TRACER undergoes Search and Rescue Proficiency Training

The Tacurong City Responsive Assistance and Coordinated Emergency Search and Rescue or TRACER had undergone a 3-day Proficiency Training on July 12-14, 203.

During the first training day, TRACER performed rapelling drills with Tacurong Philippine National Police personnel at the City Hall building. A re-orientation seminar on basic first aid, guidelines in giving emergency care, and casualty handling was then facilitated by the Philippine Red Cross-Kidapawan City.

On July 13, TRACER performed swimming drills in Polomolok, South Cotabato then proceeded to Tropicana Beach Resort, General Santos City on July 14 for their one-mile swim.

TRACER undergoes Proficiency Training once or twice a year under the supervision of the Tacurong CDRRMC. This recently-conducted training was co-facilitated by Hon. Rodrigo Jamorabon and Sgt. Manuel S. Doria of the Philippine Air Force-Davao City.    

TRACER has recently been shortlisted as one of the Top 3 national contenders for the Gawad KALASAG 2013. 

LGU-Information

SOCA highlights positive outcomes of excellent governance, good partnerships

Re-elected Tacurong City Mayor Lina O. Montilla’s State of the City Address (SOCA) highlighted the positive results of pursuing excellent governance and building good partnerships during her first term. The SOCA was delivered during the Inaugural Session of the 6^th Sangguniang Panlungsod on July 3, 2013.

“Our City, being new and small compared to others, has now been recognized as one of the best-performing cities in the country,” said Mayor Montilla.

Excellence and partnerships

Balanced prioritization of programs and projects for development of various sectors led the city to the prestigious National Gawad Pamana ng Lahi Awards 2012 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The City was among the Top 5 National Finalists that include Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Makati City; Santiago City, Isabela; and Vigan City, Ilocos Sur—the winner.

In the same year, Tacurong City received the Seal of Good Housekeeping Silver (SGH)—a proof of the city’s accountability and transparency in local governance. The city received the SGH Bronze in 2011.

These awards brought additional monetary assistance for the city. The SGH Bronze and Silver awards were complemented by P3-million and P2-million cash awards. These amounts were then used for road concreting in Barangays Upper Katungal and Tina.

Good partnerships established and maintained by the city government especially with the Regional Development Council (RDC) also led to the P129-million grant for the concrete paving of unpaved portions of National Highway to the Baras Bird Sanctuary, and other agricultural assistance and infrastructure projects.

Fiscal Management

The mayor emphasized the city’s good financial performance by showing comparative figures of local revenues and expenditures from CY 2009-2012. Local revenues increased from P60,386,440.74 in CY2009 to P80,148,177.43 in CY2012. Savings from operations, on the other hand, showed an increasing trend from P40,217,753.01 in CY 2009 to P89,100,840.41 in CY2011. In CY2012, city’s savings dropped to P1,647,861.35 because of decrease in Internal Revenue Allotment—a result of the conversion into cities of 16 municipalities. Big projects were also undertaken in 2012 that include: progressive construction of the City Cultural & Sports Center, City Museum, City Library, new public cemetery, perimeter fence of the Tacurong City Integrated Public Terminal; and purchase of two brand new dump trucks and  brand new meat van, among other big ticket projects.

Sustainable Projects

“We believe that development should encompass all areas in the city,” said Mayor Montilla.

The mayor expressed her commitment to continue to implement the Two-Million City Aid to Barangays. The said program empowered barangays to implement necessary infrastructure projects and other priority projects in education, livelihood, health, environment, etc.

Among other projects maintained by the city government are: Annual Free Surgical Mission and Operation Tuli; Business One-Stop Shop; Limpyo Kalog (Linis Kanal); blood-letting activities; and City Hall sa Barangay.

Local special bodies will also continue working for the city’s welfare: the City Development Council; City Peace and Order Council; Local School Board; Local Health Board; City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council; among others.

The creation of the Joint Task Force Talakudong (JTFT) is another best practice that the city government aims to sustain. JTFT was created to support law-enforcement agencies and the military in maintaining the city’s peace and order.

Vision

The Executive-Legislative Agenda (ELA) will be formulated by the newly-elected city officials this July 2013. ELA serves as a guide for both the executive and legislative branch of the local government in planning and implementing priority projects in the next three years. Mayor Montilla seeks the assistance of the City Local Government Operations Officer Alberto Sero Jr. in this endeavor.

In her SOCA, Mayor Montilla enumerated some of the LGU’s priorities for 2013-2016. These include: completion of the City Cultural & sports Center, City Library, and City Museum; enhancement of the traffic management system and solid waste management; institutionalization of the Iskolar ng Lungsod ng Tacurong; enactment of the tricycle franchising system; and improvement and monitoring of delivery of basic social services.

-Jezereel Louise C. Billano (LGU-Information)

Tacurong’s Sanggunian holds Inaugural Session

Vice Mayor Joseph George Lechonsito got his first hold of the gavel when he presided over the inaugural session of the 6^thSangguniang Panlungsod of Tacurong City on July 3, 2013.

Witnessed by a sizable crowd packed inside and outside the session hall, all members of the Sanggunian were present during the maiden session, namely: Councilors Psyche Sucaldito, Charito Collado, Cirilo Flores, Paulino Ledda, Rodrigo Jamorabon, Benjamin Fajardo Jr., Ariel Ferdinand dela Cruz, Joselito Cajandig Sr., Jose Remos Segura, and Welson Ferrer. Liga ng mga Barangay President Silvestre Llanto and Sangguniang Kabataan President Albert Gulmatico were in attendance also.

Midway into the session, the council suspended its rules to give way to the State of the City Address of Mayor Lina Montilla, who presented the major accomplishments of the local administration in the past three years and the programs the city government aims to implement within the next term of office.

Mayor Montilla said that first on the to-do list in their first month in office is the formulation of the Executive Legislative Agenda (ELA) that will serve as guide in setting the policy directions of the local government in the next three years. 

After the mayor’s speech, Vice Mayor Lechonsito delivered his response saying that the council will continue to be an effective law-making body of the city government. He also expressed the council’s support to the development agenda of the local chief executive all geared toward the development of the city.

Lechonsito also said that the mayor’s decision of delivering her SOCA before the council manifested the latter’s desire to continue working hand in hand with the Sanggunian.

The awarding of Plaques of Recognition to the outgoing members of the council followed after the vice mayor’s speech. Former Councilor Virgilio Paredes, a member of the 5^th SP, was recognized together with former Vice Mayor Collado and former Councilor Lechonsito who swapped places as new members of the 6^th SP.

Secretary to the Sanggunian Romel Dionela also presented welcome tokens to all members of the city council.

When session rules were restored, the council passed and approved a joint resolution expressing their thanks to the people of Tacurong for their continued support to the city officials in the past local elections.

Before the adjournment of the session, the council members agreed to set their next session on July 8 to deliberate on their internal rules and select members for the various standing committees. (Allan Freno, LGU-Tacurong City)

Mayor Montilla, ten other officials took oath of office before MTCC judge

Re-elected Mayor Lina Montilla of Tacurong, together with ten other elected officials belonging to the Liberal Party, publicly took their oath of office before Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Presiding Judge Nectar Precious Hope Gumana-Mamon on June 28, 2013 at the city gymnasium.

Vice Mayor-elect Joseph George Lechonsito joined the mayor in the oath-taking as well as the other nine councilors, namely: Psyche Sucaldito, Charito Collado, Cirilo Flores, Rodrigo Jamorabon, Benjamin Fajardo, Jr., Paulino Ledda, Ariel Ferdinand dela Cruz, Joselito Cajandig, Sr., and Welson Ferrer. 

The public oathtaking was a re-enactment of the oath-taking done at the sala of Judge Mamon on June 11, 4:00 in the afternoon, twenty-seven days after they were proclaimed by the City Board of Canvassers.  

In her message in front of the huge crowd who witnessed the event, Mayor Montilla urged everyone that it is time to move forward and face the challenges of the next three years. She once again appealed to the constituents to continue their support to the local leadership and cooperate with the programs of the city government.  “We are renewing our commitment to the public that we will deliver what is expected of us in the next three years… the people had given their trust to us and we will not fail them,” Mayor Montilla said.

 

The officials had already complied with the requirements of the Commission on Elections regarding the filing of Statements of Election Contributions and Expenses (SECE). Under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 7166, every candidate is obligated to file his/her statement of contributions and expenditures.

Incumbent Mayor Lina Montilla was re-elected for her second term after getting 22, 774 votes in the recent mid-term elections. She won by a wide margin over her challenger Retired Army General Jerry Jalandoni who had 10, 120 votes. Official count of the Commission on Elections also showed Mayor Montilla winning in all barangays of the city.

Out of the 46, 379 registered voters in Tacurong, COMELEC recorded 76.15 percent voters turnout in the recent poll. (Allan Freno, LGU-Tacurong City)

7th Limpyo Kalog supports DOH anti-dengue campaign

June is Dengue Awareness Month. It is also in this month that dengue cases start to increase. And the best way, according to DOH, is for everyone to take action.

The 7th Limpyo Kalog or Linis Kanal of the City Government of Tacurong was dedicated not only to minimize flooding during this rainy month but also to support DOH’s ABKD (Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue) campaign.

The 7th Limpyo Kalog was simultaneously conducted different areas in the city on June 22, 2013.

Despite the gloomy weather, members, employee, and officials of public and private agencies marched to their respective areas to clean canals and surroundings. These include LGU-Tacurong, BJMP, the Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria Parish, Tacurong Market Vendors Association, Bikers Club of Tacurong, Knights of Columbus, COMELEC, GSP, Sta. Catalina Multipurpose Cooperative, DILG, RTC, JTF Talakudong, Municipal Trial Court in Cities, Prosecutor’s Office, BFP, DOLE-PESO, DepEd, Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association, NOVO, BIR, NFA, TELOF, NSO, SUKELCO, SKWD, and PNP. Educational institutions also rendered their service for the environment: SKSU, NDTC-High School and College Department, and Notre Dame Siena College of Tacurong. Barangay and purok officials also led the clean-up in their respective areas.

The 7th Limpyo Kalog is the City Government’s response to the call of DOH and DILG for collective effort in combating dengue. Through ABKD, DOH in partnership with DILG encourages LGUs down to the barangay level to spur collective actions against dengue virus. This includes regular community clean up to destroy breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Director Domingo: DOLE-PESO, SK-TIPC’s batang-palengke project is public-private partnership in action

Regional Director Ofelia Domingo of Department of Labor and Employment 12 described the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and Sultan Kudarat-Tripartite Industrial Peace Council’s free education program for working children in the public markets as manifestation of a true public-private partnership in action.

 

DOLE and SK-TIPC, together with the Public Employment Service Offices of Tacurong City and Isulan distributed school supplies, slippers and raincoats to 52 elementary and 11 high school students in a program held on June 13, 2013 at the Notre Dame of Tacurong College. Thirty-nine of the beneficiaries are residents of Tacurong while 25 came from the neighboring town of Isulan. Said students known also as “mga batang-palengke” are beneficiaries of the Knowledge Program for Intermittent Thriving Children (KPITC) who had been enjoying the educational assistance for three years now.

Director Domingo, Tacurong Mayor Lina Montilla and Isulan Mayor Diosdado Pallasigue led the distribution of the school kits to the beneficiaries. TIPC members and PESO Managers in the Province of Sultan Kudarat also attended the event.

Apart from receiving school supplies and other kits, the children are also regularly benefiting from the free medical and dental check-ups done by the Isulan Medical Specialist Center Incorporated and the Sultan Kudarat Doctors Hospital, two of SK-TIPC’s member organizations. The Local Government Units (through their Local Health Offices) provide medicines to beneficiaries who are diagnosed of illnesses.

In her message, Director Domingo lauded the SK-TIPC’s initiative. She even mentioned that the KPITC had preceded DOLE’s HELP-ME (Health, Education, Livelihood and Protection-Monitoring, Evaluation) convergence initiative seeking to address the problem of child labor in the country. While the HELP ME program just rolled out in 2013, DOLE-PESO and SK-TIPC’s Knowledge Program had been assisting children who are at risk of child labor for three years now.

“This KPITC is a source of pride for Region 12 and is truly a public-private partnership in action because of the convergence of various organizations desiring to eliminate child labor,” Director Domingo said.

Domingo also cited Provincial Head Arlene Bisnon and the DOLE-SK Field Office in spearheading the implementation of the project. “The SK Field Office once again proved that it is worthy of its award as the Best Organizational Unit in DOLE 12 for three consecutive years now,” she said.

Children at risk of child labor

In 2011, DOLE-Sultan Kudarat Field Office found out that there were nearly 100 kids of market vendors in Tacurong and Isulan who were considered at risk of child labor because they were working in the public market in the same way as their parents although their workloads were lighter and were usually limited to selling cellophanes, vegetables, and other products.

Bisnon shared the observation in one of the meetings of SK-TIPC, in which she sits as the chairperson. Driven by the desire to help the children at risk, the council agreed to initiate a project that would help the children with the primary objective of encouraging the parents to prioritize their children’s studies instead of work. That was the time when the KTIPC was conceptualized.

Under the KPITC project, the DOLE identified children of market vendors in Tacurong and Isulan who were attending school but were going to work in the market after school hours and on weekends. The DOLE and SK-TIPC explained to the parents that the educational expenses of their children will be shouldered by benefactors as long as they would promise to let their children finish school.

Under the program, Notre Dame of Tacurong College (a TIPC member) provides the classrooms and volunteer teachers for the special Saturday classes of the students. Bisnon revealed that while the vendors’ children were going to school, most if not all had been performing poorly in classes due to the fact that they did not have the time and friendly environment to study their lessons. Bisnon noted that the special classes attended by the beneficiaries proved to be beneficial as seen in the improvement of their grades in school.

All pioneering members of the SK-TIPC including the KARBEMPCO, Tacurong Parish, Kenram Industrial Development Corporation, and the Isulan Medical Specialist Center among others sponsor their own KP beneficiaries by providing for their whole-year tuition fees. Other benefactors are public officials and private individuals.

The DOLE-PESO and SK-TIPC, because of their end goal to eliminate child labor, continue to attract various organizations to join the cause. The Isulan Chamber of Commerce and Tacurong Filipino Chamber of Commerce are some of the newest benefactors of the KPITC.

Livelihood assistance for children’s parents

                The KPITC boosted its holistic approach in helping the children by also providing livelihood assistance to their parents through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP). On June 13, right after the distribution of educational kits to the children, Director Domingo turned over fourteen Nego-Karts to each of the fourteen parents of the beneficiaries in Tacurong.

                Bisnon said that the Nego-Karts will be a huge help to the parents because they can now have decent display carts for their products instead of putting them on the sidewalks. The carts would also allow the vendors to increase their daily income because they have the luxury to roam around the public market. “We are making another proposal to the regional office so that other parents of the KP beneficiaries could receive the same livelihood assistance soon,” Bisnon added.

                Prior to the distribution of Nego-Karts in Tacurong, twenty parents of KPITC beneficiaries in Isulan had also received livelihood starter kits from the DOLE in March. (Allan Freno, PESO-LGU Tacurong City)

  

Community leaders learn the basics of disaster preparedness

Fifty-four community workers and leaders of Barangay Upper Katungal, Tacurong City learned the basics of disaster preparedness and response in an orientation on Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM), and Climate Change Adaptation on June 10-11, 2013. 

Among the participants were barangay officials, purok presidents, barangay health workers, day care workers, teachers, and civilian volunteers.

The activity familiarized the participants on the current DRRM situation of the Philippines and the salient features of Republic Act 10121 or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of the Philippines. The lectures were delivered by City DRMM Council Officer Eufemia Robles and City Local Government Operations Officer Alberto Sero Jr.

Tacurong City Responsive Assistance and Coordinated Emergency Search and Rescue (TRACER) also demonstrated basic skills on search and rescue. As part of the orientation, TRACER also facilitated application of basic rope skills and swimming lessons in Marguez Resort, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.

“Nagapasalamat kami nga sa bisan nubo nga panahon, na-orient kami paano mag-rescue sang nabiktima sang typhoon, earthquake kag flooding,” said Barangay Health Worker Irene Gentison.

Aside from being thankful, participants were challenged with the new things they learned. “Kung kinahanglan kita, ara kita dayon kay trained kita as rescuer. Kung may emergency, responde kita dayon,” said DepEd representative Randy Oñate.

TRACER team member Sausalito Manoy hopes that all barangays will be trained on disaster preparedness and response to make the city mo disaster-resilient. “Gusto man naton nga maka-conduct man ta sang Search and Rescue Olympics diri sa aton syudad,” added Manoy.  

Jezereel Louise C. Billano (LGU-Information)