BONTOC, Mountain Province – Mayor Franklin Odsey received the Local Chief Executive Championing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management on Health (DRRM-H) award from the Department of Health.
Odsey received a plaque of appreciation signed by Health Sec. Francisco Duque III in recognition of the town’s exemplary accomplishments on DRRM-H.
He attributed the recognition to the effort of the workforce of Bontoc local government, national government agencies, the community, and other stakeholders.
“We, the local government unit are the frontliners in the response to any natural or man-made disaster that may arise in our municipality. DRRM-H is a serious business. We owe it to our people to protect them to the best of our abilities,” Odsey said.
Odsey’s administration is guided by his vision: “Bontoc on the rise” that encompasses the five major programs namely people-centered service; disaster preparedness and resiliency; youth development through education, sports, and the arts; shared prosperity through economic empowerment (improved livelihood from agriculture, local enterprises, and tourism), improved infrastructure, and peace and order; and sustainability and health through environmental management, proper nutrition, and provision of sufficient potable water.
Among the notable undertakings of the Bontoc LGU in partnership with various stakeholders focusing on health include the construction of the two-storey Chakalan Barangay Health Station in 2019, which is now catering to our constituents in Barangay Bontoc Ili.
The Bontoc LGU increased the number of BHWs from 115 in 2016 to 140 in 2020 and also increased their honorarium by 33.33 percent from 2016 to 2020.
For 2022, each BHW is expected to receive financial aid of P10,000 per year following the approval of Municipal Ordinance 348, s. 2021 that institutionalized the financial aid to BHWs.
Free newborn screening is now available to all particularly those residing in the far-flung barangays who could not make it to the hospital for deliveries, and those who are financially unable to shoulder the cost of newborn screening.
The sangguniang bayan has also passed Ordinance 310, s. 2018, mandating the LGU to subsidize the cost of newborn screening administered on infants that were born outside hospitals.
The LGU has also spearheaded a bloodletting activity in support of Ordinance 302, s. 2018 that established a blood donor’s program in every barangay in Bontoc.
The ordinance aimed to promote and encourage voluntary blood donation; provide an adequate, safe, and affordable supply of blood in every barangay; and inform the public of the importance of donating blood voluntarily in curbing dangers and health-related problems caused by the commercial sale of blood.
The LGU regularly inspects food, recreation centers, and bars on their compliance on sanitary and waste management policies.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, the LGU purchased personal protective equipment for the frontliners and the public; allocated budget for the Oplan Suma-ar, a localized version of the Balik Probinsya Program; funded the logistics for the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities; and allocated budget for other logistics needed in the municipality’s Covid-19 response.
Bontoc’s DRRM programs have been strengthened through the years focusing on disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation and recovery, and other support programs. – Alpine L. Killa
