Bontoc b’gays benefit from UNFPA projects

By Gwyncel Kay Bacwaden

BONTOC, Mountain Province - The United Nations Population Fund has expanded its projects and programs to the four central barangays of Bontoc namely Caluttit, Bontoc Ili, Samoki and Poblacion.

Barangay officials and health attended an orientation of the UNFPA programs here at the Ridgebrooke Hotel.

One of the programs of the UNFPA under the reproductive health component is the community based initiative where the UNFPA grants an amount to organizations within the barangays for livelihood projects.

LastAugust 17, Mayor Franklin C. Odsey handed the P40,000 worth of checks to four organizations from the four central barangays for livelihood projects.

Odsey said the LGU would have a counterpart of P20, 000 to be awarded after the approval of the supplemental budget.

The Chumanney Organization of Bontoc Ili, a recipient, had been involved in health and sanitation activitieseven before barangay officials chose them as recipient of the Community Based Initiative (CBI) of the UNFPA.

Another recipient, the Barangay Poblacion Young Couples Organization is composed of young mothers.

For Barangay Caluttit, the recipient of the CBI was the Caluttit Finaryan Organization made up of young men and women.

Another is the Samoki Katukhunan Organization made up of married couples of reproductive age.

These four organizations attended planning sessions with their respective community organizers before they received the amount from the UNFPA through the municipal mayor of Bontoc.

Bontoc, one of beneficiaries of the UNFPA 6th Country Programme which started in 2005 with Sagada and Paracelis towns chose Barangay Can-eo, Mainit, Guina-ang and Dalican for its pilot barangays.

The UNFPA, which is the world’s largest internationally funded source of population assistance for developing countries aims to improve reproductive health status of the Filipino people through better population management and sustainable human development.