VP Robredo visits Barangay Punta Tarawal whose chief swore her into office

Vice President Leni Robredo visited last Thursday the remote barangay in Camarines Sur headed by the chairman before whom she took her oath as the second highest official of the country in 2016.

“Remember the barangay captain before whom I took my oath into office as VP? He is Rolando Coner of Punta Tarawal, a small, far away barangay along the coast of San Miguel Bay which can be reached only by boat,” she wrote on her Facebook account on Friday night.

“We visited his barangay to check how everyone was doing after the typhoon,” she added.

The barangay was one of those heavily affected by Super Typhoon Rolly when it made landfall in Bicol last weekend.

Coner, the Vice President said, was apologetic as he did not know they were coming. Her office provided relief goods for the residents, which they distributed with the help of the barangay chairman.

“He is that man in green, all covered in mud, because he was cleaning the muck out of the barangay hall brought about by the floods,” said Robredo, referring to Coner.

The Vice President said the residents “were profuse with gratitude that they already had a sea wall,” making it safer for them whenever there are typhoons.

The building that her office helped build through the support of private partners also survived Rolly and was undamaged.

“They said that had they known it would be that sturdy, they would not have evacuated to the mainland anymore. They were recounting their horrors when the evacuation center they were in suffered damages during the onslaught,” the Vice President said in her post.

Swearing in before barangay captains was first allowed for winners of the 2016 elections following the approval of Republic Act 10755 earlier that year.

Two barangay captains administered the oath of Robredo in 2016: Coner and Regina Celeste San Miguel of Barangay Mariana in Quezon City, where her office was located.

At the time, Punta Tarawal was described as the “smallest, farthest and poorest” barangay of the third district of Camarines Sur that Robredo represented at the House of Representatives prior to her election as Vice President.

Over the past week, Robredo visited various areas in Bicol heavily affected by Rolly, including Catanduanes, Albay and her home province of Camarines Sur. (Photo and content reposted from Philstar)

 

 

 

 

‘Ugnayan sa Barangay’ benefits 382 households in Sta. Rita, Samar

 

A total of 382 beneficiaries received hygiene kits while their barangays received emergency generator sets from various government and volunteer groups during the Ugnayan sa Barangay held in Barangay Utap, Sta. Rita, Samar on November 4, 2020.

The “poorest of the poor” as certified by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) likewise received toys for their children, courtesy of the Office of Civil Defense, Office of the Presidential Assistant, DSWD through Director Marie Angela Gopalan, Fraternity of Eagles, Philippine Army, United Coconut Planters’ Bank, and Senator Bong Go, among others.

In all, there were 11 beneficiaries from Barangay Hinangutdan, 48 from Old Manunca, 98 from San Agustin, 110 from Binanalan, and 109 from Tagacay.

Brigadier General Wilbur C. Mamawag, assistant chief of the 8th Infantry Division, together with Office of Civil Defense Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion, turned over the six generator sets for use during emergencies. The portable generators are a symbol of hope, noted Mr. Torrecarion as the presence of light exudes optimism among people.

Sta. Rita Mayor Joven Tiu, Vice Mayor Engr. Tiu, members of the Sanggunian, and department heads were present during the event, which served to support the implementation of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP). The National Intelligence Coordination Agency (NICA) showed a briefer intended for parents warning against the deceptive recruitment of youths by the New People’s Army.

For Punong Barangays Anacleto Canete Jr. of Hinangutdan and Geronimo Igso of Binanalan, the generator sets are timely and appreciated as these will extend a better quality of life to their residents. This was echoed by Arturo Mamaril, a senior citizen farmer from Barangay Tagacay, who said the hygiene kits are welcome assistance that were unexpected.

Regional Director Karl Caesar R. Rimando of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who initiated the activity together with other agency heads, recognized the Office of the President, Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Army, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, NICA, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Department of Agriculture, UCPB, DSWD, LGU Sta. Rita, members of the media, and many others for their invaluable contribution to the activity. The event was organized as part of efforts for the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) to promote a just and lasting peace in the region by 2022. (Content reposted from Philippine Information Agency)

 IN PHOTO: Sta. Rita, Samar welcome marker. Photo from Google.