Mayor Bellen Fernandez took up the role of Mayor in Dagupan City, after elected as the first woman mayor of the city in 2013 and was re-elected again in 2018. Among her prominent achievements is successful application of sound fiscal management to optimise delivery of services to local people.
With this method, Mayor Bellen managed to transform the annual budget of the city, just shortly after she became a mayor, from a negative P34 million (per July 2013) to surplus P1.2 million cash (even after payment of 13th month pay of officials and employees) at the end of 2013. The method positively contributed to the increasing cash surplus up to P51 million in 2014, P98 million in 2015, and P120 million in 2016.
Mayor Bellen also cut down annual city budget used to be allocated to civic clubs and non-government organisations from P53 million to only P9.1 million, while at the same time ensuring its full allocation to support the livelihood and medical services of poor and senior citizens. Her scholarship programme, for instance, gained strong support from city council due to its benefit for 512 poor yet deserving students.
Mayor Bellen’s other innovative programmes included the establishment of Women’s Centre for the first time in the city. The Centre enables women who face with domestic abuses and violence to seek help 24/7. Furthermore, she innitiated to the establishment of B.E.L.E.N 16911, city’s emergency hotline number that also operates 24/7. Abbreviated from Basic Emergency Life Extending Network, B.E.L.E.N 16911 recorded responding to almost 2,000 cases in close collaboration with city’s Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection, Red Cross, and the Dagupan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DCDRRMO).
