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Bong Go helps recovering fire victims rebuild in Valenzuela City
The Office of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go led a relief operation for fire victims in Valenzuela City on Tuesday, September 5, as part of the senator’s efforts to help disaster-affected households rebuild and recover. The distribution was held at Arkong Bato National High School in coordination with Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian. The senator’s team provided grocery packs, masks, shirts, vitamins, snacks, and balls for basketball and volleyball to 225 recovering fire victims. They also gave away shoes and mobile phones to select individuals. Meanwhile, the National Housing Authority (NHA) provided housing assistance to each affected family through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP). “Isinulong din natin na mabigyan sila ng National Housing Authority ng ayuda pambili ng housing materials tulad ng pako, yero at iba pa upang maisaayos muli ang kanilang mga tirahan,” Go highlighted. “Itong EHAP program, isinulong ko ito noon at patuloy na sinusuportahang mapondohan ang programa ngayon upang mas marami pang mga biktima ng sakuna ang makapagpatayo ng maayos na bahay at makabangon muli mula sa trahedya,” he added. The relief activity was attended by several officials, including NHA Assistant General Manager Alvin Feliciano, who expressed his appreciation for the senator, saying, “Senator Bong Go, ang buong barangay po ng Arkong Bato ay nagpapasalamat sa inyong biyaya. Napakalaking tulong po nito sa amin. Lalo na para makaahon sila sa buhay. Mr. Malasakit, saludo po kami sa inyo.” Meanwhile, Go highlighted Republic Act No. 11589, also known as the Bureau of Fire Protection Modernization Act of 2021. The law, which was authored and co-sponsored by Go, aims to enhance the capabilities of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) through a ten-year modernization program, which includes the recruitment of more firefighters, acquisition of new fire equipment, and specialized training. “Alam ko pong mahirap ang masunugan pero magtiwala lang po kayo sa gobyerno at tayo po ay makakaahon muli. Ang importante ay walang nasaktan. Ang pera ay kikitain naman po natin yan pero ang buhay ay hindi nabibili ng pera. A lost life is a lost life forever kaya mag-ingat tayo,” said Go. The lawmaker likewise continues to push for the enactment of Senate Bill No. 192, which seeks to institutionalize the Rental Housing Subsidy Program. Under the proposed measure, a housing and social protection program will be developed to provide disaster victims better and more affordable access to the formal housing market through the provision of rental subsidies provided by the government. Meanwhile, Go filed SBN 193, or the proposed Mandatory Evacuation Center Act, which aims to ensure that disaster victims will have temporary shelters that will guarantee their safety and welfare while they recover and rebuild their lives. The senator also encouraged residents to take advantage of the services offered in Malasakit Centers nationwide, including those established in Valenzuela Medical Center and Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital, which are both located in the city. The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop that brings together relevant agencies to provide medical aid to poor and indigent Filipinos. Go is the principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act, which has successfully assisted over seven million Filipinos through its 158 operational centers nationwide. “Ako po ay nasunugan at tinulangan po ako ng mahal na mayor at mahal na Senator Bong Go sa kahirapan. Ako rin po ay nanganak at tinulungan ng Malasakit Center sa aking bill. Kaya naman nagpapasalamat ako kay Senator Bong Go sa programa niya dahil ako ay natulungan ng Malasakit Center,” Manilyn Sarmiento, one of the beneficiaries, expressed. Go also expressed his support for the construction of 28 Super Health Centers in strategic locations across Metro Manila, in collaboration with the Department of Health. These centers are designed to offer a wide range of basic health services, database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit. Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, which makes remote diagnosis and treatment of patients possible. Moreover, echoing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s priority of bringing specialized medical services closer to other parts of the country, Go has successfully sponsored in the Senate the Regional Specialty Centers Act which he also filed as one of its authors. As vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go has been a staunch supporter of various initiatives in the city. These include the construction of the Valenzuela Center for Academic Excellence, acquisition of ambulance units for the city government, and the construction of a multipurpose building in Brgy. Canumay West. The post Bong Go helps recovering fire victims rebuild in Valenzuela City appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lawmakers urge PNP to expedite purchase of body cams
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Philippine National Police to take action on various issues surrounding the agency's use of body-worn cameras. Among issues raised during the House committee on public order and safety's motu propio inquiry into the procurement of body-worn cameras and other mission-essential equipment of the PNP was the procurement of cheaper cameras but with better specifications, as well as the need to expedite the PNP's acquisition of the equipment. The panel's chair, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, advised officers to opt for a low-cost but high-brand to make the most of their budget after finding that the PNP's initial bodycam purchase cost P25,950. "Maybe in our next purchase, make sure it is a better brand because if you look at the P26,000 price of what you procured, we can already buy the best brand," Fernandez said in Filipino. According to PNP Maj. Gen. Ronaldo Olay, body-worn cameras were given P333.994 million in the 2018 General Appropriations Act. The chairman said there are cheaper cameras, such as GoPro, which costs only P20,000 but has high-end features. Fernandez even claimed he bought bodycams for just P8,000 during his time as a mayor. Meanwhile, Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan asked the PNP to expedite its bodycam procurement after learning that the existing procurement system would take nearly 20 years to provide these devices to the full uniformed force. Given the backlog of at least 43,000 bodycams as of this year, Yamsuan said it would take at least two decades for the PNP to provide such devices to the entire police force. "When we think about it, it will take 20 years before we can fill the backlog," Yamsuan, a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, told PNP officials. "It's vital now especially, not only for the victim. The police are also victims. When you are wrongly accused, you also need to protect yourself.'" The fact that the PNP's proposed budget for 2024 includes funding for the purchase of only 2,000 bodycams prompted Yamsuan's call. “You should think about yourselves and enhancing the capability of your agency,” the lawmaker told the PNP. The PNP currently possesses 2,696 body cameras that were purchased in 2021, Deputy Director of the PNP Directorate for Logistics Flynn Dongbo said. The post Lawmakers urge PNP to expedite purchase of body cams appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BFP told: Review firetruck bid requirements
The Bureau of Fire Protection has been urged to review the terms of reference and specifications when bidding out firetrucks. Bicol Saro Partylist Representative and former Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Brian Raymund Yamsuan issued the call following allegations of corruption hounding the BFP over its acquisition of firetrucks. The lawmaker believes this action, with the BFP instituting change within the agency, will ultimately help eliminate the country's recurrent firetruck backlog. "You are the ones who will start the change in your agency. You should initiate change. Because if you don't, nothing will happen. It will reflect on us. What is happening to you is a reflection on us in the government," Yamsuan said. The House committee on public order and safety chaired by Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez carried its first deliberation on Tuesday on House Resolution 724, which seeks to scrutinize the BFP's "restrictive" and "questionable" firetruck procurement bidding in line with its modernization program. The resolution was filed by Makabayan bloc members ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel. The BFP, one of the agencies under the jurisdiction of the DILG, annually receives a substantial portion of the General Appropriations Law, primarily since the passage of the BFP Modernization Act, which provides for the expansion of the nation's firefighting capabilities through the acquisition of equipment such as firetrucks, among others. In their resolution, the three-member Makabayan bloc expressed concern over the BFP's restrictions in its published bidding documents, which they said appear to be "tailor-fit" to favor certain suppliers. The BFP, according to the solons, has given undue advantage to two joint venture entities since 2018. BFP Director Louie Puracan responded by saying the agency takes measures to ensure competitive bidding and no favored suppliers. "Our bidding is not tailor-fit, your honors. Many bidders are able to bid," he said. One of the restrictions the BFP imposed in its bidding documents, according to the resolution's proponents, is the limitation of qualified bidders to those that had been engaged in the manufacture or assembly of firetrucks and or rescue truck vehicles for at least 15 years in the Philippines prior to the opening of the bids. They pointed out that it is a major departure from the previous bidding process that allowed even those entities engaged in the sale and supply of firetrucks and/or rescue truck vehicles in the Philippines for at least 15 years immediately preceding the submission and opening of bids. But the 15-year threshold was eliminated last year to allow the BFP to review the bidder's track record, said Puracan. "There were suggestions to remove the 15 years [requirement] so that more people can join, and we can have more options of cheap but quality [firetrucks]. That is why the management decided to remove the 15-year requirement." The post BFP told: Review firetruck bid requirements appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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