Mayor Ben’s legacy throughout the years

Born into a poor and humble family, Mandaluyong City Mayor Ben Abalos vowed to provide his constituents the best social services the city could offer as he continues to lead the Tiger City toward prosperity.

Mayor Abalos created and implemented various health, education, and housing initiatives that are truly world-class. 

In healthcare, Abalos spearheaded numerous reforms in the city’s hospitals and health centers allowing them to provide free healthcare, medicines, and vaccinations to residents who are in need, especially those who are impoverished. 

“Ayokong nang dahil sa kahirapan, ang isang tao ay mawawalan ng pagkakataong madala ang kanyang may sakit sa ospital. (I don’t want to see someone who is not able to bring his/her sick loved one to the hospital due to poverty),” Abalos said in an interview with the Manila Bulletin. 

Abalos also created programs in the education sector such as free education for learners, schools supplies and uniforms, as well as allowances for students. Numerous school buildings and learning facilities were also built, ensuring that more and more Mandaleño students receive topnotch education.

“I want every citizen of Mandaluyong to have sufficient education because education is the best equalizer in life. Education will surely guarantee you a good future. It happened to me. I am talking from experience. Mahirap ang magulang ko, but because I finished school, I was able to reach where I am now. So, what we did, every barangay has a school now. Now, they have an integrated school and a high school,” the mayor explained. 

Freed from bondage of squatting and tenancy 

Some of the most groundbreaking initiatives the Abalos administration has created centered on housing and employment which include the construction of several medium-rise housing buildings as well as the purchase of an abandoned railway system converted into housing units for homeless Mandaleños.

“I want to see to it that our people shall be freed from the bondage of squatting and tenancy. In so doing, I have expropriated several parcels of land in Mandaluyong for distribution to the tenants. At the same time, I was the only one in the whole of the Philippines who was able to buy abandoned railroad tracks to be converted into housing units because on the other side of the railways, there are 20 meters on the right and 20 meters on the left. That’s what I bought. I retained the tracks as roads, just in case the national government wish to revive the tracks. At the same time, we were able to build several medium-rise housing condominiums for the tenants,” Abalos said. 

“Now, in the process, I was able to free from the bondage of squatting and tenancy around 15,000 families in the whole of Mandaluyong. And now, we are able to build 1,200 housing units in Pitong Gatang,” he added. 

Mandaleño, asensado

The city government has also stepped up its efforts in ensuring that all Mandaleños have jobs to support their families and ensure a bright future for them especially to their children.  

One of which is the creation of the city’s Public Employment Service Agency aimed at coordinating with different companies and learning their job vacancies so that the office may be able to endorse suitable Mandaleños to the vacant positions. 

This resulted in the city having only a three percent unemployment rate as of November 2024.

(Photo) Mayor Benjamin S. Abalos