Getting mendicants, vagrants off Baguio streets

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo 

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government is addressing the plight of mendicants and vagrants in the city with the ultimate aim of keeping them away from the streets.
    Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer (OCSWDO) Officer-in-Charge Liza Bulayungan said the inter-agency Anti-Mendicancy Task Force headed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong conducts regular engagements with the mendicants and vagrants and provides services that they need.
    She said that monitoring activities were intensified starting January this year when they were observed to increase in number.
    “During the pandemic, vagrants and mendicants were barely seen in the streets but when the tourism activities and transportation gradually opened, they also gradually went back to the streets begging and roaming around thus the task force in coordination with the barangays within the central business district resumed conducting round-ups constantly reminding them especially the persons with visual disability whose livelihood (massage) was greatly affected by the pandemic  on the threats to their health and safety of the prolonged stay in the streets,” the OCSWDO noted in its report prepared by Social Welfare Officer II Coralie Dulnuan.
    According to the report, the task force monitored and assisted 96 mendicants and three vagrants from January 18 to April 1.
    Services provided include counseling focusing on the health risk, strengths of the family and its members, disadvantage of mendicancy; psychological first aid, provision of family food packs, face masks and free transport to their residences.  Minors were turned over to their families.
    Non-Baguio residents were referred to the CSWD Unit Social Workers for provision of monetary and other assistance to their families and to the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development for Balik Probinsya Assistance.
    The masseuse and tattoo artists at Burnham Park were advised against conducting their livelihood in parks in observance of the health protocols and health and sanitation purposes advised in coordination with the City Environment and Parks Management Office headed by CEPM Officer Rhenan Diwas.
    Early this month, the Persons with Disability Affairs Officer under Samuel Aquino also engaged with visually impaired persons begging around the CBD to help them get back to help them leave the streets and go back to their previous sources of livelihood.
    For the three vagrants, assistance provided include referral to hospital for check-up and medical attention for the client’s baby, counseling services with client and her husband focusing on their roles as parents and how to resolve marital conflicts, referral of her baby to DSWD-RSCC for residential care services and eventually adoption since client and her husband are not capable of caring, food assistance, temporary shelter and homelife services at Silungan Center while locating the relatives who are not Baguio residents.
    The OCSWADO identified the issues affecting the mendicants and vagrants:

*Mendicants find it easier to beg rather than work as the latter eats most of their time and effort without the assurance of having something to provide for their families
* PWDs mostly visually impaired who are already old can no longer do massage or go to work while others opted to beg since they have a few or no customers in their clinics. Capital assistance provided to them was not maintained since even their family members lost their jobs. Others opted for busking along Session Road.
*Masseuse at Burnham Park insists on continuing their livelihood at the park since they have limited skills.
    The OCSWDO said it will continue monitoring and providing social services to the mendicants/ vagrants and their families to prevent them from going back to the streets.
    Recommendations include continued advocacy on the anti-mendicancy law, observance of health protocols and other existing ordinances and sustained monitoring by barangays, Baguio City Police Office and Public Order and Safety Division, more busking activities, for CSWD and PDAO to coordinate with the PWDs groups and other agencies that can provide alternative livelihood not only to them but to their family members and for the masseuse to organize themselves and submit to CSWDO their list of officers and profile of members to come up with a plan for the group and coordination with other agencies such as TESDA for skills training and DOLE/DSWD for livelihood assistance.

Time to move on, work together: Magalong

Aileen P. Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY --  Mayor Benjamin Magalong said it is now time to forgive, heal and move on from the election campaign woes and work together for a better Baguio.
    “This election brought the best and worst in us.  It is very unfortunate that with all the fabricated lies, intrigues and stories people started hating other people and groups started hating other groups.  But now let us heal,” the mayor said in his address during the flag raising ceremonies May 16.   
    “Pinapatawad na natin lahat – mga nagsinungaling, mga gumawa ng intriga at mga kung anu-anong istorya.      What lies behind us must be set aside while moving and serving forward to what lies ahead… and we must face these na may buong tapang at talino, buong abilidad at karakter at buong katinuan na hinaharap ang mga hamon sa bansa, sa ating lungsod at sa ating kapwa tao.”
    He said good governance will continue to be the “backbone and driving force” of his administration to achieve a better Baguio.
    “Lahat tayo ay may pagkukulang, lahat tayo ay may tungkulin bilang mga taga-Baguio at nagmamahal sa Baguio na ituwid at itama ang mga maling pamamahala, ang mga korupsyon na nangyayari, ang mga katiwaliang naganap,” he said.
    “Those of us who are entrusted to lead a public endeavor have identical aspirations: to look at Baguio and do something to make a difference in making the life of everyone better than before, better than everyone else.  We call it service, rather than being served -- service in ways unattained by selfish interests, service done all-out in mind, in heart and in spirit.”
    “Moving on as one Baguio is moving forward for the people. Always remember, in life as in your selfless work, the best is always yet to come,” the mayor said.
   ***
The city government is beefing up the health promotion arm of the City Health Services Office in compliance with Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act.
     Mayor Magalong in two separate executive orders created the Health Promotion Committee and the Health Promotion Unit at the CHSO for the management and implementation of health promotion policies, programs and activities in the city’s health system.
    The HPC will be chaired by the city health officer with the health promotion officer IV/III as vice chair with the following offices as sector representatives: Population Office, Sanitation Division and Mental Health Office all of the CHSO; City Planning and Development Office; City Public Information Office; City Social Welfare and Development Office; Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs; City Persons with Disability Affairs Office; Sangguniang Kabataan Baguio City Federation;
    Dept. of Interior and Local Government Field Office; Dept. of Education City Schools Division Office; Dept. of Labor and Employment; Philippine Information Agency; Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center-Health Promotion Office; health education promotions office designates of the St. Louis University Sacred Heart Medical Center, Pines City Doctors Hospital, Notre Dame De Chartres Hospital and Baguio Medical Center; Baguio-Benguet Medical Society;
    Dept. of Health Center for health Development Cordillera; Dept. of Health Baguio City Office; Dept. of Science and Technology Cordillera; and Health Promotions specialist.
    The HPC will provide guidance to the City Health Board to address determinants of health and health risk factors.
    Its functions are:  Guide the development and planning of provision of proactive and effective health promotion policies, programs and activities campaigns in the citywide health system (CWHS);
    Recommend legislation that strengthens and broadens existing health promotion policies, programs and activities;

Monitor and evaluate the implementation of health promotion in the CWHS and submit a semestral report to DOH and DILG detailing the progress and impact of the health promotion and activities;

Provide guidance to the City Health Board on health promotion-related issues, particularly involving the determinants of health and health risk factors;

Provide technical guidance to the Health Promotion Unit (HPU) on matters relating to health promotion, advocacy and campaigns;

Formulate policies, standards, guidelines and capacity building programs for the operationalization of the HPFS of the Baguio City local health system; Provide relevant guidance to the City Health Board on matters pertaining to the hiring, selection, engagement and mobilization of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as on-the-ground Health Education Promotion Officers (HEPOs);

Prescribe monitoring and evaluation guidelines and recording and reporting mechanisms in the implementation of health promotion activities in accordance with policies and guidelines to be issued by government agencies;

Recommend strategies and mechanisms for financing of health promotion programs, activities and campaigns;

Establish coordination mechanisms and partnerships with the private sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other stakeholders in the planning , implementation and monitoring of health promotion programs; and

Coordinate with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education for the designation of schools as “healthy“ institutions.

The HPU on the other hand will be in support of the operationalization of health promotion in the city and ensure the development and implementation of health promotion policies and programs.

The HPU will be composed of six plantilla positions which is also in compliance with Executive Order No. 138 s. 2021 devolving certain functions of the executive branches to local government units.

The HPU will carry out the following functions: a. Ensure the development and implementation of health promotion policies and programs in CWHS; b. Exercise coordination with local government and hospital Health Promotion and Education Officers (HEPOs) and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as barangay-level (HEPOs); c.Lead health education and risk communication -related activities in the CWHS, including but not limited to social mobilization and advocacy and social and behavior change communication; d.Build local capacity and provide technical assistance on health promotion, including Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Participatory Action Research (PAR); e. Establish a local network of health promotion champions and partners that will support the \HPU carrying out its functions; f. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of health promotion activities and projects, including the submission of Public Health Management and Mitigation Plan (PHMMP) for HIA; and g. Submit technical and evaluation reports in the implementation of health promotion activities and projects.