Baguio gets lot offers for housing projects / Health centers get permits

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government has received at least eight lot offers for its socialized housing projects.
    City Assessor Maria Almaya Addawe said the lots are now being inspected to determine their viability for the purpose.
    “Due diligence will be done to check if these lots are fit for our intended purpose which is for socialized housing projects,” she said.
    The mayor earlier tasked Addawe to scout for lots inside and outside the city to implement more socialized housing programs for informal settlers.
    He promised to help city government employees who are still renting to be allocated slots in future projects.
    The mayor said Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario had committed to help the city implement more projects next to its first socialized permaculture housing venture, the Luna Terraces in Irisan barangay.
    Luna Terraces was made possible through the DHSUD which gave a P155 million grant for the site development and the National Housing Authority which allocated a total of P326 million for the city’s housing projects, P50 million had been downloaded for the initial two buildings with 64 units.
    The project will have 270 units for award to qualified beneficiaries subject to the criteria set by the Office of the City Social     Welfare and Development Officer (OCSWDO).
    Priority will be given to informal settlers or families residing in danger areas or displaced by natural or human-induced disasters, among other criteria.
    At present, the city has an estimated 15,000 families in need of socialized housing prompting the city government to scout for more lots to develop as housing for them.
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Ten of Baguio’s 16 district health centers have been issued licenses to operate as primary health care facilities (PCFs) by the Dept. of Health in compliance with the requirements of Republic Act (RA) No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
    The district health centers of Asin headed by Medical Officer Dr. Anna Marie Banta; Atab under Dr. Carla Tabin; Atok Trail under Dr. Catherine Posadas; City Camp under Dr. Nelson Hora; Engineers Hill under Dr. Helen Colewan; Irisan under Dr. Vanessa Fagcangan; Lucban under Dr. Maria Lourdes Pakoy; Pacdal under Dr. Edna Tabooy; Pinsao under Dr. Elvira Belingon; and Quirino Hill under Dr. Marie Therese Sumbillo received their licenses from DOH Cordillera led by Regional Director Dr. Rio Magpantay, Licensing, Regulation and Enforcement Division Chief Dr. Virginia Narciso and DOH Baguio City Office DMO Jennifer Valenzuela during the City Hall flag-raising rites April 4.
    As licensed PCFs, the health centers are now authorized to deliver initial-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive and coordinated care to the communities they serve.
    They are also accredited as “Konsulta” package provider by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and can now render individual-based health services including initial and follow-up primary care consultations, health screening and assessment and access to selected diagnostic services and medicines.
    Mayor Benjamin Magalong lauded the City Health Service Office under Dr. Rowena Galpo for their diligence in keeping the city’s public health care system responsive to the needs of the constituents.
    He said the konsulta package is a relevant health program considering the challenge posed by Covid-19 and other illnesses.
    The facilities satisfied the requirements set forth under DOH Administrative Order No. 2020-0047 or the Rules and Regulations Governing the Licensure of Primary Care Facilities in the Philippines in compliance with Section 27 of the UHC Act which mandates the DOH to “institute a licensing and regulatory system for stand-alone health facilities including those providing ambulatory and primary care services and other modes of health service provision.
    The PCF regulation is part of the UHC Act’s goal to ensure that only safe and quality primary care services are being delivered to every Filipino.

 

Baguio vagrant who roamed   streets 34 years rehabilitated

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- - A long-time vagrant used to roaming city streets was rescued and successfully rehabilitated through joint government-private efforts led by mental health advocate Ricky Ducas of the Baguio City Health Services Office Mental Health Program unit.

Nanay Calteya, 64, is now happily living with her family in a home built by her family for her away from the streets she inhabited for 34 years.  

It took nine months of whole-hearted efforts from both the government and the private sectors for her to be reintegrated to the community.

“Ngayon si Nanay Calteya ay nag-aalaga ng apo, nagluluto, naglalaba at nakikisimba.  Tumatawa, nagbibiro at higit sa lahat nanumbalik ang ilan niyang ala-ala.  Na-enroll na rin si nanay bilang senior citizen at may social pension pa siya,” Ducas said.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang gamutan.  Monthly and kanyang monitoring at nabibigyan natin ng ‘piskao ken bagas lang’ (tuyo at bigas lang) na unang na sambit niya sa akin noong tinanong ko kung ano ang kanyang gusto,” he added.

Ducas said he made it his mission to rescue Nanay Calteya after observing her daily and being reminded of a lesson he learned from his St. Louis University (SLU) nursing course that “we may have a lot of injustices but everyone deserves to die with dignity.”

His resolve was fanned after seeing her in a social media meme captioned, “Hindi ka taga- Baguio kung hindi mo siya kilala.”

“I was hurt but took it as a challenge.  Matanda na si nanay, at noong kasagsagan ng pandemya wala siyang mapuntahan na mahingian ng pagkain pero salamat sa mga nag-magandang loob na siya ay bigyan,” he said.

The rescue took a month of planning and resource building with the help of various government offices and private groups and individuals.

“We conducted a concert-for-a-cause with the private sector July 15 last year for her.  We located her family through the help of the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer (OCSWDO) and we learned that the family had been longing for their loved one to come home and be taken care of by them but was at a loss as to how to do it after several failed attempts,” Ducas related.

Learning of the rescue, the family even built a modest home for her.

The operation undertaken at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was not easy.

“We had to plan it carefully because nanay habitually transfers from one place to another.  We did surveillance and observed her daily and after establishing her routine, we coordinated with her family and the different agencies,” Ducas recounted.

Coordination was done with the Baguio City Police Office, BCPO-Women’s desk, OCSWDO, Baguio General Hospital Medical Center Psychiatry Mental Health Support and Services, Baguio City Health Services Office, Baguio City Emergency Medical Service-BCEMS and Anxiety and Depression Support Group- Baguio City Board Members.

The rescue was a success and the next step of the mission was the clinical and medication stage.

“Through the help of the private partner, TG Homes Apartelle, nanay was given a temporary accommodation to bathe and sleep in while waiting for the result of her swab test and admission to the BGHM Psychiatry Department,” he said.

She stayed in the hospital for a month under the care of her senior citizen brother with their needs supplied through the help of volunteers until her discharge to the community.

“Anak na din ang tawag niya sa akin at sobrang saya ng pakiramdam na nagawa natin ang akala natin ay imposible. Sa tulong ng Dios at kayo na may puso na gawin akong tulay sa mga tulad nila. Iyaman! Sumya tako!,” Ducas said issuing a challenge: “Sana magawa natin ito sa lahat ng mga nasa lansangan na may psychosocial disability subalit una sa lahat dapat merong pamilya na handang yumakap muli sa mga tulad nila. Dahil may awa ang May Likha at maraming tao ang handang tumulong sa inyong kapamilya,” Ducas said.

(As part of the strategies on the early detection of mental disorders among individuals, the CHSO made available a helpline that could be immediately contacted by people suffering from mental disorders open from 8am to 5pm: 09190696361.

Beyond said hours, people can reach the National Center for Mental Health 24/7 hotlines: 09178998727; 09663514518; 09086392672.)