DILG: PH committed to complete six smart city projects in Cebu, Manila, Davao

The Philippine government has expressed its commitment to finish its six smart city projects during the 4th ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) Annual Meeting held virtually on Monday, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who headed the Philippine delegation.

DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo L. Iringan, who represented DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año, said that while the COVID-19 crisis stalled the implementation of smart city projects, the Philippines -- through its participating local government units (LGUs) -- remains committed in pursuing its smart city initiatives.

“Meeting challenges in the implementation of our smart city projects was inevitable primarily because of the COVID-19 crisis as local government resources were poured into pandemic response and imposition of health protocols,” he said.

“Despite these obstacles, we will fulfill our commitment to complete the smart city projects as they will improve the delivery of government services and make things more convenient for the public,” he added.

The smart city projects which were showcased by the DILG during the ASCN meeting are the Command Center Upgrade and E-government Services in the City of Manila; Bus Rapid Transit System and Digital Traffic System in Cebu City; and Converged Command and Control Center and Intelligent Transportation and Traffic Systems with Security  in Davao City.

Established in 2018 during the 32nd ASEAN Summit, the ASCN is a collaborative platform where cities from the ten ASEAN Member States work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development.  It aims to facilitate cooperation on smart cities development, catalyze bankable projects with the private sector, and secure funding and support from ASEAN’s external partners. 

The 26 ASCN Pilot Cities are: Bandar Seri Begawan, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Makassar, Banyuwangi, DKI Jakarta, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Yangon, Cebu City, Davao City, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Chonburi, Phuket, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. Brunei Darussalam holds the ASCN chairmanship this year, as it follows the ASEAN chairmanship.

During the meeting, Iringan also said that the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for local economies to shift to information and communication technology-based solutions to minimize health risks and to increase coping capacities.

“Maintaining the symbiotic relationship between the network and its member-countries and smart cities will help them ride out the pandemic and catalyze economic recovery,” he said.

According to Iringan, the smart cities have realized that forging partnerships are necessary to overcome the challenges and to move forward.

“The Philippine Government expresses its appreciation for the opportunities for partnerships extended through this platform. However, we would like to seek the ASCN’s support for the completion of the smart city projects needing digital infrastructure and applications support,” he said.

He said the configuration of said projects are focused on the need for an efficient emergency and crisis response center that provides real time information for the safety, protection of constituencies, and increased resilience considering the country’s location in the Pacific Ring of Fire.

According to Iringan, the improvement of the traffic management and transportation systems as well as the provision of e-services in government transactions are being pushed to lessen travel trips and provide for efficient mass transportation systems to address the longstanding problem of mobility and traffic congestion in urban cities.

Manila, Cebu, Davao smart city projects 

In his country report, Iringan presented the command center upgrade in Manila City Hall which mainly acts as contact center and dispatch center for emergency services. Said command center showcased 28 display panels and over 100 high end cameras strategically placed throughout the city that allows recognition of facial features and license plates.

On the other hand, Manila’s e-Government Services through the Go! Manila web and mobile applications addressed the need for online processing and payment of government services during the pandemic.   The mobile application also addressed problems on long queues, time-consuming processes, fixers, and need for physical presence in the City Hall.

Currently, the features of the app include the City of Manila’s Real Property and Business Tax payments; a wide range of facilities for payment of bills for government and private entities; securing of other government permits and documents such as residence certificate, birth and death certificates, occupancy permit and heath certificate; payment of utilities, money transfer transactions, among others. 

Meanwhile, Cebu City’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line Plan aims to improve the overall performance of the urban passenger transport system for a more efficient intra-city mass transportation. As for the city’s Digital Traffic System project, Iringan reported that 18 of the 85 road intersections in the city have already been installed with sensors and high-resolution surveillance cameras for vehicle detection, license plate recognition and speed dome for general surveillance.

Davao City’s Converged Command Center, on the other hand, is now in the second phase of its five-phase implementation scheme with digital infrastructure, underground cables, aerial installation of fiber optic cables, and additional closed-circuit televisions or CCTVs for surveillance currently being installed. Its complementary project dubbed as High Priority Bus System (HPBS) is now 70% complete while the design of depots and terminals for electric  bus (eBus) is 30% in progress. ###

DOH-CALABARZON OPENS MOLECULAR LABORATORY FOR COVID PATIENTS IN MAUBAN, QUEZON

The Department of Health (DOH)- CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) together with local government officials of Mauban, Quezon today led the inauguration of the Mauban Municipal Health Office Molecular Laboratory, a testing facility for Covid-19 located in Barangay Bagong Bayan at the heart of the town. 

“Ang facility na ito ay hindi lamang magagamit para sa Covid tests kundi para rin ito sa molecular tests ng ibang pathogens gaya ng influenza at iba pang mga sakit upang makatulong sa ating mga duktor na ma-identify ang infection sa early stages nito. Sa pamamagitan nito ay makakapagbigay tayo ng tamang treatment modality at mahinto ang pagkalat nito sa ating komunidad,” Assistant Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco who attended the event stated in her message during the ceremony. 

She also lauded the efforts of the local government unit of Mauban for the establishment of the facility. “Dahil sa inyong pagsisikap at suporta ay naisakatuparan natin ang pagtatayo molecular laboratory na magsisilbing daan sa epektibong pagresponde sa kasalukuyang pandemya,” she added.

Sydiongco disclosed that the Mauban Municipal Health Office Molecular Laboratory is the biggest testing facility in the region. It is complete with an administrative office, supply room, stock room and swabbing area. The main processing area is composed of 5 rooms specifically specimen receiving room, specimen handling room, preparation room, encoding, and evaluation room.

The facility can process 180-200 specimen per day with a turnaround of 48 hours or two days and will be opened during weekdays from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. The laboratory has a biosafety level 2 certification and complies with the regulation set forth by the Health Facility and Regulatory Office.

Various equipment was successfully installed inside the laboratory to ensure the integrity of test results and safety of staff that will manage the facility including two (2) polymerase chain reaction cabinet, two (2) hp series lab combination refrigerator and freezer, airstream class 2 biological safety cabinet, streamline class 2 biological safety cabinet, lexicon 2 ultra-low temperature freezer, hp series lab freezer, and an hp series lab refrigerator.

“Molecular laboratories are very important in epidemiology and infection control programs as molecular microbiology techniques have been used in the rapid identification and surveillance of infectious diseases.” Sydiongco added.

She also assured that the regional office will continue to extend support to the facility including necessary manpower to handle and manage the laboratory. 

Also present during the blessing and inauguration of the facility were Office of Civil Defense - Calabarzon Regional Director Maria Theresa R. Escolano. Quezon Provincial Governor Danilo E. Suarez, Mauban Mayor Marita T. LLamas, Vice Mayor Marivel M. Trinidad, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Grace V. Santiago, Municipal Health Officer Dr. Ronald D. Mararac.

BHWs to become gov’t workers under bill filed by Cayetano, allies in Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo sa Kongreso*

Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Taguig Rep. Lani Cayetano, and their allies in Congress on Tuesday filed a bill that will elevate Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) from volunteer status to government workers.

The Cayetanos, along with Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte, Jr., Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo Abu, Laguna 1st District Rep. Dan Fernandez, Bulacan 1st District Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, and ANAKALUSUGAN Party-list Rep. Michael Defensor, are proposing to require local government units to hire and compensate barangay health workers as job order, casual, contractual, or regular employees.

“As frontliners of our Primary Healthcare System, our Barangay Health workers must be given sufficient incentives, benefits, and most of all, just compensation for all the hard work they have done for us,” the bill’s explanatory note read.

“The goal of improving the Primary Healthcare System necessarily carries with it the responsibility of taking care and supporting those in charge of implementing the same,” it adds.

The proposed measure will also establish the Special Barangay Health Workers Assistance Program under the Department of Health. The program will provide additional financial and technical assistance, training, and other forms of support to BHWs of selected local government units.

BHWs currently receive allowances for their work as volunteers, but the bill seeks to increase their compensation that will be sourced from the additional funds that local government units will receive upon the implementation of the Supreme Court’s Mandanas-Garcia ruling.

The ruling has clarified that custom duties and several other taxes should be included in the just share of local government units in the collection of national taxes. It is expected to increase the internal revenue allotment of local government units next year.

“Therefore, there's an additional source of funds for the salaries and benefits of Barangay Health Workers who tirelessly sacrificed for their community, especially during this pandemic,” the proposed bill’s explanatory note said.

The Cayetanos have been advocating for additional incentives for BHWs in recent years. 

In their home districts in Taguig, all 819 of its BHWs have been hired by the local government units as either job order or casual employees.

BHWs working for the city receive monthly salaries ranging from P7,900 to P11,000, as well as performance incentive bonuses, overtime pay, and hazard pay.     

Barangay frontliners are also included in the list of priority beneficiaries in House Bill No. 8597 or the 10K Ayuda Bill, which Cayetano and his group filed on February 1, 2021. 

The bill aims to provide P10,000 in cash aid to every Filipino family, especially the poorest of the poor, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Pook ni Remedios Community Pantry, patuloy sa pamamahagi ng tulong

Patuloy sa pamamahagi ng tulong ang Pook ni Remedios Community Pantry na ginanap kamakailan sa Sitio Ulik, Brgy Mabacan, Calauan, Laguna.

Ito ay dinaluhan ng mahigit 200 katao na nakatanggap ng ayuda na kinabibilangan ng mga representante ng mga Senior Citizens. Sila ay ginabayan sa ligtas na pangkalusugang pamamaraan mula sa kanilang pagdating, pagpila at pag-alis.

Ilan sa mga naging donasyon na naipamahagi ay ang bigas, tinapay, delata, kape, gatas, instant noodles, itlog, dried fish at mga proteksyon laban sa COVID-19 katulad ng alcohol at face mask.

Sa tulong ng nagtaguyod ng Pook ni Remedios organizers sa pangunguna ng dalawang masisipag at matulunging personalidad na sina Evelyn Oliveros at Ma Gracia P, Malubag, mga kalapit na barangay, at mga taong taos-pusong tumulong at naki-isa ay nairaos nang matagumpay at mapayapa ang ginanap na community pantry.

Lubos na nagpapasalamat ang mga taga-Pook ni Remedios sa patuloy na pagdagsa ng mga donasyon mula sa mga kapamilya at kaibigan. Anila, hangga't mayroong nagpapaabot ng tulong ay di sila magsasawang mamamahagi ng biyaya sa kanilang kapwa.

Ang nais lamang nila ay maging ligtas at maligaya ang lahat, at hindi makalimot sa pagdarasal, lalo na sa panahon ng Pandemya.

COMELEC launches Voter Registration Centers at SM Supermalls

The Commission on Elections and SM Supermalls recently launched 76 satellite COMELEC Voter Registration centers at the SM Supermalls to provide voters with more registration venues. This will run in SM Supermalls nationwide until Sept 30. 

This gives the public a safer, more convenient option amidst the prevailing COVID health crisis. Shown during the launch at the SM Mall of Asia are COMELEC Commissioner Aimee Ferolino (center) joined by COMELEC Director IV for Election and Barangay Affairs Department Atty. Divine E. Blas-Perez, COMELEC Director IV for Education and Information James Jimenez, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan and SM Supermalls SVP for Operations Bien Mateo. 

SM Supermalls is providing free space and waived charges to essential conveniences so they can efficiently operate the registration centers.