BAGUIO CITY – The City Council disclosed it passed a good number of ordinances and resolutions that supports the city government’s anti-Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) initiatives as part of the overall efforts of concerned government agencies to combat the spread of the deadly virus in the city.
Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan claimed almost all resolutions and ordinances that were enacted by the City Council in support of the city’s anti-COVID initiatives were authored by all members of the council to show that city officials are united in their actions against the highly contagious virus and reduce its effect to the residents of the city.
Aside from approving resolutions and ordinances that support the implementation of the various initiatives of the city government to strengthen its position against the virus and ensure the compliance of residence to established health and safety protocols, he added that some 38 personnel of the City Council were assigned to augment the work force of the different city hall offices doing the validation of the qualified beneficiaries of the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in the city’s 128 barangays.
Further, Olowan stated that city legislators also extended assistance to residents in need of help through their individual capacity while performing their duties and responsibilities in the conduct of consultations with concerned sectors in the city on how to work through the prevailing enhanced community quarantine.
Among the important ordinances enacted by the city’s legislative body include the reversion of the P150 million from the city’s unimplemented projects during the previous years to fund the implementation of the city’s anti-COVID initiatives and an ordinance that earmarked some P10.24 million as the city government’s financial assistance to the city’s 128 barangays to augment their existing funds to help in enhancing their anti-COVID activities.
According to him, city legislators remain committed in supporting programs and projects of the executive department to be implemented during the remaining period of the ECQ and beyond to ensure the city can recover from the negative impact caused by the ECQ to the sources of livelihood of the people and the overall state of the city’s economy.
He assured the city legislators will continue to support the programs and projects of the city government during the quarantine period and beyond to allow the city to slowly recover from the heavy impact of the ECQ since numerous families have been affected by the stoppage of most economic activities that were sources of livelihood to the residents.
The vice mayor stipulated the City Council will continue to conduct its regular session every Monday to act on urgent matters needing legislative action for the same to be immediately implemented, especially to effectively and efficiently address the issues and concerns affecting the people during the ECQ that was further extended up to May 15, 2020.
By Dexter A. See
