The city council has approved Ordinance 67, s. 2022 for the establishment of a blood council in each barangay in Baguio City.
The ordinance supports the city government’s desire for a broader participation by its citizenry and efficient mechanisms for voluntary and non-profit blood collection of about 400 cubic centimeters to 450cc per person performed by trained medical staff or personnel.
Under the direct supervision of the City Health Services Office, the barangay blood councils in its respective jurisdictions are tasked to prepare the conduct of regular blood-letting or blood donation activities and the conduct of information and education campaign to instill public consciousness of such humanitarian act.
The council will be composed of the punong barangay as chairperson; the sangguniang panlungsod committee chair on health and sanitation as coordinator and action officer; and five members from various sectors in the barangay appointed by the chairperson.
The basic facilities and personnel needed to support the program include a blood bank and transfusion service in coordination with the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center; a blood collection center, which is the barangay hall or other conducive locations or venue identified by the barangay for blood donor recruitment and blood-letting activities; and a blood center or a laboratory or institution with the capability to recruit and screen blood donors; collect, process, store, transport, and issue blood for transfusion; and provide information and/or education on blood transfusion transmissible diseases.
The action officer shall be responsible for the needed technical support as well as record keeping and reporting system.
The ordinance also provides all successful blood donations shall be issued with corresponding a blood donors’ card, which shall be used by the donor and any family member or any barangay resident to draw blood from the service facilities free of charge. The card should be presented together with a certification from the punong barangay indicating therein the number of blood units to be withdrawn.
Bona fide residents of the source barangay are prioritized in the availment of blood. Residents of other barangays may access the same, subject to automatic replenishment of quantity used and withdrawn.
An initial amount of P100,000 from the 2023 annual budget was appropriated to cover various activities related to the program and thereafter, an annual budget under the City Mayor’s Office shall be allocated for its effective implementation.
The ordinance was submitted to the office of Mayor Benjamin Magalong for signature.
The city council through Resolution 538, s. 2022 expresses jubilation on the achievements reaped by the City of Baguio and the City of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada from their sisterhood agreement.
The sisterhood relationship, which was established in November 1996 through Resolution 410 and on its 25th anniversary has tendered numerous beneficial achievements to both cities.
For the last 25 years of the agreement, there have been official visits; educational student exchanges; participation in centennial celebration of Baguio City; yearly celebration of Philippine Independence in Vaughan known as the Filipino Day; and construction of the twin city monument sign in Baguio City; sister city signed in Vaughan; Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza to celebrate Filipino heritage;
Granting of a 20-year lease of Patricia Kemp Community Centre to Filipino-Canadian Association of Vaughan; display of Baguio City products in Vaughan; and the Philippine Canadian Friendship Parkette, among others.
Philippine Consulate in Toronto Consul General Orontes Castro said the sisterhood ties between Baguio and Vaughan is a significant and remarkable one as only few twinning in Canada have lasted 25 years.
Vaughan City is one of Canada’s growing cities with competitive and vibrant economy. It consistently moves forward, adopting technologies to advance the progress and development of the city. It is a welcoming community, open to those who wish to come and settle and establish residence and family. It is a growing diverse and multi-cultural community and a growing tourism industry and cultural venues.
In Resolution 068, s. 2022, the city council has called on the City Tourism Office, in coordination with the Department of Tourism and other concerned agencies and departments, to formulate a Baguio City Agri-tourism Plan.
The resolution stated there are 16 barangays in the city that engage in agricultural-based activities and are potential areas for tourism which can be developed and achieved through appropriate planning.
According to the resolution, the city has received not lower than one million visitors in the past few years and the number can be further increased with proper developmental and promotional agri-tourism undertakings in these barangays.
Agri-tourism is a purposive development of agriculture and tourism to provide amazing educational experience, whether it be a tour of a farm or urban garden, a festival, or an agribusiness class that draws more tourists into a productive, and enhancing tour because of the environmentally encouraging balance of agriculture and tourism.
The resolution also encourages private farmers and gardeners to work together and develop tourist destinations with appropriate facilities and customer service like what farmers and urban gardeners worldwide have done, turning their land into a destination and opening their facilities and recreations to the public in order to teach, draw awareness, and the like.
It stressed agri-tourism is a potential tourists drawing venture in addition to the historical and cultural traditions being actively promoted by the CTO.
