SOGOD, Southern Leyte (PIA) -- More than a thousand individuals in the upland village of Pancho Villa, along the national highway, flocked to the barangay gym on Monday, October 9, taking advantage of the services offered by many government agencies.
Aileen, 35 years old, a mother of six children, the eldest 11 years old and the youngest, a 2 month-old baby, took advantage of the opportunity for she saved P140 roundtrip fare by a “habal-habal” if she were to go to the town proper, a distance of about 15 kilometers.
“I really see to it to make use of the services offered right here, than going to the town’s center,” Aileen said, clutching the sleeping infant close to her breast, while leading three kids around, for the free medical checkup with free medicines, among other services.
The occasion was the now familiar serbisyo caravan, a joint undertaking of the municipal task force and provincial task force to end local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), in which government agencies from the national, provincial, and municipal levels converged, such as TESDA, DAR, DOLE, DENR, PCA, PCIC, DepEd, DPWH, and DILG, offering for free their respective services.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) was there, as well as the Provincial Agricultural Services Office (PAgSO), while municipal offices included the Municipal Assessor, Animal veterinary, and Persons with Disability Office.
There was also the PNP, as well as the Philippine Army, whose officers served as barbers giving free haircut to the young and old people, aside from providing security.
Former Mayor Imelda Tan gave school supplies to elementary-level schoolers, and ear-piercing service to female children to put on their ear jewelry sooner or later.
Punong Barangay Elenita Guston was grateful for the conduct of the caravan in her barangay, saying this was among the conditions to avail the P10 million assistance under the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) the National Task Force ELCAC extended to identified priority barangay like Pancho Villa.
Guston said the fund will be used for a road concreting project to connect the barangay to San Francisco Mabuhay, another ELCAC identified barangay.
For his part, Sogod town Mayor Sheffered Tan encouraged the residents of Pancho Villa to keep on planting abaca, coconuts, and vegetable crops in order to have money they can use anytime.
"We, your officials, keep on planning developments for our town," Tan said, adding that progress can be attained where peace, order, and security reign.
He thanked the presence of national line agencies, provincial government, and the municipal offices for bringing their services right at the doorstep of the people in the barangay.
The town of Sogod has seven ELCAC-identified, priority barangays, and Pancho Villa was the fourth in a series of having been conducted serbisyo caravan, Tan said, adding that the three others will be held within this month of October. (LD/MMP/PIA Southern Leyte)
