The PUNONG BARANGAY

 According to R. A. 7160 or the "Local Government Code of 1991" Section 389 states that the PUNONG BARANGAY is the Chief Executive as a barangay official. As Chief Executive of the barangay government, its Powers, Duties, and Functions are:

a) The Punong Barangay shall exercise such powers and perform such duties and functions, as provided by this Code and other laws.

b) For efficient, effective and economical governance, the purpose of which is the general welfare of the Barangay and its inhabitants pursuant to Section 16 of this Code, the Punong Barangay shall:

(a) Enforce all laws and ordinances which are applicable within the Barangay;

(b) Negotiate, enter into, and sign contracts for and in behalf of the Barangay, upon authorization of the Sangguniang Barangay;

(c) Maintain public order in the Barangay and, in pursuance thereof, assist the city or municipal mayor and the sanggunian members in the performance of their duties and functions;

(d) Call and preside over the sessions of the Sangguniang Barangay and the Barangay assembly, and vote only to break a tie;

(e) Upon approval by a majority of all the members of the Sangguniang Barangay, appoint or replace the Barangay treasurer, the Barangay secretary, and other appointive Barangay officials;

(f) Organize and lead an emergency group whenever the same may be necessary for the maintenance of peace and order or on occasions of emergency or calamity within the Barangay;

(g) In coordination with the Barangay development council, prepare the annual executive and supplemental budgets of the Barangay;

(h) Approve vouchers relating to the disbursement of Barangay funds;

(i) Enforce laws and regulations relating to pollution control and protection of the environment;

(j) Administer the operation of the Katarungang PamBarangay in accordance with the provisions of this Code;

(k) Exercise general supervision over the activities of the Sangguniang Kabataan;

(l) Ensure the delivery of basic services as mandated under Section 17 of this Code;

(m) Conduct an annual palarong Barangay which shall feature traditional sports and disciplines included in national and international games, in coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports;

(n) Promote the general welfare of the Barangay; and 

(o) Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed by law or ordinance. 

c) In the performance of his peace and order functions, the Punong Barangay shall be entitled to possess and carry the necessary firearm within his territorial jurisdiction, subject to appropriate rules and regulations.  

Baguio City Social Welfare Unit Offices In Barangays

There are six unit offices in Baguio City, to wit:

1. Pacdal Unit Office at Wright Park, Lualhati barangay in front of Rizal Elementary to serve Cabinet Hill with a population of 3,444; Country Club, 1833; Engineer’s Hill, 1,947; Upper General Luna, 1,495; Lower General Luna, 617; Gibraltar, 7,613; Lualhati, 1,087; Lucnab, 2,120; Marcoville, 821; Mines View, 1,409; Outlook Drive, 1,905; Pacdal, 6,918; Pucsusan, 711; St. Joseph Village, 4,397; Salud Mitra, 1,742; Holy Ghost Ext., 3,032; Holy Ghost Proper, 1,954; Imelda Village, 1,889; Manuel Roxas, 921; DPS, 1,121; Session Road, 121; Malcolm Square, 31; Greenwater Village, 1,724;  South Drive, 311; and Happy Hallow,2, 570;

2. Scout Barrio Unit Office at Old Police Sub-Station, Scout Barrio to serve ApuganLoakan 2,887; Atok Trail, 1,550; Military Cut-Off,  2,245; Camp 7, 10,969; Upper Dagsian, 683; Fort Del Pilar, 3,068; Hillside, 1,562; Kias, 5,992; Loakan Proper, 10,189; Lower Dagsian, 1,391; Sta. Scolastica, 1,337; Scout Barrio, 1,408; Camp 8, 2,536; Gabriela Silang, 3,041; Loakan Liwanag, 3,554; Puliwes, 3,254;

3. Bakakeng Unit Office at Bakakeng Central Barangay Hall to serve Bakakeng Central, 9,218; Bakakeng Norte/Sur, 8,780; Balsigan, 2,169; BGH Compound, 1,480; San Vicente, 5,062; Sto. Rosario, 1,687; Sto. Tomas School Area, 1,256; Sto. Tomas Proper, 7,058; Legarda-Burnham-Kisad, 670; Imelda Marcos, 1,106; Dontogan, 5,152; Ferdinand, 1,723; Harrison-Claudio, 273; Phil-Am, 414; Rizal Monument, 131; SLU-SVP, 1,949; Dominican Mirador, 4,810; Kabayanihan, 116; AZKCO, 344; Quirino Magsaysay, 2776;

4. Kayang Youth Home Unit Office at 3rd Floor Evacuation Center, Motorpool, City Camp (In Front Of City Engineering Office) to serve Asin Road, 13,145; Campo Filipino, 1,321; City Camp Central, 2,024; City Camp Proper, 1,447; Fairview, 8,429; Lourdes Subd. Ext.,1,263; Lourdes Subdivision Lower, 245; General Emilio F. Aguinaldo (GEFA), 1,982; MRR Queen of Peace, 2,206; Lower Rock Quarry, 1,489; San Luis Village, 7,529; San Roque Village, 878; Upper Rock Quarry, 1,708; Victoria Village, 3,101; Lourdes Subd. Proper, 686; Palma Urbano, 1,003; Middle Rock Quarry, 1,310; Upper Quezon Hill, 2,659; Quezon Hill Proper, 1,464; Middle Quezon Hill, 3,438; Kayang Extension, 1,592; Camp Allen, 2,417; BagongLipunan (Market Area), 28; Upper Market Subdivision, 1,028; Kayang Hilltop, 147;

5. Kayang Youth Home Unit Office at 2nd Floor, Kayang Youth Home and Family Resource Center to serve Cresencia Village, 1,881; Guisad Central, 2,424; Guisad Surong, 1,679; Pinsao Pilot Project, 4,520; East Quirino Hill, 3,654; Lower Quirino Hill, 2,123; Middle Quirino Hill, 2,635; West Quirino Hill, 1,708; Pinsao Proper, 6,903; Irisan, 30,507; Pinget, 6,918; Andres Bonifacio, 1,307; Dizon Subdivision, 1,712; and

6. Aurora Hill Unit Office at Senior Citizen Center, Bayan Park, Aurora Hill (Near Police Station 6) to serve Ambiong, 2,525; Bayan Park Village, 837; East Bayan Park, 1,125; Leonila Hill/West Bayan Park, 1,526; San Antonio Village, 1,547; South Central Aurora Hill, 959; North Central Aurora Hill, 386; Aurora Hill Proper, 822; Brookside, 2,216; Brookspoint, 2,048; Lopez Jaena, 1,304; East Modern Site, 2,887; West Modernsite, 1,060; Honeymoon-Holy Ghost, 3,316; Alfonso Tabora, 2,079; Magsaysay Private Road, 999; New Lucban, 3,305; North Sanitary Camp, 2,891; South Sanitary Camp, 2,054; Trancoville, 3,239; Happy Homes Old Lucban, 1,477; Upper Magsaysay, 152; Lower Magsaysay, 1,112; Sto. Nino/Slaughter, 2,214; Kagitingan, 151; Padre Burgos, 2,910; Padre Zamora, 2,513; T. Alonzo, 1,090; Camdas Subd.,1,523; and ABCR, 1,697.

President Duterte's Proposed 0 to 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda

President Rodrigo Duterte and his economic managers presented the administration’s economic agenda dubbed as “DuterteNomics” at the recently-concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Cambodia, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia underscored the importance of peace and order in order for the economy to thrive.

“It’s not a 10-point agenda. To remember this, it’s a zero to 10-point agenda, socio-economic agenda and the zero is precisely peace and order,” Pernia said.

“Fighting criminality, fighting corruption, fighting smuggling and peace and order. And that’s because zero is the origin of the 1 to 10 points socio-economic agenda. It’s the bedrock that has to be addressed and this is what the President had been harping on during the campaign as well as now,” he added.

“President Duterte is addressing that main bedrock of the 10-point economic agenda so that the [agenda] can materialize. Without this bedrock, then it will be difficult for the economy to thrive and flourish and for the country to prosper,” according to Pernia, also director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority. Here’s the 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda:

1. Continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies, including fiscal, monetary and trade policies.

2. Institute progressive tax reform and more effective tax collection, indexing taxes to inflation.

3. Increase competitiveness and the ease of doing business. This effort will draw upon successful models used to attract business to local cities.

4. Accelerate annual infrastructure spending to account for 5 percent of GDP, with Public-Private Partnerships playing a key role.

5. Promote rural and value chain development toward increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism.

6. Ensure security of land tenure to encourage investments and address bottlenecks in land management and titling agencies.

7. Invest in human capital development, including health and education systems, and match skills and training to meet the demand of businesses and the private sector.

8. Promote science, technology and the creative arts to enhance innovation and creative capacity toward self-sustaining, inclusive development.

9. Improve social protection programs, including the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program, to protect the poor against instability and economic shocks.

10. Strengthen implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to enable especially poor couples to make informed choices on financial and family planning.

Bayanihan 3 Law Proposed

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has filed a bill proposing a Bayanihan 3 that would provide an amount of P420-billion to fund the country's recovery amid the economic chaos caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaker Velasco and Marikina City 2nd District Representative Stella Luz Quimbo filed on February 4, 2021 the House Bill (HB) No. 8628, or the proposed “Bayanihan to Arise As One Act” or Bayanihan 3.

About 115 members of major political parties and blocs in the House have expressed their support and signified intent to co-author the said bill, Velasco said in a statement on Sunday. 

 He said the two previous Bayanihan Laws were “not sufficient for the genuine economic recovery of the country.”

Velasco, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, noted that the Philippine economy contracted by 9.5 percent in 2020 has the worst performance in the nation’s post-war history.

He added this is significantly worse than the predicted contraction of 4.5 to 6.6 percent, which was the basis of the Development Budget Coordination Committee for the 2021 National Expenditure Program.

 “Given that actual economic output in 2020 was far below what was assumed for budget purposes, and further losses may still be incurred as the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to prevail well into the current fiscal year, an additional economic stimulus package is needed to help the government meet its recovery targets for the year,” Velasco pointed out.

The breakdown of the proposed P420-billion appropriation under Bayanihan 3:

- 52 billion for subsidies to small business for wages and other worker-related expenses

- P100 billion for the capacity-building of businesses in critically impacted sectors

- P108 billion for additional social amelioration to impacted households through programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development

- P70 billion for the provision of assistance and capacity-building to farmers, livestock producers and fishermen

- P30 billion for the implementation of unemployment assistance and cash-for-work programs under the Department of Labor and Employment

- P30 billion for internet allowances to primary, secondary and tertiary students and teachers in public and private educational institutions

- P5 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways for the rehabilitation of typhoon-affected areas, including the repair, reconstruction and/or construction of flood control works, roads, bridges, public buildings and other damaged public works, to be distributed proportionately among affected provinces and cities

- P25 billion to the Department of Health for the procurement of COVID-19 medication and vaccines, and to finance logistics, information awareness campaigns, and other related operational expenses

Velasco also pointed out that household consumption has significantly declined, contributing as much as 5.7 percent to the total 9.5 percent annual reduction in output in 2020.

 “Government must therefore take the lead to promote business and consumer confidence and social welfare. Increased, well-targeted spending is a vital step to achieving these goals,” he said.

In November last year, Quimbo also filed her own bill for Bayanihan 3, House Bill No. 8031, which will allot another P400 billion to aid in the country’s economic recovery. 

Another Bayanihan 3 bill, House Bill No. 8059, was also filed last year by Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, and AAMBIS-OWA Rep. Sharon Garin. 

- Inquirer

Millions of Filipinos Attend Christmas Events Amid President Duterte's Warnings

(Photo: Christmas Tree Lighting Activity in Baguio City)

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Shouting at the top of their lungs, more than a thousand residents of Polanco, a small town in the southern Philippines, stood shoulder-to-shoulder at a local park earlier this month to join a Christmas tree-lighting countdown, defying the national government’s social-distancing guidelines.

Some people were not wearing masks while children who are banned from mass gatherings due to the risk of infection, ran around.

The police stood helpless in the middle of the crowd as politicians allied with President Rodrigo Duterte led the ceremony.

Days later, many of the same residents, gathered anew at a church nearby to join the nationwide “Simbang Gabi” – a series of nine nightly rituals commemorating Christ’s birth. Inside, social-distancing protocols were difficult to observe.

Such scenes have been repeated all over the predominantly Catholic nation in the run up to Christmas, which falls on Friday. Amid the threat of the pandemic many of the Philippines’ 86-million faithful are insistent on maintaining a 350-year-old religious tradition that dates back to the Spanish era, and is celebrated in a carnival of festivities that start in September.

Not far from Polanco’s town centre the cockfighting arena is back in business.

After months of lockdown, authorities have allowed it to reopen, attracting crowds of mostly male gamblers. Health protocols are imposed indoors but it is unclear how strictly the rules are enforced there or in similar venues across the country, as spectators routinely shout out their bets, which can be up to hundreds of dollars as they watch the roosters fight to the death.

While it is difficult to establish a direct link between specific events and locations to the rising COVID-19 infections, Philippine health experts say a surge in new cases is “most likely” associated with holiday crowds as well as looser health regulations at the local community level.

At the height of the coronavirus lockdown in July, Duterte issued a stern warning to local officials to strictly adhere to the national guidelines against the pandemic. He even urged authorities to shoot lockdown violators. He also said that by December, the country would be “back to normal” with vaccines made available from China.

But in 285 days since he ordered a lockdown, Duterte’s bluster now appears empty, with none of the vaccines he touted approved by regulators and a new wave of transmission emerging. Even his pledge that he would volunteer to be part of Russia’s vaccine trial has not materialised and local communities from his hometown in Mindanao have been seen openly flouting his orders as they celebrate the Philippines’ most important religious festival of the year.

COVID-19 reproduction rate up

On Tuesday, Octa Research, a group of Filipino experts monitoring COVID-19 cases, warned of a new surge of infections in the capital Manila, with the reproduction rate increasing from 1.06 to 1.15 and beyond.

“It is in this light that we believe, based on our analysis of the data and of the past trends in the NCR (National Capital Region) that a surge in its early stages has already started in the region. This is a serious cause for concern,” the research firm said.

Seven provinces across the country are also seeing a spike, it added, urging the government to “intensify their efforts at testing, tracing, and isolation” to reverse the trend.

The group urged the national and local governments to strictly enforce health protocols and discourage mass gatherings to curb the outbreak. It also alerted the government to increase healthcare capacity as soon as possible.

As of 08:00 GMT on Wednesday, coronavirus deaths in the Philippines have exceeded 9,000, with more than 464,000 cases, of which almost 430,000 have reportedly recovered.

Dr. Butch Ong of Octa Research said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday that with the current trend it was likely that infections would reach 500,000 within days.

He appealed to Filipinos to adhere to health-safety measures in their communities.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque also repeated his appeal on Wednesday to Filipinos to observe minimum health protection standards to prevent the expected surge.

But his latest message was met with public scorn after he openly feuded with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, who accused him of “dropping the ball” in the delayed negotiations to procure at least 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by early 2021.

Upward trend feared

Dr Joey Hernandez, a Johns Hopkins University-trained epidemiologist and expert in biostatistics, told Al Jazeera that researchers noticed the increase in cases in the country as early as mid-December.

Hernandez, who himself contracted COVID-19 in Manila last March, said that it was “most likely” that the spike in new cases was linked to holiday crowds, as well as more relaxed lockdown regulations.

With no major announcements about stricter guidelines expected in the coming days or a vaccine roll-out imminent, it was likely that the upward trend will continue, he added.

Dr Raymond Naguit, a medic and chairperson of the progressive party, Akbayan Youth, told Al Jazeera that it was already “quite scary to imagine” what cases would be like after December.

“Christmas season is known to be a time where Filipinos gather, shop, and celebrate,” he said, noting that while the festivities this year may not be as crowded as in previous years, the “seemingly harmless gatherings” of friends and family members could still spread the virus.

A daily average of 4,000 new cases is classified as critical by Filipino health experts. The current numbers hover between 1,000 and 2,000 daily confirmed cases.

That means the current pace is still manageable and has not yet reached a point that could potentially overwhelm the health system, Naguit explained.

Still, the statistics should be approached with caution, he said, as each hospital and region may collate the figures differently.

Impact on health workers

As it is, Naguit said, based on his conversations with other health workers, the pandemic has already taken a serious physical and emotional toll on the profession.

“Some of them already consider changing careers completely while some young health professionals consider postponing their entry into the workplace,” he said.

On top of this, health workers generally feel that they are being exploited, with many being overworked and underpaid.

Japeth Dayahan is a senior nurse at a government health facility in the central island of Negros. She says that because the hospital where she works is understaffed, they have had to extend the nurses’ shifts to accommodate the rising number of patients.

“We did not foresee this problem,” she said. “We also have to have enough budget for the hospitals.”

This Christmas season, she says she is praying for the healing of her COVID-19 patients and for the killings in Negros to stop, noting the recent murder of a city health doctor, who was leading her community’s anti-pandemic medical response.

With little sign of a vaccine being widely distributed in the Philippines – the government says it is “still in negotiations” with manufacturers – Naguit of Akbayan Youth, says the further increase in cases is a “likely possibility”.

“I just hope the government is prepared for possible surges and be ready to enforce tighter measures while ensuring that basic needs of the people are met,” he said.

As for Ray Pagulong, a Catholic devotee from Surigao in the eastern part of Mindanao, not even the threat of a potentially deadly virus can stop him from attending the nine days of prayers that culminate in a mass gathering in his church on the eve of Christmas on Thursday night.

“In my church we adhere to social distancing, proper sanitation and even checking of body temperature,” he told Al Jazeera.

“It has always been my promise to complete the nine days of prayer, because it is my way of expressing my utmost thanks to God,” the former overseas Filipino worker added. Aside from the pandemic, his family also had to contend with flooding in their home due to a recent typhoon.

“This advent season somehow is a reminder to myself that we have to reflect and prepare ourselves for the coming of God.”

- AL JAZEERA

The Philippines To Get 30 Million Doses of Novavax By AstraZeneca

The Philippines expects to receive 30 million doses of Novavax Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine by July next year, its foreign minister said on Monday, boosting the country’s effort to secure supplies to inoculate more than 100 million people.

Despite consultations with numerous vaccine makers, the Philippines has so far signed only one supply deal, with the help of its private sector, to acquire 2.6 million shots of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca.

It plans to buy 25 million doses of a vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech for delivery by March and aims to secure between four and 25 million doses of vaccines from Moderna and Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.

“Thirty million dosages of the Indian-made Novavax vaccines are assured possibly with no cash advance. It will be available by July 2021,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
He said the information came from Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, and that the terms of the supply deal may be signed before the end of the year.

There was no immediate comment from the institute, which in August entered a supply and license agreement with Novavax Inc. for the development and commercialization of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Talks with Moderna, which has been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration, will begin next week, Locsin said.

With 459,789 infections and 8,947 deaths, the Philippines has recorded the second-highest number of COVID-19 infections and casualties in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

(Arab News)

DOH Does Not Recommend Face Shields For Some People

There should be exemptions to the rule requiring face shields to be worn on top of face masks when in public areas, the Department of Health said Friday.

People with certain health conditions may experience difficulty in breathing when forced to wear both face mask and face shield, DOH Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing. It may also put some workers at risk when their vision is impeded.

“Hindi po natin nirerekomenda na gagamitin ang face shield kung ang isang tao ay mayroong specific na karamdaman na magkakaroon siya ng limitasyon sa paghinga,” Vergeire said.

“Hindi rin natin siya nirerekomenda doon sa mga trabahong medyo magiging dangerous siya," Vergeire added. “Baka magreflect doon sa face shield, magkaroon siya ng pagkalabo sa sight niya.”

Early this week, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who also speaks for the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, announced that the policy-making body has made it mandatory to wear face shields together with face masks to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Previously, face shields only have to be worn when riding public transportation and entering malls.

In its latest resolution released on Friday, the IATF said the DOH, along with the departments of Trade, Labor, and other relevant agencies, should come up with a consolidated advisory on the proper use of face shields, “including exclusions or exemptions, if any, as may be appropriate.”

Although other countries managed to flatten the infection curve without requiring face shields, the DOH maintained it would provide additional protection against the virus, which is mainly spread through respiratory droplets and exposure to infected patients.

“What we are recommending right now is for people to use face shields, together with face masks and do physical distancing especially when you are in public places,” Vergeire said.

The Philippines has recorded over 456,000 cases of the coronavirus disease since the outbreak began. It continues to see around 1,000 to 2,000 new infections daily even as the entire country remains under varying levels of community quarantine. (CNN Philippines)