photo by Norman Mendoza
Lapu-Lapu City officials led by Mayor Paz Radaza have gathered all its barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials at the Mactan Convention Hall this morning to orient them of the city’s programs and services that they can avail of.
The gathering dubbed as the City-Barangay Partnership was attended by resource speakers from different departments and office heads of the city government and the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, with the theme: “Good Governance alang sa makanunayong kalamboan” (Good Governance for a sustainable development).
In her speech, Radaza enjoined the barangay ang youth leaders to join her in the task of serving the people of their respective barangays.
“I know we have been elected because our constituents believed in our platforms of governance. Isip mga pinili nga mga opisyales sa inyong mga barangay, gihatagan kamo ug mandato sa katawhan nga nisalig ug nisuporta kaninyo (As elected officials of your respective barangays, you have been given the mandate of the people who trusted and supported you),” said Radaza.
In return, she said, elected officials should give back by providing good services to their constituents.
She assured that the village and youth leaders could expect help from City Hall in delivering services that require the help and coordination of the city government.
On peace and order matter, she said, the city has Task Force Kontra Droga that formulates, plans, implements and monitors anti-drug abuse programs; monitors the functions and programs of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC), strictly implements the curfew for minors; monitors crime gangs; and assists SK officials in initiating programs for the youth so they would not be lured into joining gangs and engaging in drug use.
She said the city also created Task Force Malasakit that assists women and children who violated the curfew; conducts regular inspection of internet cafes, karaoke bars, and other establishments; and assists women and children who are sexually abused or in distress, in coordination with the Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children.
On the environment, she emphasized the need to clean the city’s coastal areas, particularly in the wake of the finding of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources which showed a high level of coliform contamination of the city’s sea waters.
She said the city’s residents are encouraged to observe strictly the garbage collection time from 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and asks the village and SK officials’ help in enforcing the segregation of garbage in every household.
She likewise assured the barangay and SK officials that the city government would continue to provide medicines in barangay health centers, among other services that the city channels through the barangay government units.
“I want to emphasize the need for partnership between us in the city and you in the barangays. With our partnership and good governance as our guiding principle, we can surely deliver what is expected of us by our constituents,” she said.