ILOILO City – The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a test of leadership and this city’s Mayor Jerry Treñas has overcome the challenge to deliver exceptional public service, according to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) which recently bestowed on him the Lingkod Bayan Award for government service.
The city government under his steering came up with revolutionary programs and projects such as the very successful Uswag Community Kitchen, among others, that harnessed the bayanihan spirit of the Ilonggos, not letting the pandemic get in the way.
The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award of the CSC is conferred to an individual or group for exceptional or extraordinary contributions that have nationwide impact. According to Treñas, he is giving back this accolade to the Ilonggos.
PROGRAMS FOR THE GREATER GOOD
The Uswag Community Kitchen (UCK) is a showcase of the Iloilo espirit de corps. Treñas conceptualized it as a community-driven initiative, with people chipping in whatever they could.
Donors delivered the materials / ingredients needed. Volunteers showed up to prepare these and cook (such as daycare teachers).
More people offered their time to pack the meals and deliver them to the beneficiaries.
Since the pandemic started last year, the UCK has fed thousands of people – healthcare workers (doctors and nurses), people confined in quarantine facilities, the mentally-ill, frontliners such as policemen and soldiers manning border control checkpoints, barangay tanods, molecular laboratory medical technologists, swab test personnel, and vaccinators, among others.
The UCK became a semi-finalist for the Galing Pook Award.
What are these other revolutionary programs of the city government?
Treñas ensured the safety of the community through the free swab testing of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), returning residents, frontliners and ordinary citizens. As of Sept. 21, the total number of swabs collected reached 118,113.
The Iloilo City Uswag Molecular Laboratory was opened on Nov. 25, 2020. To date, 89,497 swab samples have been tested.
Treñas also caused the opening of more quarantine facilities. Iloilo City now has 19 – with a total bed capacity of 994.
His administration was also able to activate the COVID-19 Operation Center in all 180 barangays.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccination roll out in the city proved unprecedented. To date, in short a time, 43.46 percent of the target population has already been vaccinated.
The city government allocated P30 million for the procurement of anti-COVID-19 vaccines for residents and even non-residents.
“We are continuously conducting vaccination. We aim to achieve herd immunity so we can go back to our normal lives,” said Treñas.
Seven vaccination sites are operating daily apart from the satellite inoculations in barangays, subdivisions and other target populations or sectors.
The city government has embarked on a house-to-house registration for vaccination, and door-to-door vaccination itself.
The Barangay Health and Emergency Response Team (BHERTs) as well as some of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) beneficiaries in various barangays are conducting the house-to-house registration.
TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.
This city has a total of 7,480 DOLE TUPAD beneficiaries.
The city government also continuously distributes food supplies to barangays and families under quarantine. So far, it has delivered 357,600 canned goods, 6,187 sacks of rice at 50 kilos each, and 107,000 pack noodles.
HIGH IMPACT PROJECTS
Mayor Treñas ensures that every Ilonggo become able and capable through high-impact projects.
The JPT Ediscape Program has transformed the then dumpsite into a community garden, and other available spaces in 180 barangays.
Sustainability is the main focus of this project. Teaching and learning urban gardening has helped provide food for the needy this pandemic.
The city government was also able to provide 125 bikes to frontliners and 259 units of laptops to teachers, complemented from the surplus of P15 million from Special Education Fund.
Meanwhile, under the Uswag Scholarship program, 504 scholars received P10,000 for school year 2020-2021.
The city government has also able to build a two-storey police station for Jaro district and provide vehicles for the city police such as eight police 4×4 Hilux pickups, 25 motorcycles, three SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) vehicles, two Jack Russel Terrier for Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD), and 20 mountain bikes to secure plazas and esplanades.
On the other hand, under the Uswag Skills Enhancement and Training Program, 501 were able to graduate.
The city government also dispersed 13,411 fingerlings at the Iloilo River and another 900 (tilapia) under the JPT Ediscape Fish Culture.
Other impactful projects of the Treñas administration included the 380 trash bins installed in public spaces and sidewalks; 30 units of shelter along the Benigno S. Aquino Avenue in partnership with Megaworld Corp.; and 1,754 concrete and rubber pots for the beautification of the city’s streets.
Also, the city government partnered with Team Rescue Iloilo and business establishment to launch a project for stray dogs. They have placed feeding stations in different areas.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
From February to April 2021, a total of 30,760 children were vaccinated with Measles and Rubella (MR) and a total of 35,646 children were inoculated with Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
For the first quarter of the year, 1,645 children were fully immunized.
The city government also established three hectares of tree park network (Lanit Tree Park), 1.6 hectares beach forest along Molo Boulevard and 35 hectares Mangrove Eco-Parl.
Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, infrastructure projects continued. These included the Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) Command Center to house the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Public Safety and Traffic Management Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine National Police in Barangay Calumpang and Gaisano Center; ICARE Center in Nabitasan, COA Bodega (storage facility); and redevelopment of the city’s various plazas.
MORE RECOGNITION
For these outstanding feats, the city government under Treñas harvested several recognition.
One is the ASEAN’s Clean Tourist City Award 2020-2022.
Iloilo City was also the only local government unit in the Visayas to be awarded the Special Recognition in the Most Business-Friendly LGUs outside of Metro Manila during the biggest gathering of business people in the country at the concluding ceremony of the 46th Philippine Business Conference, organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Oct. 8, 2020.
The written piece, “City of Love’s Ilonggo Pandesal” by Leonard Pineda I of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 6 won the Best Feature Story in the PIA Praise Awards 2020.
Public Information Office and their “2019 Year Ender and KaUswagan” publication was also included in list of winners in the Search for Best Performing Information Office and Best Agency Publications by the PIA last Dec. 17, 2020.
Meanwhile, the Lupong Tagapamayapa of Barangay Calumpang, Molo was adjudged as the 2021 Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) regional winner for Highly Urbanized Cities (HUC) Category.
Indeed, as the unglobalcompact.org posted, “the true test of a leader isn’t how they perform in good times — it’s how they handle a crisis.”/PN
