Jaime dela Rosa Fresnedi (born April 27, 1950),[2] also known as Jimmy Fresnedi, is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and businessman currently serving as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the Lone District of Muntinlupa, Metro Manila since 2022. He previously served as the mayor of Muntinlupa from 1998 to 2007 and from 2013 to 2022 and vice mayor of Muntinlupa from 1987 to 1998.

Jaime Fresnedi
Official portrait of Fresnedi during the 19th Congress
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Muntinlupa's Lone District
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Preceded byRuffy Biazon
Mayor of Muntinlupa
In office
June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2022
Vice Mayor
  • Artemio Simundac (2013–2016, 2019–2022)
  • Celso Dioko (2016–2019)
Preceded byAldrin San Pedro
Succeeded byRuffy Biazon
In office
March 21, 1998[1] – June 30, 2007
Vice Mayor
  • Vicente Chua (1998–2001)
  • Jojay Alcaraz (2001–2004)
  • Aldrin San Pedro (2004–2007)
Preceded byIgnacio Bunye
Succeeded byAldrin San Pedro
Vice Mayor of Muntinlupa
In office
December 2, 1987 – March 21, 1998
MayorIgnacio Bunye
Succeeded byVicente Chua
Personal details
Born
Jaime dela Rosa Fresnedi

(1950-04-27) April 27, 1950 (age 74)[2]
Muntinlupa, Rizal, Philippines
Political partyLiberal
One Muntinlupa (local party)[3]
Other political
affiliations
Lakas–CMD (c. 2004)[4]
SpouseLoreta Obong
Children1
Residence(s)Tunasan, Muntinlupa
ProfessionLawyer
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Early and personal life

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Fresnedi was born on April 27, 1950 in Muntinlupa, which was then a municipality part of Rizal province.[5] He is married to Loreta Obong, with whom he has a son named Joma and a grandson named Neo. They reside in the Villa Carolina subdivision in Tunasan, Muntinlupa.[2]

Fresnedi also owns two Caltex gasoline stations in Muntinlupa.[6]

Political career

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Fresnedi entered politics in 1986 when he was appointed as an officer-in-charge of Muntinlupa, then a municipality, following the People Power Revolution that formed a new government under President Corazon Aquino. He served the role alongside lawyer, journalist, and businessman Ignacio Bunye. In 1988, Fresnedi and Bunye contested the first local election under the new Constitution of the Philippines, with the latter as mayor and the former as vice mayor. The tandem served three terms until 1998, three years after Muntinlupa was formally converted into a highly urbanized city and established its own legislative district in the Philippine House of Representatives for the 1998 election. On March 21, 1998, Bunye resigned as mayor, opting to run for the inaugural position while Fresnedi took his place, which prompted Fresnedi to run for mayor himself; both were successful.[7]

Mayor of Muntinlupa

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During his first term as Mayor of Muntinlupa, Fresnedi established the regional offices of the Registry of Deeds (now the Land Registration Authority), the Land Transportation Office, and the National Bureau of Investigation.[7]

Fresnedi won two re-election bids for mayor in 2001 and 2004. Under the Constitution, he was barred from seeking a fourth consecutive term; in 2007, his wife Loreta ran for the mayoral post, but she lost to Vice Mayor Aldrin San Pedro. When Fresnedi was eligible to run again for mayor in 2010, he ran again but also lost to San Pedro, who was in his second term as mayor.[8] In 2013, Fresnedi contested San Pedro again and successfully defeated him by 4,280 votes.[9]

In February 2015, Fresnedi presented a single-step transaction system for registering business licenses in Muntinlupa. He said the innovation aims to improve the city's economic growth and competitiveness in the business and economics sectors. The system was presented at the 2014 World Cities Summit in Singapore.[10]

 
Opening of the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival led by Muntinlupa Mayor Fresnedi and MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim, which also coincided with the centennial of the foundation of Muntinlupa as a municipality.

In 2019, the Bureau of Internal Revenue reported that Muntinlupa had the highest local revenue collection in Metro Manila, with 5.42 billion collected, ₱2.36 billion of which was corporate tax.[7]

In March 2019, a resident of Putatan filed charges of graft and plunder against Fresnedi before the Ombudsman of the Philippines for allegedly overpricing a lot in the barangay by ₱1,500 per square meter in 2014. Residents also filed charges of administrative raps, gross misconduct, gross negligence, and abuse of power against Fresnedi before the Ombudsman, claiming that he had violated the Government Procurement Act (Republic Act No. 9184) and the Local Government Code (Republic Act No. 7160) by allegedly ratifying the extension of employment contracts that had already expired as "urgent". According to the residents, Fresnedi compelled the Muntinlupa city council to pass a resolution authorizing him to extend the contract of Linde plc and four other entities through lump sum transactions. A councilor denied that the city council issued such a resolution.[11]

In September 2019, Fresnedi initiated a zero-interest loan program for small and medium-sized enterprises in Muntinlupa. The program would provide them with financial assistance ranging from ₱2,000 to ₱150,000, additional capital loan assistance, and entrepreneurial education opportunities. Fresnedi's government partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the program.[12]

During Fresnedi's tenure as Mayor of Muntinlupa, the city received the Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government in 2015 and 2019. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry also awarded Muntinlupa the "Most Business-Friendly LGU" in 2017 and 2018, and a special citation was given in 2019.[7]

Education

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Since 2013, Fresnedi's government has been pushing for inclusion in Muntinlupa's scholarship program.[13]

In April 2014, Fresnedi allocated a budget of ₱63 million for the city's scholars for that year, nearly thrice the budget of ₱21.5 million allotted for 2013.[14]

In October 2017, Fresnedi was awarded the "Model Local Chief Executive Award" by the Association of Local Colleges and Universities and the Commission on Higher Education.[15]

In 2018, Fresnedi and Muntinlupa Representative Ruffy Biazon initiated a project to construct additional school buildings for the city's public schools.[16]

In 2019, the Philippine Department of Education reported that Muntinlupa had the highest number of scholarship beneficiaries in the country, with over 65,000 scholars.[17] Fresnedi hailed the achievement in his 2019 State of the City address, noting the increase from 5,581 scholars when he was re-elected in 2013.[18]

In February 2020, Fresnedi signed an ordinance increasing the allowance of the city's scholars by ₱1,000, with an additional ₱2,500 if scholars obtain a graded weighted average of at least 1.76. Scholars from state colleges and universities may also receive a maximum incentive of ₱10,000 per semester.[13]

Emergency response

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In 2017, Fresnedi's government mandated the construction of a new fire station in Tunasan, which the Bureau of Fire Protection recognized as the "Best Fire Station" in 2018.[19]

In September 2018, Fresnedi led the donation of eight ambulance units worth ₱12.8 million to nine barangays in the city.[20]

In March 2019, Fresnedi led the donation of ten fire trucks worth ₱52.3 million to nine barangays in the city.[19]

2022 Congress bid

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Fresnedi, being term-limited as mayor, ran for representative of the lone district of Muntinlupa in 2022 under the Liberal Party and the One Muntinlupa local party. He switched places with incumbent representative Ruffy Biazon, who is One Muntinlupa's standard bearer for mayor.[3] He won the race.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Fresnedi assumes Muntinlupa mayorship". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. March 22, 1998. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "City Officials". City Government of Muntinlupa. 2018. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Hicap, Jonathan (October 1, 2021). "Team One Muntinlupa: Fresnedi runs for congressman; Biazon for mayor". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Punay, Edy (May 17, 2004). "Fresnedi wins third term in Muntinlupa". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "FRESNEDI, JAIME D." (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "List of Liquid Fuel Retail Stations or LPG Dealers Implementing the 10% Tariff (EO 113)" (PDF). Department of Energy. September 1, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Hicap, Jonathan (February 29, 2020). "Muntinlupa City: Trailblazing at 25". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Lopez, Virgil (May 7, 2016). "Fresnedi, San Pedro continue mayoral tug-of-war in Muntinlupa". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "2013 Election Results: Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila". Rappler. May 18, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Fresnedi, Jaime (March 8, 2015). "Business registration in Muntinlupa, a SWiT innovation". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Araja, Rio (March 18, 2019). "Fresnedi faces graft raps for overpricing lot in 2014". Manila Standard. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Pedrajas, Joseph Almer (September 14, 2019). "Muntinlupa City small businesses provided with affordable loan facility". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Arcilla, Jam (February 20, 2020). "Muntinlupa hikes student, honor grads' allowances". The Manila Times. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Gamil, Jaymee (April 15, 2014). "Muntinlupa gov't allots P63M for scholarship program". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Abad, Roderick (October 11, 2017). "Fresnedi cited for education initiatives". BusinessMirror. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Castillo, Neftali (July 5, 2018). "Muntinlupa City builds 44 more classrooms". Sakto News. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Education remains a top priority for Muntinlupa". Metro News Central. September 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Muntinlupa Mayor lists achievements in SoCA". Newsville. March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Muntinlupa City Hall provides barangays with more fire trucks". The Manila Times. March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Fresnedi Donates P12.8 Million Ambulances to Munti Brgys". City Government of Muntinlupa. September 27, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  21. ^ Fernandez, Daniza (May 10, 2022). "Rep. Ruffy Biazon wins Muntinlupa City mayoral race". Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Muntinlupa
1998–2007
Succeeded by
Aldrin San Pedro
Preceded by
Aldrin San Pedro
Mayor of Muntinlupa
2013–2022
Succeeded by
House of Representatives of the Philippines
Preceded by Representative, Muntinlupa
2022–present
Incumbent