Barangays rallied to help revitalize Baguio
MAKING Baguio into a greener and cleaner city will entail the cooperation not only from top officials but also from the barangay level to ensure equal progress and development from the grassroots.
This was the challenge imposed by City Planning and Development Officer Evelyn Cayat to the 128 barangay captains and their kagawads in a dialogue with city officials held August 13, 2019 at the City Multipurpose Hall.
Cayat discussed the 15-point development goals crafted of the city government crafted from the series of tedious Executive and Legislative Agenda meetings early this month. The 15 Development Goals of the city will serve as the blueprint of the current administration in its projects and programs which adopted the original 10 point agenda of Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Barangay officials were told to review their priority programs and projects to be aligned with the 15development goals of the city which are: Speeding Up Government Action; Revitalizing the Environment; Innovating Peace and Order Condition; Aggressive Traffic Management; Responsive Education Program; Empowering the Youth; Expanding Health and Social Services; Responsible Tourism; Enlivened Culture, Arts, Crafts and Heritage; Market Modernization; Efficient Disaster Management; Empowered and Accountable Barangay Governance; Strengthened Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Services; Poverty Reduction; and, Resolution of Indigenous Peoples Land Issues in the city.
“We at the barangay level shall play a great role in the realization of these development goals. As the mayors in your own barangays, you shall report any illegal activity observed within your jurisdiction including informal settlers or squatting and unsanitary establishments,” Cayat said.
In response to the challenge, Liga ng mga Barangay president and Councilor Michael Lee Lawana raised
concern on several unimplemented barangay projects which were identified in the past years but were not given priority funding to date.
He recognized the problem with barangay projects having less than P100,000 budget is that no contractor is willing to bid which stalls the implementation of projects until these are overtaken by the passage of time.
Other barangay officials also relayed concern on several departments in the city not acting on request for inspection, survey and delayed preparation of program of works until deadline for the subof mission of plans have lapsed.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong promised to look into possible solutions for the barangay concerns as he pledged for a better bidding outcome for projects with minimal funding under the leadership of Engr. Bonifacio Dela Peña as chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee BAC.
Barangay officials were given until August 22 to submit their priority projects subject for funding by 2020 under the Annual Investment Plan of the local government.