JANUARY 14, 2020 | "The Liberation of the View Deck"

By: pedro a. dasing

Columbus, the elder of the view deck vigilantes, puts it, "the liberation of the View Deck and the whole Road 4" from the hands of the rowdy YICL / CICL is starting to glimmer in the pitch darkness as they, the former, continue to occupy the frontage of the View Deck especially at night; allowing valid visitors to enter for limited time only to avoid hanging out and possible illegal activities; disallowing entrance of minors (w/o the company of adults) during curfew hours and the blacklisted truants, troublemakers, and other delinquent and problematic person/s; and when given a time to check the deck in the day time, is to clear it of playing children because the structure is not as safe as a well-planned children's playground, and to apprehend minors allegedly smoking cigarettes after their class dismissal in the afternoon.

Why spending much energy on this particular place? Because, first, it has two institutions built near it - a church and an elementary school, secondly, youths and minors from other places (inside and outside the city) were already trying to get a foothold and take control of the area as theirs, as observed, they use the place as rendezvous, for dating, drinking liquor, hanging out in the night with loud noises and disturbing dispositions which annoy the residents in the area.

Last night (January 13, 2020), the vigilantes composed of parents, concerned residents, public servants in the persons of Columbus Lewis, Richard Sagandoy, Imelda Cadaweng, Cristy Sinnay, Leticia Bacolong, Zenaida Baluran, Susan Binaysan, Imelda Zamora, and Pedro Dasing held station at the view deck to continue recovering the place from the control of the inexperienced (and maybe misguided and/or neglected) green hands, trying hard enough to chase them in order to indentify the youths and minors, who are truly in need of protection and/or services of the government's social welfare programs, to behold them and then to turn over them to the appropriate agency for proper action.

JANUARY 13, 2020 | Proactive Measures Implemented by Peace and Order Committee to Prevent Misuses and Abuses of the Middle Quirino Hill View Deck

Proactive measures by guarding the view deck starting from 4:00 PM onwards have been implemented against the unruly youths and the misuses and abuses of the view deck. 

These were the 1) watching of the view deck as early as 3:00 PM to prevent students, OSYs, CICLs from entering and getting a foothold of the view deck, it is better to prevent their entrance than to apprehend them inside and eject them from the facility when they were hanging out inside the structure, drinking and/or creating noises that disturb the neighborhood; 2) allowing valid visitors cautioning them not to drink liquor, not to smoke cigarettes, and to observe silence while inside the facility especially at night; 3) to let the visitors register their names at the entrance for record purposes; 4) and to place a donation box at the entrance to collect donations from visitors to be used for maintenance and beautification of the view deck; 5) to close and left the view deck from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM when the problematic person/s would not likely to go to the view deck to hang out, drink liquor, and/or to violate "silent night" ordinance.

In this regard, many thanks so much to the BPOC-Tanods, Street Sweepers, Kag Zamora, and the concerned residents - Sirs Columbus Lewis and Richard Sagandoy - in the area for carrying out the strategy to prevent the problems and issues usually committed at the view deck especially in the night. 

Thanks also to Sir Richard Daculan for contributing merienda for the vigil and to all those who were not mentioned but contributing efforts, supports, foods and firewoods for the view deck vigilantes. Real salute to all of you, guys. Our involvement is the key, really. Let's do it regularly for the sustainable social order and peaceful night in our community 

Problems Usually Encountered at the Middle Quirino Hill View Deck by the Barangay Peace and Order Enforcers (I)

January 9, 2020 / 2100H | Ronda @ View
Deck

By: pedro a. dasing

The Barangay Tanods together with Kagawads Zamora and Dasing apprehended groups of YICL (Youths In Conflict With The Law) at the said facility. There was a group of youths with female members still in their school uniforms found to be already intoxicated with liquor, another group of male and female youths at the uppermost level was also apprehended for curfew and picnicking at the space designated as viewing area only. 

The picnickers were told to continue their activity in any of the group members' houses as some of them were residents in the area and have verandas to view the city while eating mani and drinking soft drinks. 

The group of intoxicated males and females were sent to their homes by the peace and order enforcers by escorting them to ride taxi cab, while one of them, another female, limped and befuddled due to alcohol intake, was accompanied by other youths who knew her and the brgy public servants to their home at the nearby community.

The facility really needs regular nightwatchmen badly in order to prevent such things and other misuses and abuses of the deck specially at night, and we, in the barangay, need volunteers or sponsor/s for the watchmen's stipend until it is already developed and earning its own operating expenses 

MARCH 15, 2020. Middle Quirino Hill Peace and Order Committee and Some School Children Performed Mini Rally Against the Spread of Novel Coronavirus (now COVID-19)

By: pedro a. dasing

On March 15, 2020, a day before Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared the entire Luzon area under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Middle Quirino Hill Peace and Order Committee and some school children conducted a mini rally at tapaw area in Middle Quirino Hill against the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (now called COVID-19) in China and its imminent spread in the whole world.

President Duterte Signs Magna Carta of the Poor on April 12, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte signed on April 12, 2019 the Republic Act 11291 or otherwise known as the Magna Carta Of The Poor which makes government services more accessible to poor Filipinos so that their basic needs are met.According to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), poor refers to individuals and families whose income falls below the poverty threshold and/or those who cannot afford their minimum basic needs.

Under the law, the government agencies and concerned departments to implement it must establish a system to meet the following standards:

1. Adequate food

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture must take actions to mitigate and alleviate hunger, especially in times of calamities and natural disasters. It must also ensure the availability of food supplies, while engaging the poor in activities to promote food self-sufficiency.

2. Decent work

The Department of Labor and Employment along with other implementing agencies shall ensure the poor will have access to information on employment opportunities, as well as promoting livelihood for the poor. Government must also ensure private contractors in national and local public work projects to fill in 30% of their labor requirements with qualified workers from the poor.

3. Relevant and quality education

The agencies concerned are the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. They, along with other development partners, shall expand programs of providing free or socialized college education to the poor and shall make technical-vocational education and training more accessible.

4. Adequate housing

The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and other implementing agencies shall prioritize implementation of the socialized housing program, construct housing for families in hazardous and danger zones, and simplifying the requirements for processing and approval of community-based socialized housing.

5. Highest attainable standard of health

The Department of Health and other concerned agencies shall provide comprehensive, universal, culture-sensitive and nondiscriminatory health services — including those for maternal and child health care, prevention of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections, immunization against major infectious diseases, and the prevention of epidemics. They shall also find ways to provide health-related education and reduce the financial burden of health care.

The DSWD, along with NEDA and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), will identify the target beneficiaries.

The funding will be sourced from the existing poverty alleviation programs of the different departments and agencies.

The NAPC shall oversee the compliance of these agencies/departments to this act.

First-time Jobseekers Now Have Free Document Fees

President Rodrigo Duterte signed on April 10, 2019 the Republic Act 11261 or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.

This act waived the fees and/or charges of documents being processed, acquired or secured by a first-time jobseeker from government agencies and instrumentalities provided that the application and the granting of documents are requirements in the course of local employment or applying for abroad.

Covered by the law are the following government issued documents:

• Police clearance certificate
• National Bureau of Investigation clearance
• Barangay clearance
• Medical certificate from a public hospital
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Transcript of academic records issued by state colleges and universities
• Tax Identification Number
• Unified Multi-Purpose ID
• Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers from job applicants

To avail of the benefits, a first-time jobseeker must present a barangay certificate stating that the individual is indeed a first-time applicant.

The waiver of fees shall not include those collected in connection with an application to take a professional licensure examination, application for a passport authentication and red ribbon documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs, application for a Career Service Examination and application for a driver’s license.

How to get to Quirino Hill, Baguio City

Quirino Hill is located on the north west part of Baguio. Its slope at the north is a part of Pico, La Trinidad, which roll down to the road of Km. 3, so Quirino Hill is one among the places that marks the land limit of the City.

From the Central Business District (CBD), in order to get to Quirino Hill, you can take either of the three main roads - the Bokawkan Road, Magsaysay Avenue or the Trancoville Road. A regular public Jeepney transit bound for Quirino Hill can be accessed at Lakandula Street (near Baguio Center Mall). The Jeepney would pass through the Magsaysay Avenue until it reaches the lower portion, then it would push into the Camdas Street, and at the end of the street it will begin to assume the Quirino Hill area. Then the vehicle would slowly traverse the winding and bending residential alleys until it gets to the topmost part of the hill. During the climb, you can actually stop the vehicle and descend from it when it gets closest to the place where you are going to. At the top of the Middle Quirino Hill Barangay you will find the View Deck near the St. Paul's Parish and the Quirino Hill Elementary School. The View Deck can offer you a good sight at the half of Baguio including the Central Business District, probably ( you can go there if you want to prove :D )...oops! You must not forget your telescope and camera.

You can also go to the other side of the hill, the north side, to see La Trinidad, the Balili River, the La Trinidad plateau, and its surrounding valleys.

To exit Quirino Hill, you may walk down through the column of stairways going down to the base, or you may take a ride on a public utility vehicle going down the hill.