Go pushes magna carta for barangay officials
CLARK, Pampanga: Former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Tuesday said he would pursue the enactment of a magna carta for barangay officials that would provide them with additional benefits and social protection.
Go, who was the keynote speaker at the 1st General Membership Assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay Isabela Chapter at the Asean Convention Center here, noted the important role of
( village) officials, particularly in keeping their communities safe and orderly.
He said he would study the possibility of having them receive salaries instead of honoraria and receive allowances, insurance, medical, retirement and other fringe benefits, which regular government employees are entitled.
Go also noted that the term of office of the current set of elected barangay officials is only two years.
The Commission on Elections had said winners in the 2018 barangay and SK elections would serve for only two years because the next polls would be held in 2020. But winners in the 2020 elections will serve the regular three-year term.
load this holiday season, where consumer demands continue to fuel imports. In a statement, SBITC said it has secured investments for equipment and systems for cargo terminals in the Subic Freeport Area, boosting its capacity to accommodate increased cargo volume. The port operator noted the positive forecast on the country’s gross domestic product ( GDP) would further propel the already strong growth of cargo volume. “The country’s appetite for imported goods is typically highlighted during the Christmas holiday up until Chinese New Year,” it said. But when asked for the SBITC’s monthly average and peak season cargo volume, the firm has not replied as of press time. The company said goods that usually pass through Subic Freeport include agricultural equipment, grains and fertilizers, electronic parts and general department store merchandise, which are destined for North and Central Luzon. It is also ready to receive shipments initially destined for Manila, Visayas and Mindanao ports.
Aside from the magna carta for barangay officials, Go also stressed the importance of recognizing the role of barangay health workers, tanod (watchmen) and other appointed positions at the village level as a comprehensive approach in pushing for the welfare of barangay units.
He reiterated that President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against drugs, corruption, and criminality would prove very difficult without the support of barangay officials, hence, he is in solidarity with the league in their clamor for additional benefits.
Apart from his plans to promote the interest of barangay officials, Go also outlined to them the legislative agenda he would pursue if elected to the Senate.
Foremost of this is to improve delivery of medical services through the establishment all over the country of Malasakit Centers, one-stop-shops where concerned government agencies are represented to make it easier for poor patients to get medical and financial assistance.
It was Go who led the establishment of these centers during his time as special assistant to President Duterte.
Insp. Phoe Pangan, Hermosa police chief, said they just brought back Rieza from an inquest at the Bataan Prosecutor’s Office in Balanga City when his handcuff was unlocked but he allegedly tried to grab a policeman’s firearm, prompting the officer to fire shots at the suspect. Pangan said Reiza, who sustained two gunshot wounds on the chest and head, was identified by the workers of the couple as the gunman in the fatal ambush. The suspect’s wife who arrived at the police station was in tears, saying she could not believe that her husband was already dead after the inquest. The victim couple left two children – 17 years old and 10 years old.