MANKAYAN, Benguet– Six upland and vegetable-producing barangays in the municipality formally received from the municipal government their respective multipurpose vehicles to enhance the delivery of services to their constituents.
The turnover of the multipurpose vehicles by the municipal officials headed by Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong and Vice Mayor Joseph Denver Tongngacan to the recipient barangay officials was witnessed by Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap and Gov. Melchor D. Diclas Tuesday morning.
Upon the invitation of Mayor Ayong, Yap and Diclas flew to the municipality via the lawmaker’s chopper to witness the important ceremony, including the inauguration of the newly-rehabilitated stage of the Mankayan National High School.
The multipurpose vehicles were received by the barangay officials led by Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and incumbent Balili punong barangay Tony Ugalde, Tabeo punong barangay Eugene Lasquite, Bulalacao punong barangay Romeo Bayanes, Guinaoang punong barangay James Guanzo, Jr. Palasaan-Suyoc officer-in-charge Marco Camiling and Taneg punong barangay Agusto Calixto.
Mayor Ayong explained that the municipal government decided to give the multipurpose vehicles as incentives to the 6 upland and vegetable-producing barangays to reciprocate their kind gesture at the height of the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) by their donation of vegetables from their kindhearted farmers which were in turn distributed to the heavily-impacted residents of the town’s lower barangays, aside from the donations in other local governments inside and outside the Cordillera.
He added that the funds for the purchase of the multipurpose vehicles were sourced from the town’s annual budget this year while for next year, the municipal government will procure some 3 vehicles for the first batch of recipients from the lower barangays and the remaining 3 barangays will be given their vehicles by 2022.
Of the 7 vehicles purchased by the municipal government, it will retain one vehicle will for its various needs.
Ayong reported that the vehicles should be used to serve the needs of the constituents of the recipient barangays so that there will be immediate action from the barangay officials on matters of requests for vehicle use for various purposes, including the delivery of modules to the houses of the students who are enrolled in the different public elementary and high schools in the municipality.
Further, the municipal government also increased the assistance being extended to the town’s 12 barangays from the previous P30,000 to P100,000 to contribute in efforts to enhance the services being extended by the barangays to their respective constituents. By HENT