BAGUIO CITY – Three barangays in the Municipality of Pilar in Abra can now benefit and enjoy the use of the newly constructed Barangay Health Station (BHS) worth PHP 11.7 million funded under the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“The inauguration and turnover of these three health stations in barangays Gapang, Nagcanasan, and Ocup, amounting to PHP11.7 million signifies the government’s collaborative success in achieving peace and security in the Municipality of Pilar,” said Department of the Interior and Local Government Cordillera Regional Director Araceli San Jose.
Noting that these health stations would provide the initial set of professional care to patients through a proactive approach employing numerous preventive interventions, chronic illness management, and promotion of self-care.
In his message, Pilar Municipal Mayor Tyron Christopher Beroña expressed his gratitude for the construction of the three health stations, noting, “These three health stations will definitely be of great assistance to our constituents in the Municipality of Pilar”.
“These health stations are an essential component of establishing a healthy community that will provide high-quality primary health care services to our most vulnerable individuals, families, and communities, including immunizations, prenatal care, monitoring of morbidity, and referral services,” he said.
Norlita Domen, a resident of Brgy. Gapang, described her experiences prior to the availability of government services in an interview. “Earlier, we had to travel five sitios away from our barangay in order to access health services that were unavailable in our community. It was extremely tough for us to go so far at our age. But, now that health stations have been established in these three barangays, the availability of health services can be guaranteed”.
Reynalda Tulza, a resident of Brgy. Nagcanasan also said that before the provision of services, it was really a trying time.
“Before, we had to walk all the way to Poblacion, but since our conditions have gotten better, we no longer have to. This has brought about a great deal of change, especially considering the government’s funding of a large number of such projects. We are really grateful that the national government is working so hard to reach all the vulnerable barangays,” Tulza said.
SBDP is a hallmark program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-prone communities. The SBDP forms part of the government’s whole-of-nation approach in fighting the communist armed rebellion in the countryside.
The program aims to eradicate the root causes of insurgency, poverty, and social injustice in remote communities across the country identified to have been influenced by communist ideologies. By PMTG
