The race for mayoral position in Quezon City took a major turn on Wednesday, January 26, with ANAKALUSUGAN party-list Rep. Michael Defensor leading against incumbent Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte according to the survey shared by actor Roderick Paulate.
Based on the survey conducted by the Issues and Advocacy Center, Defensor was favored by 53% out of 1,200 respondents while Belmonte only got 39%.
The reason for the lead was because of the incompetence of the Quezon City Government to come up with effective measures to ensure the safety and welfare of the city’s residents against COVID-19.
“The Center learned that the main factor that contributed to the high disparity in the preference of respondents with regards to the mayoralty bids of Defensor and Belmonte was the failure of the City Government to adopt the necessary measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus on the health and welfare of city residents,” Issues and Advocacy Center director Ed Malay said.
Malay also added, “Another factor is visibility. If you want the votes of the people, then makisama ka. The voters are on the ground level.”
This was surprising given that Defensor was not popular among Filipinos especially those in support of ABS-CBN since he supported the rejection of the Network’s franchise renewal.
Also in October 2021, he attacked the Quezon City Government by spreading fake news that there will be an upcoming tax hike.
City Attorney Orlando Casimiro refuted the claim of the congressman saying it was a “hoax.”
“He is lying, the ordinance mentioned by the lawmaker has nothing to do with increasing the land tax rate, but refers to [the] increasing assessed value of properties in Quezon City.”
The ordinance was Ordinance No. SP-2556, which was passed by Belmonte when she was still Vice Mayor of Quezon City.
It only refers to the order that all local government units must conduct real property assessments every three years.
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Furthermore, Defensor is also pushing on the regularization of Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used for animals, to combat coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Rep. Anthony Peter “Onyx” Crilosogo, is enjoying a 25% margin against opponent Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde for congressman in QC’s first district.
The award-winning actor only received a 24% of the votes while Crisologo has 49%.
