BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance establishing the Barangay Literacy Awards in the city.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog stated the search shall give recognition to barangays in the city that actively promote the moral and intellectual well-being of its residents through various literacy programs, policies, and projects.
The ordinance added the Barangay Literacy Awards aims to give the appropriate recognition to barangays that perform promote the moral and intellectual well-being of its residents through literacy programs, projects, and policies; develop and implement literacy programs, projects, and policies for the benefit of the residents of the barangay; elevate the literacy level of its residents and the barangay as a whole; encourage out-of-school youth to continue education; encourage residents of the barangay who are undergraduates of elementary, high school, and college to finish their education and decrease the barangay rate of non-enrollees.
The ordinance will create a Literacy Coordinating Council as recognized under Administrative Order (AO) 143, series of 2007 and shall be composed of the City Mayor as chairperson and co-chaired by the City Vice Mayor with the chairperson of the City Council Committee on Education, Culture and Historical Research as action officer and the City Schools Division Superintendent, City Director of the Baguio field office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), City Public Information Office, representative from the Cordillera office of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), City Social Welfare and Development Officer, City Planning and Development Officer, City Treasurer, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), Barangay Affair Officer, representatives from the academe as may be determined by the council, and other members as may be identified necessary by the council as members.
The City Mayor, through an Administrative Order, shall reconstitute the Literacy Coordinating Council and once convened, the council shall determine the appropriate date and time of their meetings and their internal rules and procedures.
The Literacy Coordinating Council, aside from its duties and functions as provided in AO 143, series of 2007, shall likewise perform duties related to the formulation of the mechanics and detailed criteria for the search for the Barangay Literacy Awards, preparation of the implementing rules and regulations in relation to the ordinance and submit the same to the City Mayor and City Council; suggestions and recommendations for the necessary legislations in the success of the barangay Literacy Awards and determine the appropriate awards, incentives and recognition that may be feasible to the barangays.
The ordinance stipulated the amount of P100,000 shall be included in the annual budget of the local government to guarantee the successful implementation of the awards.
Republic Act (RA) 7743 or the law that mandates the establishment of congressional, city and municipal libraries and barangay reading centers throughout the country declared the promotion of the moral and intellectual well-being of the people as a national policy.
Moreover, it likewise provides the literacy level of every Filipino should be elevated eventually resulting to the eradication of illiteracy in the countryside.
By Dexter A. See
