26,000 contractual health workers to be deployed one each in every barangay in remote areas.

The government is hiring over 26,000 health workers in a bid to dedicate at least one health care professional per barangay.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last week said it has approved the creation of 26,035 contractual positions including medical officers, dentists, medical technologists, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and midwives.

Though contractual, they will all receive benefits and bonuses accorded to regular government employees such as personnel economic relief allowance, mid-year bonus, year-end bonus, and cash gift, among others according to the DBM.  READ MORE

Photo from ARMMC.DOH.GOV.PH

MORE TOP BARANGAY NEWS & EVENTS NATIONWIDE

Arbitrary dismissal of barangay health workers denounced by new barangay health workers’ party list representative.  Based on several complaints being received by her office regarding the termination of the barangay health workers, BHW party list representative Rep. Angelica Natasha Co called on the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately look into the alleged hasty termination of barangay health workers by barangay chairpersons and other local government unit (LGU) officials.

“It is very unfortunate and appalling to hear that our barangay health workers and health services are politicized rather than institutionalized,” she said in her letter dated July 1 to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.   

In her letter, she said the terminated BHWs were replaced by those who have not undergone any health care training and education. READ MORE

Barangay Health Wellness (BHW) party list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co

Photo: BHW Party List Facebook page/Manila Bulletin

Pasig City barangay health centers to be strengthened.  In order to implement the Universal Health Care more efficiently, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said last week he wants to strengthen the city’s barangay health centers.

Among the things he wanted to improve were the presence of health care staff, doctors, nurses and medications inside the barangay health center. He also pointed out the importance of primary health care in addressing the concerns of the citizens before going straight to the hospital.

In this connection, over 500 students were earlier vaccinated against measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria (MRTD) at the Pasig Elementary School.

Also, several female students were given shots of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which helps protect from cervical cancer. READ MORE

New memorandum circular for setting LGU fee and charges for rendering services to the public includes those fees imposed by barangays. These cover business permits, mayor’s permits and barangay clearances, toll fees, and billboard fees, among others.

In a joint memorandum circular issued by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), all LGUs are urged to review, adjust, and/or revise their local revenue ordinances in accordance with the rationalized procedure for setting fees and charges.  

The purpose of the memorandum circular is to help LGUs build strong and enabling environment for good local governance and serve their constituents fairly, particularly the business sector. 


Under the circular, the DOF, through the BLGF, will issue the guidelines through a Local Fees and Charges (LFC) Toolkit, which comprises the direct fixed cost (e.g. depreciation of equipment and utilities, such as electricity and water used) and variable costs (e.g. salaries of personnel, cost of supplies and materials) of rendering services.  READ MORE

Baguio City barangay officials’ training on implementation of ordinances, executive and administrative orders proposed.  The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing for the annual training or seminar of barangay officials on the proper implementation of ordinances, resolutions and executive or administrative orders of the local government and providing the amount of P300,000 for the said purpose.

The proposed training or seminar shall include lectures on the provisions of ordinances and resolutions for implementation by the barangay officials as well as executive and administrative orders issued by the City Mayor involving the barangays. READ MORE

Isabela barangays get help from DTI to create more entrepreneurs.  The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here recently reached out and assisted more entrepreneurs in the community through its Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (NSB) program.

According to DTI-Isabela head Winston Singun, the program aims to help in creating job opportunities, increase awareness in generating wealth at the barangay levels and in maximizing the potentials of barangays to be economically independent and make them more effective partners in the attainment of national goals. READ MORE

DTI-Isabela head Winston Singun (2nd from R to L) explains that Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (NSB) program aims to help on creating job opportunities and to increase awareness on generating wealth at the barangay levels. (Photo by DTI-2)

Nueva Viscaya barangay to have its own cell site.  A cell site is expected to be built in Barangay Runruno of this province to provide communication access among the villagers.

Barangay officials said the cell site project will benefit more than 4,000 villagers in the barangay as well as its adjacent villages. They said the project will also contribute to the barangay’s socio-economic growth.

Once built, the cell site project will be protected and managed by the Runruno villagers particularly its protection and maintenance of its access road, said Ian Moller, an official of FCF Minerals Corp., the mining company operating in the barangay. READ MORE

Two remote Eastern Samar barangays have their own integrated schools now.  Two integrated high schools in two separate upstream barangays in the Municipality of Oras in Eastern Samar were inaugurated recently.

The DepEd made efforts to establish these new integrated high schools so students would have easier access to secondary education and reduce the high number of students dropping out in remote areas.

The local community believes that easier access to secondary schools would also help reduce the financial burden of parents and monitor their children better.

In support of this move, the local government vowed to support the newly established schools by providing monetary incentives to non-regular teachers while the barangay councils committed to provide free boat ride to students from nearby barangays.  READ MORE

Only barangay captains who attended the recently-held Barangay Captains’ General Assembly in Cebu City will get P100,000  funding for any special project on top of other financial assistance from the provincial government.  Road projects and insurance coverage for barangay officials and employees were among the good news that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia shared during the Barangay Captains’ General Assembly held on Friday at the IEC Convention Center in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

Aside from road projects, the provincial government would provide assistance for the rehabilitation of barangay halls, water system, daycare/health center, community stage and rehabilitation of the barangay covered courts, among others, the governor said.

She also announced several benefits for barangay officials and employees. These include group personal accident insurance for barangay captains (up to P120,000), barangay kagawads (up to P76,000) and for barangay tanods, health workers, day care workers and animal health workers (up to P65,000).

Aside from assistance for infrastructure projects, she also promised to allocate P50,000 for each barangay to be used for their social/cultural and sports activities. READ MORE

Help of Liga ng mga Barangay sought on the crackdown of “Piso Net” operations in Dumaguete City barangays.  The Anti-Indecency Board (AIB) here is seeking a crackdown on the so-called “Piso Net” in the city’s 30 barangays.

The AIB chair Dr. Phoebe Tan reported to the city mayor’s office the proliferation of these Internet machines and cafés in the different villages during the conduct of their monthly actual monitoring.

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) in this capital city expressed concern over the report that pornographic advertisements just pop up in the middle of the games being played by children in the computer units.  

The arcade-style Internet shops used mostly by minors can access the web after inserting a one-peso coin into the machine slot,

Tan wants to seek an audience with the Liga ng mga Barangay, headed by Barangay Motong chief Dionie Amores because most of the "Piso Nets" are established inside the residences in most of the city’s 30 barangays. READ MORE

Inside an internet café in Dumaguete City. (Photo by Juancho Gallarde)

Barangay Reporter is published primarily for all elected and appointed barangay officials who are accessible by internet.  Secondary readers are those from other government and private institutions who want to follow developments in the barangays such as LGU and national government officials, legislators, policymakers, executives from private corporations and NGOs, educators, students as well as the general public.

It comes out and sent to the e-mail addresses of subscribers weekly featuring reports on barangay-related news and events nationwide.

These reports, which are curated and summarized for the busy reader, are obtained from the mainstream media such as leading networks and broadsheets, provincial and local papers as well as websites of government news bureaus.

Direct reports from barangays who want their own stories published are also gathered and reported as they come.    

By regularly informing readers on what’s going in other barangays nationwide, this medium should help them learn from the best practices, success stories and achievements of other barangays in many parts of the country. 

It also gives readers a good bearing on how they measure up compared with their peers in other barangays thus giving them a better perspective in approaching their work in their respective barangays. Ed.

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