who were emotionally brainwashed would misinterpret his move.  But Atienza believes in the RULE OF LAW and that development and progress won’t be achieved if we don’t move on and keep up.
Some people still won’t agree with him but because of his stands, he was able to keep his friends and he still respects the RULE OF LAW.

“I used to dream. The dream started to became a reality. Ipagpatuloy natin ang programang Buhayin ang Maynila, at sa tulong ng Panginoong Diyos, magtatagumpay tayo!”

Up until the day Lito Atienza bid goodbye to his Mayorship and opportunity to be the Father of his beloved city – he left a P3 Billion budget which he deemed important to be used by the next administration in continuing the splendid vision of giving Manila the kind of life Manilenos deserve.

But above all these, Atienza, who is fashionably known as the man which has principles and dreams as sunny and vibrant as his shirts, left a legacy of HONEST AND GOOD GOVERNANCE which aimed at nothing but the benefit and progress of his City and its people.

Rest of his political history:

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