BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ordered department heads of the different offices of the local government to visit the various barangays twice a week to effectively and efficiently address the issues and concerns related to their duties and functions.
The city chief executive claimed that based on his dialogues with barangay officials, there seems to be a gap between the different offices of the local government and the barangays that significantly affects the efficient delivery of basic services to the people in the city barangays.
Under the mayor’s directive, each of the department heads should spend two half days in the barangays for them to be appraised of the problems in the communities related to the programs, projects and activities being handled by their departments and for them to address arising therefrom.
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña will prepare the schedule of the barangay visits of the different department heads and the mayor to ensure that the city’s 128 barangays will all be covered the earliest possible time.
The city mayor pointed out department heads must continuously touch base with the barangay officials in the city’s 128 barangays for them to be appraised on the prevailing issues and concerns needing their immediate action.
He said the department heads will take turns visiting the different barangays until all pressing issues in the different barangays shall have been given the appropriate action after which he will issue the necessary order ending the visits.
According to him, the barangay visitation of the department heads will immediately start after the city administrator shall have prepared the schedule so that there will be synchronized activities that will be conducted in the different barangays.
Under the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines, the barangay is the smallest political subdivision in the bureaucracy.
Magalong noted there seems to be a gap between barangay officials and some of the local government department heads thus it is important for the different heads of offices to make themselves available during their scheduled barangay visitations for them to directly address issues and concerns related to their duties and functions.
Barangay officials welcomed the directive of the mayor with the hope that the city government will speed up the delivery of basic services to the different barangay constituencies as the department heads will be able to act on issues and concerns raised during the scheduled barangay visits thus avoiding unnecessary delays in such actions.
By Dexter A. See
