ILOILO City – Atty. Joe III Espinosa’s supporters are confident he will secure the nod of the very discriminating Iloilo City voters in his bid for the city’s lone congressional district.
“In terms of experience and track record, Joe III is the man to beat,” said a senior public school teacher who requested anonymity due to electoral rule restrictions. “Compared with his opponents, Joe III has what it takes to be a very effective voice for his Iloilo City constituents – as many of us expect to be represented by an intelligent, seasoned and mature congressman. We made a mistake before, and we won’t repeat that mistake.”
The academician is apparently referring to the legislative performance of incumbent Rep. Julienne “Jam-jam” Baronda, who was able to secure the enactment of only one of her many pet bills during her three-year congressional term.
“We expected and trusted Baronda to shepherd the enactment of important legislative measures to benefit Iloilo City, but her performance has been very disappointing,” said Luzviminda Cachuela, an Ilongga senior citizen currently based in the United States. “My family was really hoping she would be able to secure the enactment of a bill that would give Iloilo City its second congressional seat. But sadly, she failed to do this. What a waste of time and tax money spent on her salary.”
According to the official website of the House of Representatives for the current 18th Congress of the Philippines, Baronda was the principal author of 163 bills. Of these, only one was enacted into law.
The said “local significance” bill upgraded the capacity of the Western Visayas Medical Center from 425 to 700 beds, and authorized the corresponding increase in its medical personnel. However, the said expansion is not expected to be up and running until well after the May 9, 2022 elections.
“Besides, there was no need for this bill, as the Department of Health could have easily done this upon the request of the local government units of Western Visayas,” added Cachuela, a former medical professional. “I’m not sure if Baronda knows this, but her efforts to have this bill enacted could have been spent on other important legislation of national significance but with a positive impact particularly for Ilonggos.”
The other 150 or so bills with Baronda as principal author are still languishing in Congress. Most of these are pending in the House of Representatives, others are awaiting counterpart approval by the Senate, while several are gathering dust in Malacañang and are unlikely to be approved by the outgoing president.
“This dismal track record in Congress shows that Baronda is like a clueless freshman – in high school!” said the retired public school teacher. “She’s very poor in building alliances in Congress and doesn’t seem to have a clear vision for her legislative agenda. Sad to say, we didn’t see this when we voted for her in the 2019 elections. But we certainly will not forget her poor performance, so we’ll vote for a much more experienced candidate – and Espinosa seems to be the only viable candidate right now.”
According to his online biography, Espinosa has more than 30 years in public service. He first served as city councilor in 1989 up to 1998, and again from 2004 to 2010. Espinosa served as Assistant Floor Leader and was chairman of various key city council committees, crucially as chairman of the Committee of Appropriations for 13 years – during which he was able to balance the city budget.
During his term, Espinosa was able to secure the approval of almost 2,400 resolutions and ordinances. “Even though these are all local government measures, they still indicate Espinosa’s ability to enact appropriate legislation,” said Cachuela, who says she still follows Iloilo City local politics avidly from overseas.
Espinosa was also instrumental in establishing the Children’s Infectious Ward at the Western Visayas Medical Center, with the help of the Iloilo Chapter of the APEX Club of the Philippines.
As a trained economist, he authored the Iloilo City Investment Incentives Code of 2006, which ushered in a decade of economic boom for the city and its neighboring towns.
In terms of urban planning and management, he helped improved the city’s quality of life by pushing for the establishment of a comprehensive road traffic program for the city, as well as the Perimeter Boundary Ordinance, which helped ease traffic flow and modernized commuting in and out of the provincial capital.
As the chief of the City Legal Office, Espinosa won key court cases for the city, and enjoined individuals and corporations to pay the right taxes.
As vice mayor, he introduced key administrative reforms that are still observed as standard operating procedures by the city council. These reforms included the setting up of an information technology center that harnessed technology and computers to streamline the council’s functions.
On the human resources front, Espinosa directed the upgrading of the technical skills of the city council secretariat, putting Iloilo City at par with some of the country’s top local government units.
Most importantly, Espinosa pushed the city government closer to the people through his innovative “Pag-Ulikid ni Mayor” program. For the first time, city residents who lack time or mobility – such as the seniors and persons with disability, as well as busy housewives and home-based dads – were able to receive crucial services from various city hall departments (including the office of the city mayor) without leaving their communities.
The Pag-Ulikid program was “government of the people, for the people” in action, its adherents say.
Needless to say, Espinosa and Iloilo City won kudos from local and international award-giving institutions for achievements in various areas, including environmental management, inclusivity and gender sensitivity, business environment, and human-resource development. In fact, 2018 was considered to be the “most awarded year” for Iloilo City, during Espinosa’s stewardship as city mayor./PN
