(Part of OpinYon Laguna’s ‘Know Your Candidate’ Election Series)
"Isa ang Sta. Rosa City sa mga pinakamayamang lungsod sa lalawigan ng Laguna. Ang tanong: bakit hindi napupunta ang milyon-milyong kitang nakukuha ng lungsod sa mga mamamayan nito?”
That was the serious question posed by Sta. Rosa City Vice Mayor Arnel Gomez, as he explained his decision to challenge the current administration and aim for the city’s highest post in the 2022 elections.
There are many reasons why he chose to go head on head against incumbent Mayor Arlene Arcillas, whose family has dominated Sta. Rosa City’s political scene for years he said during a recent talk with OpinYon Laguna.
But one main reason for his decision to run for mayor of one of Laguna province’s richest cities, he said, is to ensure that the vast resources the city gets from its reputation as an industry hub gets translated to an influx of public services for its people.
Long history of public service
The 49-year-old vice-mayor himself came from one of Sta. Rosa City’s oldest families.
Public service, Gomez related to OpinYon Laguna, was in their blood already. His father, Artemio Gomez, was a former police officer and a one-time councilor of Sta. Rosa; while his mother, Nelly, was a former city assessor.
Gomez started his schooling at the Canossa School, a Catholic-run school in Sta. Rosa City, where he graduated from high school in 1988.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering from the De La Salle University in 1992, Gomez worked for various automotive firms, concentrating on making a living for his growing family.
However, the turning point came when his father Artemio, who was serving as city councilor of Sta. Rosa, was assassinated in 2005.
“At the time, he was investigating the killing of Mayor Leon [Leon Arcillas, who was shot dead inside the Sta. Rosa Municipal Hall in 2004],” Gomez recalled. “In fact, close sina Mayor Leon at Tatay. At noong panahong iyon, may suspicions na siya kung sino ang nagpapatay sa mayor.”
Gomez was chosen to succeed his father as city councilor in December 2005 and was elected to a full term two years later.
In 2010, he was elected vice mayor under the ticket of incumbent Mayor Arlene Arcillas, a position he served until 2016 and once again since 2019.
Paradoxes
Serving as city councilor and vice mayor (as vice mayor, he is also the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panglungsod) enabled him to see the ironies of living in one of Laguna province’s richest and most progressive cities, Gomez told OpinYon Laguna.
“Ang dami ko pong nakitang flaws sa system [ng governance sa Sta. Rosa],” the vice mayor said.
Despite the fact that Sta. Rosa City has a bigger annual budget than other cities in Laguna province (P4.1 billion, compared to Calamba's P3.8 billion or Cabuyao's P1.8 billion), Gomez lamented that the quality of most public services in the city still falls below that of its neighbors.
“For instance, ang Cabuyao City, may 30 dialysis machines, while Biñan City has 28. Pero ang Sta. Rosa City, for the past five years, apat pa lang po [ang dialysis machines],” he said. “Kung nasa waiting list ka, it would take up to four or five days bago ka ma-serve.”
Gomez blames the “patronage” system reportedly practiced by the current administration at City Hall as one of the reasons for the subpar quality of the Sta. Rosa’s basic services.
“Ang gusto kasi ng liderato ngayon, sila ang nagbibigay ng pera sa mga tao. Patronage politics kung baga, lahat utang-na-loob,” he disclosed.
Fiscal management
When asked about his plans for Sta. Rosa City, Gomez said he would like to focus on effective fiscal management, ensuring that the billions the city has as its assets will be translated to better services for the people.
One aspect he plans to pursue is the effective collection of the city’s taxes to maximize the resources the local government can use for its projects.
“Kapag efficient ang collection ng taxes, mas maraming resources – at kapag mas maraming resources, mas maraming programs,” he explained.
Gomez also plans to re-evaluate and revamp some of the current programs of the city government, which he said are not being implemented efficiently.
New management style
Drawing his experience from working in multinational automotive firms in the Philippines, the vice mayor wants to infuse a “corporative” leadership style in the management of the city government.
Among the reforms he plans to incorporate is the use of technology to bring the city hall’s services to the people.
“Sa akin kasi, ang magandang city hall is walang tao – meaning, walang taong pumipila para kumuha ng permits o kung ano man ang kailangan nila,” he explained.
“Kasi yung services, ibababa ko na sa tao, yung payment ng taxes, gagawin ko nang online, o yung pamimigay ng mga gamot sa mga senior citizen, idadaan na sa mga barangay. Para sa akin kasi, ang sign ng inefficiency is yung marami nang tao sa loob ng city hall na humihingi ng tulong.”
Transparency
Another aspect Gomez said he would like to introduce into the current leadership is transparency and accountability.
To be fair, he said, that was one of the landmarks of his tenure as vice mayor.
In fact, he recounted, it was he who started the tradition of making sessions of the Sta. Rosa city council open and accessible to the public.
Aside from installing speakers at the City Hall so the public can hear what was going on inside the session hall, Gomez also embraced technology and started livestreaming the city council’s sessions over Facebook.
But more than improving the current services of the city government, Gomez has one main goal: making Sta. Rosa City’s residents feel proud that they live in one of Laguna province’s most progressive cities.
Sta. Rosa is [a] very rich [city] - at gusto kong iparamdam sa mga tao how rich and progressive ang Sta. Rosa," he emphasized.